Funding | City & Guilds Foundation

Co-op’s Levy Share to support UK’s first Prisoner Apprenticeship programme to address rail skill shortages and reduce reoffending

by Mike Ormand | 29 Jul 2025 | Awards alumni, News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders, Social Impact

In a first, Co-op and City & Guilds partner to address reoffending and rail skills shortages with guaranteed employment pathways. Co-op to offer a dedicated levy share service to support apprenticeships for serving prisoners who’ll go on to work in the rail sector. The Level 2 Rail Engineering operative apprenticeships will be based at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk delivering vital hands-on training for the UK rail sector. Reoffending costs the UK economy over £21bn a year—this initiative aims...

Listen. Learn. Support. What Refugee Week Reminds Us about Community

by Lauren Roberts | 23 Jun 2025 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, Charity partners, Lived Experience, News, News & events, Our networks, Refugee support, Social Impact

At City & Guilds, we believe in the life-changing power of skills. But we also know that skills alone aren’t always enough to help people succeed. That’s why, through the City & Guilds Foundation we’ve been working with grassroots charities and partners since 2022 to help refugees and displaced people access training, build confidence, and find meaningful work. Here’s a little bit about the impact we’re making. Since launching our Displaced People Fund in 2022, we’ve: Supported...

City & Guilds Foundation grants much-needed funding to 20 charities aiming to boost skills and training across the UK

by Stuart Tucker | 16 Apr 2025 | Funding, Local Community Skills Fund, News, News & events

Charities, social enterprises and training providers in the UK and Northern Ireland benefit from small grants of up to £10,000 set to make a big difference to communities New skills initiative supporting organisations working to improve access to skills and development Launched as a pilot scheme in January of this year, the Local Community Skills Fund has now awarded a total of £144108 in grants of up to £10,000 to twenty charities, social enterprises and training providers across the UK....

City & Guilds launches new Commission to tackle surge in youth unemployment

by Laura Mountain | 24 Mar 2025 | Funding, News, Transitions Commission, Youth engagement

City & Guilds commit £500,000 in funding to target local challenges in areas of deprivation and economic inactivity in the UK New Transitions Commission announced to support more young people into Further Education 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training, the highest level for more than a decade City & Guilds Foundation have established a new commission to address the high volume of youth unemployment in the UK. The Transitions...

Celebrating the achievements of young people with Positive Youth Foundation

by Faiza Khan MBE | 21 Jan 2025 | Charity partners, Funding, News, News & events, Our networks, Refugee support

It was an absolute honour last week to address the graduating cohort from Positive Youth Foundation - a day brimming with celebration, inspiration, and pride. For those not familiar, Positive Youth Foundation (PYF) supports newly arrived young people to the UK, aged 16-25, in Coventry. Initially established in 2011 as a youth charity to support young people in the city, in 2015 PYF created its Involved Programme to support the integration of newly arrived refugee and asylum-seeking young...

New Local Community Skills Fund to empower UK communities through skills and training

by Laura Mountain | 16 Jan 2025 | Funding, Local Community Skills Fund, News, News & events, Responsible Business

Grants of up to £10,000 available for UK Charities, Social Enterprises and Training Providers. City & Guilds Foundation has launched a pilot scheme to help fund initiatives designed to boost employment, skills and development in communities across the UK. As part of the Foundation’s drive to support innovative local projects, the Local Community Skills Fund aims to boost community-led initiatives which may not be eligible for funding from traditional sources. The Fund will tackle skills...

Funding for makers: Applications for QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) Grants open until 10 Feb

by Stuart Tucker | 9 Jan 2025 | Bursaries, Charity partners, News, Our networks

Sustaining vital skills in traditional and contemporary crafts QEST offers three grants to support makers and conservators at various career stages. Grants are available for education and training, with Scholarships of up to £18,000, Emerging Maker grants of up to £10,000, and up to £12,000 towards an apprentice’s salary. Since their founding in 1990, QEST have awarded £7 million to almost 900 individuals working across a broad range of disciplines including in glassblowing, thatching, guitar...

Changing Lives, Changing Industries: HMP Highpoint’s groundbreaking rail training

by Laura Mountain | 5 Dec 2024 | News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders

Around two weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending HMP Highpoint to see the opening of the first ever rail centre of excellence in prison, which back in 2022 we provided funding for installation of a rail track so that industry-standard training could be delivered to the men inside. We talk a lot in the City & Guilds Foundation about our role in removing barriers for people to gain skills and opportunities. But in seeing the incredible facilities – a pipe dream less than two and a...

Inspiration and innovation at HMP Pentonville with XO Bikes

by Polly Rowe | 9 Oct 2024 | Charity partners, Critical transition points, Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, News & events, Our networks, Prisoners and ex-offenders, Social Impact

Since we created the City & Guilds Foundation in 2019, one of our key funding activities has been identifying and activating practical ways to support those who have been in Prison (or at risk of entering Prison) to build skills and secure, and sustain, employment. We know that there is a recognised and agreed need to reduce reoffending, and evidence shows that upskilling prisoners, together with stable accommodation and support is the most effective way to recidivism. Our £1m Big Idea...

Funding four exceptional craftspeople through Heritage Crafts bursary

by Lauren Roberts | 2 Oct 2024 | Bursaries, Case studies, Heritage crafts, News

We are delighted to announce funding for four exceptional craftspeople through the Heritage Crafts bursary scheme. The City & Guilds Foundation provides up to £4,000 per person to support heritage crafts trainees whose talent might otherwise be lost to the sector were it not for vital additional hands-on training at the start of their career. This round we were happy to fund Ayham Aldoghim, Ziyaad Lorgat, Exauce Mondo, and Marcia Vidal. Ayham Aldoghim, from Bristol, is originally from...