How we work

Every idea starts with a problem.

Ours was simple. We believe everyone in the Liverpool City Region deserves better public services. Eight years on, that purpose hasn’t changed. The need for reform in public services has never been stronger. Today we’re recognised as a leader in public service design and innovation working with clients from across the Liverpool City Region and the North West.

Our funders, national children’s charity, Catch22 and Better Society Capital, have supported our growth since day one. In 2024 Capacity became a Community Interest Company (CIC) with 90% of our shares held by social enterprises and social investors. It means that £9 in every £10 we make goes back to funding work with communities across the UK.

Learn about our funders

What we do

Our deep understanding of challenges in the public and third sector gives us an advantage. Something we use every day to help local leaders put themselves at the heart of the change we all want to see.

You might think of Capacity as everyday consultants. Our work tells a different story.  

By providing the know-how, big-picture thinking, and hands-on doing, Capacity is working with local authorities, NHS, universities, charities and a range of public and third sector organisations to transform public services and make a real difference to the lives of people in the Liverpool City Region in the years ahead. We bring challenge, creativity and a can-do attitude to everything we do.

We’re not a think-tank, we’re more like a do-tank. 

We actually deliver the services we’ve designed. You can read more about Juno, our pioneering approach to children’s residential services, and Yonder, our social recruitment start-up.

Learn about Juno Learn about Yonder

Our values

Our values are the principles that guide the way we act and work, both with our clients and with each other. They are at the heart of everything we do.

We’re social beings

We love to join things up, take care of our relationships and respect each other and our different experiences.

We’re grafters

We’re doers, not just thinkers, delivering the work we’ve designed and working hard and smart.

We’re easy going

We keep things simple, keep our egos in check and take our work seriously, but not ourselves.

We empower people

We know that real solutions lie within communities and co-produce with people at a local, grassroots level. 

We don’t accept the status quo

We’re not afraid to disrupt the status quo if we find there’s a better way of doing things.

We earn people’s trust

We’re the genuine article, there’s no hidden agendas and we don’t pretend to be something we’re not.