Our Impact
Challenging ourselves to deliver the greatest social impact possible is central to the work we do
We are committed to measuring the impact we are making on people, organisations and wider society, and ensuring that we make more impact, on more people, who need it the most.
Summary of
Our Impact
Read our 2025
Impact Report
Our theory
of change
Our ambition
Since 2015, City & Guilds Foundation has been driven by a single purpose: to create opportunities for everyone to succeed, no matter who they are or where they come from. Our 2025 report looks back over the past five years to see what’s possible when vocational skills are used as a catalyst for social and economic change, even as we navigated unprecedented changes to the way we live and work.
Working alongside commissioners, employers and charity partners, we’ve focused on expanding access to high-quality training and qualifications for those who need it most. From prisons to community kitchens, heritage craft workshops to mentoring networks, we’ve seen how removing barriers and building confidence can unlock potential, creating tangible and sustainable pathways into work.
“When people acquire the tools to gain meaningful work, provide for their families and play a productive part in society – we all benefit. Behind each story and each piece of data, there are individuals with tenacity, employers with a sense of responsibility and a society passionate about opportunity.”
Summary of our Impact
In delivering our goal of enhancing opportunities in skills and work, we are dedicated to ensuring that our work makes a real difference in people’s lives and we are proud of the impact that our work has had to date. Highlights from the 2025 report include:
(£) worth of grants to frontline charities and individuals
individuals directly supported through funding
(£) social return on investment through grants and funding
Fellows awarded, joining a network of over 400 individuals
Princess Royal Training Awards conferred across 306 organisations
“As we look into the future of the City & Guilds Foundation, I am hugely excited to play my part in setting the direction for the next five, fifteen and fifty years, where our work is likely to be needed more than ever if we are to tackle the inequalities that hold back our society.”
Our theory of change
Our Theory of Change has nine key indicators that input to achievement of three key outcomes. Progress against these gives us evidence that we are supporting access to skills.
Creating an impact for:
Learners
- Learner reach & completion
- Improving wellbeing
- Progression & sustained employment
→ Secure and Sustained Employment
Organisations
- Reach amongst employers & learning provider
- Embedded skills
- Organisational performance
→ Strengthened Organisations
Wider Society
- Changing nature of learning
- Addressing skills in need
- Championing vocational learning
→ Skilled and Productive Society
“Our Theory of Change has set a benchmark for how we measure and communicate impact; holding us accountable and helping us link individual opportunity with societal benefit. We know what the next step is to ensure that employers and industries see the undeniable value of investing in people – in productivity, profitability, and long-term stability.”
Impact Reports 2020-2024
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