(5 minute read)
Published: 27 November 2025 (originally published by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) on 8 October 2025 as part of their new ‘Economics to improve lives’ series.
Written by: Sufina Ahmad, Director
When I joined John Ellerman Foundation in 2020, one of my reasons for doing so related to its overarching organisational aim to advance wellbeing for people, society and the natural world. I was impressed, relieved even, by the Foundation’s ability to see wellbeing as a concept that applied to more than just people and society. I was inspired by the range of ways that wellbeing was being interpreted by the Foundation at that time through its grantmaking. I was reassured too by the fact that there was a rejection of the more cynical and exploitative versions of wellbeing that exist – often resulting in a commodification of wellbeing in the form of products and services to consumers, especially vulnerable or at risk consumers, and a promotion of wellbeing concepts and ideas (usually relating to health) that promote ill-being.
However, it also became apparent that we weren’t as clear as we needed to be on what we actually meant by the word wellbeing.
In our latest strategy for 2025 to 2030, we have recommitted to the framing of wellbeing because it has given us hope in this age of significant disruption and interconnected global threats and challenges. Hope might feel like a passive framing, but I don’t think it is. Hope is something that you have; it’s something you lose too. It requires attention and action – these actions range from the tried and true, to the experimental and uncertain. Hope acts as a life raft in volatile and uncertain times, and when the better times come along, you know you couldn’t have got there without at least some hope to help you along. The same could be said about wellbeing. You know when you don’t have it, and it is the thing that provides resilience and support in difficult times. Our definition of wellbeing is expansive and relates to people, society and the natural world.
For people, we see wellbeing as the pursuit and achievement of a good life. We believe that basic needs, agency, equity and justice are foundational to wellbeing and enable us to flourish and live ‘well’. There is sometimes a need to challenge root cause issues within systems and structures when they prevent all parts of society from living a good life. This might mean seeking to improve democratic structures and participation, access to human rights and justice, and pursuing more meaningful and creative ways of connecting people, society and the natural world.
For society, we believe wellbeing enables a flourishing society. This means committing to more sustainable ways of living that move away from pursuing economic growth at all costs, and recognising that our long-term prosperity is rooted in social equity, deep democracy and ecological sustainability. It is a society where the arts and different social and environmental movements come together with individuals and communities to encourage conversation, community-based change, and a shared commitment to a more equitable and connected future.
For the natural world, we consider wellbeing as fundamental to a thriving planet. We know that the natural world requires protection, restoration and sustainable use in order to achieve an equitable and healthy interdependence between people and planet.
Wellbeing is the lens through which change happens in our Foundation and well beyond within the systems that we operate in. We believe firmly that wellbeing is interconnected with concepts relating to justice, equity, fairness and ultimately progress that benefits us all.
What would happen if our governments, locally, regionally and nationally, applied a wellbeing lens that is as expansive as ours to their work? In a time when there is increasing fatalism – a resignation to whatever fates might await us politically, technologically, and environmentally – I think wellbeing can revive the public discourse to one that celebrates cooperation and community. It is a framing that recognises the interdependence between people, society and the natural world – and that when one of these is not attended to fully, we all lose. Could our collective wellbeing and the relentless pursuit of it for the benefit of people and planet act as an alternative to authoritarianism? Could it challenge the prevailing narratives of decline and dissatisfaction?
At a time of so much volatility and uncertainty, it can feel impossible to know what to prioritise and what to respond to. Applying a wellbeing framework to our organisation has supported us with that. We take a total assets approach, which means that we want everything we do to deliver our aim – be it our grant making, investing or our wider operations. We considered all the ways in which our assets could be deployed to advance wellbeing and decided on the following four areas as our focus:
- Tackling the triple planetary crisis by mitigating and adapting to climate impacts, reducing pollution and protecting and restoring nature.
- Reducing polarisation, for example by building greater trust and connection
,within society, and/or increasing the levels of participation and influence in the political process (which is sometimes referred to as political equality).
- Promoting the development and adoption of economic models and systems that support people and the planet and reduce wealth inequalities.
- Advancing equity and justice for marginalised communities impacted by the issues above, i.e. specifically communities impacted by the triple planetary crisis; polarisation and loss of trust, or exclusion from the political process; and/or harmful economic systems and wealth inequalities. Applications under this area must be clear about how one or more of these issues are at the heart of their work.
Of course, compared to a government, and as an independent organisation, we have the luxury of being able to make choices like this. These choices were not casually arrived at, and other ideas were left on the side as things we weren’t able to work on. However, we were able to make these decisions collectively and respectfully. Wellbeing is a framework that has enabled us to share the depth and breadth of our ideas and beliefs in a way that we can then recognise in the decisions we go on to take collectively. This does not mean it is a bland or catch-all concept. It is the expansiveness of wellbeing that makes it utterly vital in times when there is so much visible polarisation. In times when those of us working in civil society and Government are here for people and planet, both now and for the future.
It matters that wellbeing is not a divisive concept. It’s very hard to argue against wellbeing, because how could you possibly justify not being for it?