Sara Jones

Sara joined Social Finance in 2018 with 15 years of experience in systems change, strategic commissioning and partnership development across public, philanthropic and third sectors. She has consistently catalysed significant investments into sustainable funding models, transforming initial investments into multi-million pound programmes across social change initiatives spanning domestic abuse, refugees, digital harms, school exclusions, and young carers.

Since 2024 she’s been building a groundbreaking partnership that spans organisations across philanthropy, VCSE, academic and statutory sectors, to identify children and young people who are invisible to the system as early as possible. 

Her work exposing gender bias in school exclusions, covered by The Guardian and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, demonstrated her ability to translate complex evidence into compelling public narratives that drive policy change. 

Her research into Covid-19’s impact in secondary schools, It’s Time to ACT, was cited in the House of Commons and covered by Sky News.

Sara is Co-Chair of Survivors Network, where she has pioneered governance approaches that centre survivor voices in decision-making. 

She was Guardian Public Servant of the Year finalist (2017) and Acumen Fellow (2022).