Theory of Change

The projects we fund are underpinned by our theory of change, which shows how we believe that supporting people to be more active, creative and connected leads to positive social outcomes.

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Impact

Spirit of 2012 was set up to recreate the pride and positivity that defined the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. We give funding to projects that leave a social legacy, with the ultimate aim that:

Thrive

Individuals and communities thrive irrespective of their background

Flourish

We contribute to a society set up in a way that enables everyone to flourish

Outcomes

We believe that enabling people to participate in a wide range of inclusive activities, and engaging together in their communities, will:

Improve the wellbeing of individuals, communities and society as a whole
Improve perceptions (including self perceptions) and attitudes towards disability and impairment
Lead to greater social cohesion and understanding

We can measure these benefits at an individual, community and organisational level: people, places and projects.

People

We commission projects that improve wellbeing outcomes for individuals

Places

The projects we commission use the spark of events to create happier communities

Projects

We deliver our funding in ways that also benefit our delivery organisations

PRINCIPLES

We want our funding to help more people participate in the arts, volunteer, get physically active and come together as a community.

We’ve developed five principles for how we design funding rounds and how our projects drive their work forward:

INCLUSIVE

Bringing together people from different backgrounds

Removing barriers to participation, particularly for disabled and/or disadvantaged people

ENGAGING

Activities are fun and positive

Activities are high quality, credible and authentic

Beneficiaries have a say in how activities are run

SUSTAINABLE

Participation is regular

Clear pathways for continued engagement

LOCAL

Funding is responsive to local needs

Local people have agency and leadership roles

National and local organisations work in partnership

REFLECTIVE

Projects teams are curious about what works

Project teams respond to learning

They are honest about what doesn’t work