Growing the impact economy
Every day across the UK, people and organisations are choosing to use their money, time and expertise to create positive change. Together, this forms what we call the impact economy.
It is no longer a niche. Our recent publication Impact UK: The size and story of our impact economy shows the impact economy contributes around £428bn to the UK economy, representing roughly 15% of GDP.
What was once a collection of disconnected sectors is becoming something more connected: a shared system with the potential to deliver change at scale.
The impact economy: A shared system with the potential to deliver change at scale.
A defining moment for the impact ecosystem
Across philanthropy, business, government and civil society, we are seeing:
- growing interest from wealth holders and institutions
See: How are Modern Philanthropists making a difference? Wealth advice and philanthropy: The benefit to charities and advice firms
- new policy attention and infrastructure
See: Local communities set to benefit as new Office for the Impact Economy to partner with philanthropists, social investors and businesses Our place to give: a plan for growing place-based philanthropy
- more organisations intentionally designing for impact
See: Purpose-led businesses thriving and outperforming UK peers, new data shows Third Sector Impact Report compares how 33 of the UK’s leading charities measure, report and share their impact.
Why this matters
Seeing the impact economy as a connected whole changes what becomes possible.
It helps:
- organisations understand where they sit and how they can grow
- funders and investors direct capital more effectively
- policymakers recognise and support the sector
- more people see a role for themselves in creating impact
Our focus: mapping and strengthening the system
Our work is focused on helping the impact economy become more visible, more connected, and more effective.
We are working openly with partners to test and improve our approach. Through our mapping the impact economy work we are:
- bringing together data from across the sector to build a clearer picture of its scale and diversity: Read our Impact UK report
- developing frameworks that help organisations understand their role and relationships: Browse our blogs and resources on growing the impact economy
- combining data with real-world stories to make the case for impact: Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter
- convening ambitious sector leaders through events and training to share ideas and create greater social impact: Join our flagship conferences Beacon Forum or NPC Ignites
Our approach
We are working with partners across the sector to:
- challenge and improve our approach
- bring in different perspectives
- and build something that is genuinely useful in practice
If you are interested in this work, we would welcome a conversation.
Will you help us map the impact economy?
We want to hear from as diverse range of voices as possible, beyond our usual and immediate networks. If you have data, insights or a story to share about your organisation or maybe your funding model or impact journey then we’d love to hear from you.
Whether you're a wealth holder, a foundation, a charity, a delivery organisation or a community leader you are part of this story.
This project would not be possible without the support of our generous partners
Related items
Blog
Building one impact economy
By David Neaum .
On 18 May 2026.
Explore NPC’s proposed impact economy framework and how it could align funding, finance and policy to help organisations deliver greater impact.
Event
NPC Ignites 2026
On 13 October 2026, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at 173 Euston Road
NPC Ignites is where the impact economy comes together to exchange ideas, challenge thinking and explore how we can deliver greater social impact together.
Resources
Impact UK: The size and story of our impact economy
On 30 January 2026.
Impact UK shares the story of a national, cross‑sector movement united to create positive impact.
