Open call for events social impact partners

UK Sport is inviting applications from prospective social impact partners that share our vision to use the platform of major events to power positive change.

As committed in our new major events strategic framework Making Live Sport Matter, throughout the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic/Paralympic cycle (2025-2029) we will work with centralised social impact partners who will support our funded major events to deliver meaningful social impact, advance our work across equality, diversity and inclusion and embed environmental sustainability.

This sits alongside our organisation’s Powering Success Inspiring Impact strategic plan 2021-31, which identified three areas where UK Sport and major events have a credible and authentic opportunity to power positive change:

1. Improving health and wellbeing - From prioritising the physical and mental wellbeing of every member of our major event community to helping local communities form positive relationships with physical and mental wellbeing.
   
   
2. Celebrating the power of our differences - From helping major events to be a place where the nation’s exceptional talent belongs and has the opportunity to be the best it can be, to inspiring communities to connect with each other as they discover common ground and shared purpose.
   
   
3. Driving environmental sustainability - From significantly reducing our own environmental impact as a major events sector, to increasing the positive impact that major events can stimulate, inspiring others to form a better relationship with the environment.

We believe that establishing centralised social impact partnerships in these areas will have the following benefits:

• Deliver scalable, evidence-based social impact programmes across UK Sport’s events programme.
• Maximise the social impact potential of major events by aggregating effort and resources.
• Support major events and their associated hosting partners at multiple points along the major events lifecycle, from bidding to delivery and beyond.
• Improve the capacity and capability of major event organisers through partner-provided training, education, resources and recruitment/outreach activity.

UK Sport will support the partnerships financially and in turn expects social impact partners to contribute to the partnership across its lifetime through monetary contributions, value in kind or a combination of both.

Social impact partners will benefit from association with UK Sport’s world class major events programme and may be able to leverage further benefits through increased reach, exposure, communications and fundraising opportunities.

We plan to enter into three social impact partnerships, with further partnerships expected in the future.

Interested in finding out more?

For more information on becoming a social impact partner and how to apply, please email major.events@uksport.gov.uk.

Application timeline

We encourage applicants to be ambitious and creative in their proposals to help us maximise the opportunity to power positive change through major events, delivering meaningful impact across host communities nationwide.