Funding

The latest stories in this category from the City & Guilds Foundation and our networks.

The return on belonging: Investing in refugee talent and skills, unlocking potential

The return on belonging: Investing in refugee talent and skills, unlocking potential

by | 22 Jun 2026 | , , , , , ,

Last week Refugee Week shone a light on the experiences, contributions and resilience of people seeking sanctuary in the UK. As we reflect on last week, it feels like an appropriate time to look back on the City & Guilds Foundation’s long-standing commitment to supporting refugees and asylum seekers into skills, employment and training and the impact our funding has had through our charity partners. Over the five years to 2025, the Foundation invested over £316,000 through its Displaced...

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£130,000 boost to help refugees build skills and rebuild careers

£130,000 boost to help refugees build skills and rebuild careers

by | 18 Jun 2026 | , , , , , , ,

As Refugee Week shines a spotlight on the contributions, resilience and potential of people seeking sanctuary, the City & Guilds Foundation has announced funding for two new initiatives designed to help refugees and people from migrant backgrounds build skills, confidence and sustainable futures in the UK. A combined investment of £130,000 will support projects delivered by award-winning education charity Tutors United and refugee employment charity Breaking Barriers, helping individuals...

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Supporting the carers who put others first: A £25,000 bursary fund to help young carers build their futures

Supporting the carers who put others first: A £25,000 bursary fund to help young carers build their futures

by | 10 Jun 2026 | ,

Carers Trust is a leading UK charity working to transform the lives of unpaid carers, partnering with a network of local carer organisations to deliver vital support, services and recognition for those who look after family members or friends. For many young carers, those responsibilities can make it harder to access the training and qualifications that open up work opportunities and further study. That is precisely the kind of barrier the City & Guilds Foundation aims to break down: our...

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Rising dough, rising futures: £50,000 awarded to The Clink Bakery at HMP Brixton

Rising dough, rising futures: £50,000 awarded to The Clink Bakery at HMP Brixton

by | 19 May 2026 | , , ,

The City & Guilds Foundation has awarded £50,000 to The Clink Charity to safeguard and strengthen The Clink Bakery at HMP Brixton; a life-changing vocational training programme that is equipping people in prison with the skills, qualifications and support they need to build stable lives after release. About The Clink Bakery The Clink Bakery opened in October 2022 at HMP Brixton, next door to The Clink's award-winning restaurant. Operating as a real production kitchen, it provides learners...

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Building Skills, Rebuilding Futures: The Transformation of Spinney House

Building Skills, Rebuilding Futures: The Transformation of Spinney House

by | 18 May 2026 | , , ,

A major refurbishment project which was awarded £25,000 funding from us at the City & Guilds Foundation is nearing completion. The project has saw the transformation of an empty three-bedroom house into a safe, welcoming space where women on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) can spend quality time with their children. The initiative, delivered by Volunteer It Yourself in partnership with Wates Group, is around 85% complete and already demonstrating the value of combining rehabilitation...

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City & Guilds Foundation awards £25,000 to Citizen Hub to unlock accessible volunteering and skills development

City & Guilds Foundation awards £25,000 to Citizen Hub to unlock accessible volunteering and skills development

by | 6 May 2026 | , , , ,

Citizen Hub has been awarded £25,000 from the City & Guilds Foundation to expand its work in making volunteering more accessible and strengthening community-led support in St Neots and Wimbledon. The funding will be split equally between Citizen Hub St Neots and Citizen Hub Wimbledon, supporting a 12-month programme designed to remove barriers to volunteering and create meaningful pathways into employment and community leadership. The funding will cover essential costs such as travel,...

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Insights from our Transition Commission: Supporting young people at critical life stages

Insights from our Transition Commission: Supporting young people at critical life stages

by | 24 Apr 2026 | , ,

This week, partners from the first round of Transition Commission funding came together to share progress and early learnings from their programmes. While still in the early stages, the discussion highlighted the importance of targeted, local support in helping young people at risk of disengaging from education, training or employment. Why this work matters At the start of our meeting Laura-Jane Rawlings, Chair of our Transition Commission and CEO at Youth Employment UK, gave an update on the...

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Place based skills pathways that start with trust and are leading to work – our Local Community Skills Fund

Place based skills pathways that start with trust and are leading to work – our Local Community Skills Fund

by | 30 Mar 2026 | , , , , ,

Across the UK, people who face the greatest barriers to work often live in the communities least served by mainstream skills provision. They are talented, capable and motivated, but too often held back by structural disadvantage, low confidence, disrupted education, potential trauma, caring responsibilities or simple lack of opportunity. Last year we created our Local Community Skills Fund (LCSF) to respond to this reality. We wanted to back organisations rooted in place, trusted by local...

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City & Guilds Foundation and Offploy partner to Upskill the Voluntary Sector

City & Guilds Foundation and Offploy partner to Upskill the Voluntary Sector

by | 17 Dec 2025 | , , ,

Offploy is delighted to announce a new partnership with the City & Guilds Foundation to provide over 200 professionals in the voluntary sector with scholarships to industry-leading training on supporting people with criminal convictions. Offploy are Princess Royal Training Award recipients and this collaboration builds on the relationship.

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Celebrating 25 years of our bursary programme: Transforming lives, families and communities

Celebrating 25 years of our bursary programme: Transforming lives, families and communities

by | 8 Dec 2025 | , , ,

2025 marks a major milestone: 25 years of the our bursary scheme. In 2000, City and Guilds of London Institute celebrated its Charter Centenary by awarding 100 bursaries and since then the programme has helped thousands of people overcome financial and personal barriers to access the training they need to move forward in life and work. At its heart, the bursary programme embodies the City & Guilds Foundation’s values: creating opportunities for everyone to succeed, no matter who they are...

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