About us

We believe that improving people’s wellbeing is the ultimate goal of effective policy and community action.

We work to understand what governments, businesses and communities can do to improve wellbeing. 

Read our strategy


For almost a decade, the What Works Centre for Wellbeing has built a reputation as the leading UK authority on wellbeing.

Our vision is to significantly contribute to a future where the wellbeing of people and communities in the UK improves year-on-year and wellbeing inequalities are reduced.

Our purpose is to find out what works to improve wellbeing and partner to put that evidence into action and create conditions for us all to thrive.

Our mission is to:

  • Find global wellbeing evidence, synthesising insights and accelerating access to robust research.
  • Share the knowledge as a public good, democratising access through translation, ensuring robust and relevant evidence reaches the right audiences in the most accessible way.
  • Grow the evidence base by identifying gaps and working together to fill them through more trials and studies, creating a learning system for wellbeing.
  • Convene people from across research, policy and practice in combinations and ways that promote knowledge sharing, nurturing new collaborations and partnerships.
  • Guide people to generate meaningful evidence of their wellbeing impact through a range of means that include advice, workshops, frameworks, guidance documents and platforms.
  • Mobilise people to take evidence-informed action and practice, seeding change.

Our approach is:

  • trusted
  • independent
  • evidence-based
  • collaborative
  • practical
  • iterative
  • open

We  take a life course approach to wellbeing research and practice, and focus on where we can make the biggest difference, based on current knowledge, expertise and networks. 

  1. National wellbeing methods and measures
  2. Working age
  3. Place and community
  4. Loneliness and connection

> Find out more about our work and how we achieve our aims

> Read our strategy

We collaborate with:

  • Government – national and local leaders, departments, and wider public sector bodies, commissioners and funders. 
  • Research – individuals and research organisations across the UK and globally.
  • Business –  large, small and multinational, and professional bodies.
  • Civil society – charities, social enterprises and community groups, as well as funders and commissioners.

We’d love to partner with you, so please get in touch.

> Learn more about how you can collaborate with us

We are part of the What Works Network and The Evidence Quarter. This network improves the way government and other organisations create, share and use high-quality, robust evidence for decision-making.

As a registered Community Interest Company, we are a non-profit organisation that relies on funding grants and donations to continue our work. 

> View our current and former funders and partners.

Explore the Centre’s story so far

Key moments from our work and history

Oct 29, 2014 | By Nancy Hey
What Works Centre for Wellbeing announced today
Centre Blog
Dec 2, 2014 | By centredevelopment
Videos from our launch events 29th October – Part 2 Bristol
Guest Blog
Mar 30, 2017 | By Centre
New Board Appointments and Evidence Call on Housing
Centre Blog
May 11, 2017 | By Centre
Resource round up and Centre update
Centre Blog
Dec 26, 2018 | By Centre
Wellbeing evidence, policy and practice in 2018
Centre Blog
Jan 2, 2018 | By Nancy Hey
New evidence, guidance and research coming up in 2018
Centre Blog
Jul 6, 2018 | By Centre
Evidence round-up and reflections
Centre Blog
Nov 28, 2018 | By Tricia
Wellbeing across the lifecourse: the big picture
Guest Blog
Jan 2, 2019 | By Centre
How can wellbeing evidence inform your work in 2019?
Centre Blog
Jan 9, 2020 | By Centre
New research, guidance and opportunities in 2020
Centre Blog
Dec 4, 2019 | By Andrea
What’s happening across the What Works Network?
Guest Blog
Apr 3, 2019 | By Nancy Hey
New funding call: wellbeing methods and measures
Centre Blog
Apr 29, 2021 | By
A decade of subjective wellbeing data
Centre Blog
Mar 31, 2021 | By Peter Cheese
Wellbeing – past, present, and future
Guest Blog
Jan 7, 2021 | By Robyn
Campaign to End Loneliness joins the Centre
Centre Blog
Jul 14, 2022 | By Michael Sanders
Accelerating access to wellbeing datasets
Centre Blog
Feb 17, 2022 | By
2022 Wellbeing conferences and seminars
Centre Blog
Dec 22, 2022 | By Robyn Bignall-Donnelly
2022 Impact – Our year in review
Centre Blog
Jan 5, 2023 | By What Works Centre for Wellbeing
What’s coming up in 2023: wellbeing projects, conferences and seminars
Guest Blog
Apr 27, 2023 | By What Works Centre for Wellbeing
Celebrating 10 years of the What Works Network
Guest Blog