Cropped image of a wooden desk with a laptop, hands using a computer mouse. Photograph by Francis Augusto

Our work

Innovation

We test new ways to ensure our urban health programmes have the greatest possible positive impact on people’s health.

Our approach to Innovation

By listening to our colleagues and partners, we identify gaps in our knowledge, look for solutions, find out if they would work in our context and then use the lessons we’ve learnt to shape how our programmes work.

Throughout this process, we share our insights with organisations working on health inequalities and with other funders.

What we’re doing

Our work follows two broad themes:

Exploring how we can be a better funder
This involves finding ways to engage and empower people and organisations to make decisions about how funding in their communities is allocated.
It brings the voices of people from our boroughs into the heart of our research and strengthens the capacity of communities to support their residents.
Thinking about the future of urban health
We are also exploring how urban places will look like in the future – and what challenges and opportunities will exist for us to help shape the health of people living in these places.

Within this, we’re thinking about how to build wealth within neighbourhoods in our boroughs, rebuild trust between communities that experience health inequalities and healthcare providers, and support opportunities for leaders from communities in our boroughs have a platform to advocate for themselves.