Government reports such as the recent Department of Culture, Media and Sports’ Culture White Paper of 2016, raise fundamental questions concerning the future direction of cultural studies research in an environment dominated by social fragmentation, sectarian controversy, mobility and theoretical scepticism. The recognition of diversity needs to be reconciled with the fostering of creative responses which promote unity and mutual respect. Against this complex background, the Cultural Literacy and Social Futures (CLSF) project focuses on the close analysis of cultural impact in three local contexts in the UK: The North-West (Lancaster and Liverpool), The South West (Wiltshire and Somerset), and contrasted parts of London, informed by international expertise from the UK, France and Poland. It does so from the perspective of four different modes of creative practice: ‘writing’, ‘filmmaking’, ‘music and dance’ and ‘art’. The project’s main aim is to strengthen the relationship between research into cultural literacy and its practical application in schools through collaboration with cultural agencies such as national and local state institutions, museums and community projects. In research terms, the novelty of the CLSF project and its contribution to emerging research policy lies in its interdisciplinary, intergeneric, applied character. In terms of social development, it will seek to exemplify the value of partnership in promoting educational quality and attitudinal change through creative practice.