What Works Wellbeing

What What Works Wellbeing does

What Works Wellbeing (legally What Works Centre for Wellbeing) was an independent UK non-profit established in 2014 and operating until 30 April 2024. Its core function was evidence synthesis and translation on wellbeing: it convened researchers, policymakers, employers, and civil society to produce systematic reviews, rapid evidence assessments, measurement guidance, and policy frameworks covering work, loneliness, mental and physical health, places and community, and government policy. Core 'products' were a suite of free public-good resources rather than commercial software, including the Wellbeing Evidence Hub (searchable systematic review repository), the Evidence Knowledge Bank (16 reviews consolidated from 2016-2018), the Wellbeing Evidence at the Heart of Policy report introducing the WISER priority areas, the Measure Wellbeing platform with the Wellbeing Measures Bank, the Understanding Society Wellbeing Data Dashboard (with the University of Essex), the Covid:WIRED inequalities dashboard, an introductory e-learning course, the #BeeWell youth wellbeing programme (with the University of Manchester, Anna Freud Centre, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority), and the Campaign to End Loneliness programme absorbed in 2021. Underlying technology consisted of evidence synthesis methodology, dashboard front-ends over UK longitudinal wellbeing datasets (ONS4, WEMWBS, Understanding Society), and website-based delivery (whatworkswellbeing.org, measure-wellbeing.org). The business model was entirely grant-funded: core multi-year ESRC grants plus project-specific funding from government departments, charities, and research institutions. All resources were freely accessible with no commercial pricing. End users spanned UK Government and HM Treasury (whose Green Book and 2021 Wellbeing supplementary guidance codified the organization's frameworks), local authorities, employers, schools, charities, and academic researchers, with international influence on Canada and New Zealand wellbeing frameworks. The Board announced closure in December 2023 after ESRC core grants concluded and no alternative partnership could be secured; the website was transferred in April 2024 to the Observatoire du Bien-être at CEPREMAP as a static archive.

Name

What Works Wellbeing

Legal name

What Works Centre for Wellbeing

Website

https://whatworkswellbeing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

What Works Wellbeing (What Works Centre for Wellbeing) was an independent UK non-profit (2014-2024) that synthesised and translated evidence on wellbeing for policymakers, employers, local authorities, charities, and researchers. It produced free systematic reviews, measurement frameworks, and data dashboards, and its work was codified into HM Treasury's Green Book.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellbeing Research and Policy Evidence

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education (EDAAAHAN)

Keywords

• Wellbeing evidence synthesis
• Policy evaluation services
• Systematic review research
• Wellbeing measurement frameworks
• Public health research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Core Funding from ESRC: The organization depended on core funding alongside project-specific funds to deliver its mission. Original multi-year grants from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) were reduced and concluded, leading to inability to secure alternative partnership for long-term sustainability.
2. Project-Specific Funding: Project-specific funds generated through collaborations with various partners including government departments, charities, and research institutions. Following reduction of core grants, the organization was unable to secure alternative partnership to sustain operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

What Works Wellbeing was an independent UK evidence synthesis and knowledge centre (operating 2014-2024) that produced systematic reviews, evidence reviews, data dashboards and practical guidance on what improves population wellbeing across work, communities, health, places, and government policy. The centre translated academic and policy evidence into actionable tools for UK government departments, local authorities, charities and researchers, and contributed content to HM Treasury's Green Book. All outputs were made freely available as a public good.

Product overview

What Works Wellbeing was an evidence synthesis and knowledge centre (not a traditional software product company) that operated from 2014-2024. The organisation's 'products' consisted of evidence resources, research programmes, data dashboards, and guidance tools designed to democratise access to wellbeing evidence. The core offerings include the Wellbeing Evidence Hub (searchable systematic review repository), the Evidence Knowledge Bank (2016-2018 review findings), the Wellbeing Evidence at the Heart of Policy report (WISER framework), the Understanding Society Wellbeing Data Dashboard (data visualisation tool), Covid:WIRED (pandemic inequalities dashboard), Measure Wellbeing (evaluation guidance platform with Wellbeing Measures Bank), and the #BeeWell youth wellbeing programme. These resources were complemented by e-learning courses, rapid evidence reviews, and practice guidance to support policymakers, civil society organisations, and researchers in applying wellbeing evidence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campaign to End Loneliness: A programme focusing on loneliness prevention and social isolation research, resources, and policy guidance

Products and services

• Wellbeing Evidence Hub
• Evidence Knowledge Bank
• Wellbeing Evidence at the Heart of Policy Report
• Measure Wellbeing (Online Guidance Platform)
• Wellbeing Measures Bank
• Understanding Society Wellbeing Data Dashboard
• Covid:WIRED Dashboard (Covid Wellbeing Inequalities Research Evidence Dashboard)
• Intro to Wellbeing E-Learning Course
• #BeeWell Youth Wellbeing Programme

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Campaign to End LonelinesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Campaign to End Loneliness was welcomed to What Works Wellbeing in 2021 to help build collective understanding of why and how people are affected by loneliness and social isolation. Kate Shurety served as Interim Programme Director - Campaign to End Loneliness at closure.
• Northumbria UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthumbria University used the Centre's community wellbeing conceptual framework in place-based qualitative research, creating early stage evidence and new insights into community wellbeing in higher education institutions.
• University of Essex - Institute for Social and Economic ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to launch the Understanding Society wellbeing data dashboard to make the survey's wellbeing data more readily available to non-academic users.
• University College London - Centre for Time Use ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UCL's Centre for Time Use Research to explore UK time use data from 2020-2021 and understand how people use their time and how this impacts wellbeing.
• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on #BeeWell programme measuring wellbeing of young people in secondary schools across Greater Manchester annually. What Works Wellbeing served as a partner organization.
• Anna Freud CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the #BeeWell programme alongside University of Manchester and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
• Greater Manchester Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the #BeeWell programme to measure wellbeing of secondary school pupils in Greater Manchester annually.
• Centre for Economic Performance at LSEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create a report for policy analysts seeking to apply a practical wellbeing approach to appraisal and evaluation, drawing on A Handbook for Wellbeing Policy-Making.
• The Children's SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner providing children's subjective wellbeing data for the UK through the annual Good Childhood Report. What Works Wellbeing reviewed and analyzed reports since 2016 and worked with them to map existing measures and tools.
• HM Treasury / UK GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork incorporated into HM Treasury Green Book (2018, 2020) and Wellbeing supplementary guidance (2021), making wellbeing a required consideration in government spending and evaluations.
• Centre for London and Mile End Institute at QMULminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored report on what influences Londoners' wellbeing based on empirical analysis of Understanding Society data, identifying key determinants of wellbeing in London.
• Centre for Thriving PlacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Covid:WIRED - The Covid Wellbeing Inequalities Research Evidence Dashboard, a unique online dashboard mapping evidence on the unequal wellbeing impacts of the pandemic.
• UK Data ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationProvided access to Understanding Society data and other longitudinal survey data for wellbeing analysis and research.
• Office for National Statistics (ONS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt on work from ONS National Measuring Wellbeing Programme. Contributed expertise to the first-ever review of the UK Measures of National Well-being Dashboard, helping shape future wellbeing measurement.
• What Works NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of the What Works Network, a core strand was systematically identifying, assessing and summarising evidence from evaluations that use wellbeing frameworks and standardised measures.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Mental Health: Charity producing evidence-based research on mental health policy and practice, including WEMWBS-aligned work. Direct overlap in mental wellbeing evidence synthesis and policy translation, including with Joanne Smithson's Marie Curie award-winning research.
• What Works for Children's Social Care: Fellow What Works Network centre producing evidence reviews and practice guidance for social care — same evidence-translation model, same funding architecture, and overlapping board membership (Michael Sanders was its founding CEO). Direct operational analogue to What Works Wellbeing.
• Centre for Ageing Better: Another What Works Network member focused on ageing — conducts evidence synthesis, develops measurement frameworks, and engages policymakers and employers on practice change. Comparable funding model and structure as a sister What Works Centre.
• Centre for Thriving Places: Direct partner on Covid:WIRED dashboard, focused on place-based wellbeing and community evidence. Small non-profit with closely aligned mission on community wellbeing measurement and policy translation.
• New Philanthropy Capital: UK charity think tank that helps charities and funders understand what works — NPC produces evidence reviews and evaluation guidance for the social sector. Board member Dan Corry is NPC's CEO, making this a tightly coupled peer in evidence translation for civil society.
• What Works Scotland: Evidence intermediary in the same What Works Network producing systematic reviews and public service reform guidance. Same funding architecture, similar evidence-to-practice operating model.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Europe: Research organization with established evidence synthesis and policy evaluation practice on health, wellbeing, education, and social policy. Operates at greater scale internationally with commercial research contracts alongside grant funding.
• Behavioural Insights Team: Applies evidence and RCTs to public policy — uses randomized trials and evaluation to inform government decision-making. Highly comparable in evidence-to-policy mission; broader commercial model including overseas consulting, now majority-owned by the UK's innovation agency.
• NESTA: UK innovation foundation producing evidence, applied research, and policy experimentation on social and economic issues. Broader portfolio (innovation, health, economy) but overlapping evidence-translation methodology and government/practitioner audience.
• The King's Fund: Independent health think tank producing research, analysis, and policy guidance to inform health and care policy. Broadly overlaps with What Works Wellbeing in producing evidence for UK health and wellbeing policy audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whatworkswb
• GitHubgithub.com/WhatWorksWellbeing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-works-centre-for-wellbeing

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about What Works Wellbeing