Grants for charities

We provide grants and wider support to charities that can deliver innovative, practical skills and employment opportunities for individuals facing barriers to work.

The programmes we fund are often experimental in nature, and help prove that through taking a creative, targeted approach to widening talent pools and supporting harder to reach groups, we can build a better, fairer, more productive society.

We are currently focused on:

  • Helping prisoners gain skills and move into lasting employment on release
  • Removing barriers faced by refugees to develop skills and get meaningful work
  • Supporting people at Critical Transition Points in their lives and careers

The latest Charity partner stories on the City & Guilds Foundation website:

Seeing first hand the difference that our funding is making

Seeing first hand the difference that our funding is making

This is a guest post by Dick Palmer, Chair of City & Guilds Foundation and City & Guilds Group Trustee Being Chair of the City & Guilds Foundation is one of the jobs I am most proud of and privileged to undertake. There is so much social need in the world and so many people deserving of our support, so it’s a pleasure to be able to be a tiny part of making a difference – particularly in combating key societal issues through the work that is happening across the Foundation. Whilst...

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Delivering Green Skills Training with Greenworkx and Catch22

Delivering Green Skills Training with Greenworkx and Catch22

The City & Guilds Foundation is pleased to announce two new partnerships with Greenworkx and Catch22 to deliver green skills training. The partnerships will provide training and support to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop the skills they need to work in the green economy. Greenworkx is a climate EdTech startup that is tackling the green skills emergency and building the net-zero workforce. Their mission is to get 10 million people into green jobs in 10 years. They are...

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Unlocking a Waiting Workforce: launching the refugee recruitment toolkit in partnership with The Launchpad Collective

Unlocking a Waiting Workforce: launching the refugee recruitment toolkit in partnership with The Launchpad Collective

There is a whole waiting workforce among our refugee population in the UK, yet many companies may not realise the benefits of hiring refugees as part of their recruitment strategy. That's why we've partnered with The Launchpad Collective to bring you an Employer Toolkit e-module called 'Unlocking a Waiting Workforce'. The Employer Toolkit is an engaging e-module created by Kineo that is designed to help businesses successfully hire and integrate people with refugee backgrounds into their...

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Heritage Crafts Awards 2023 now open

Heritage Crafts Awards 2023 now open

The Heritage Crafts Awards are now open with six brand new awards for 2023. The Awards, which have been running since 2012, celebrate and highlight the traditional living crafts that contribute to British heritage.  New Awards this year include a new Lifetime Achievement Award supported by the Marsh Christian Trust, to recognise a heritage craftsperson who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to their specific craft over 25 years or more. The Award celebrates a lifetime’s dedication to...

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Supporting young carers in employment

Supporting young carers in employment

Young carers provide unpaid care and support to family members or friends who have a disability, illness, mental health condition, or substance misuse problem. According to our partners the Carers Trust there were 177,918 young carers in England and Wales at the last census and additionally there are 29,000 young carers in Scotland. However, this is widely believed to be the tip of the iceberg, with some estimates suggesting that as many as one in five schoolchildren are young carers...

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Applications for Cockpit September intake now open including six funded places

Applications for Cockpit September intake now open including six funded places

For over 30 years, Cockpit has provided funded and subsidised studio spaces for talented craftspeople in London, along with in-house business support and coaching. Applications are now open for our September intake, with a number of funded places you can apply for listed below. The deadline for applications is 11th April. The Radcliffe Emerging Maker Award is for a maker from any craft discipline who has already reached a level of excellence in skill and is looking to take their practice to...

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Reflecting on our achievements in 2022

Reflecting on our achievements in 2022

As the end of 2022 fast approaches, the team at the City & Guilds Foundation took some time to reflect and share their top highlights and achievements from the last year and moments to be proud of. Laura Mountain “Thinking about what we’ve collectively achieved over the past year, it is really incredible and just goes to show what you can do with brilliant, passionate people who constantly pull together – and challenge each other – to do the best they can. A particular highlight for me has...

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Invitation to take part: Improving Diversity in Craft Businesses with Cockpit

Invitation to take part: Improving Diversity in Craft Businesses with Cockpit

Calling all craft businesses. The craft world has a diversity problem – let’s change that. Craft businesses are invited to get involved in a new project to help improve diversity in the craft workforce. Our vision is a future industry where anyone, from any background, can get in and get on. Help us make it happen. Between October 2022 and July 2023, we will work with five businesses to explore and develop new approaches to improving workforce diversity. The opportunity is open to companies...

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City & Guilds Foundation & The WOW Show release new wellbeing resources for students

City & Guilds Foundation & The WOW Show release new wellbeing resources for students

With the new school year in full swing and student wellbeing a priority, the City & Guilds Foundation have teamed up with The WOW Show and partners Votes for Schools to launch an exciting new film and classroom resources to help young people build self-confidence. The animated film - The skills you didn’t know you had! - features a cast of near-peer characters in everyday situations underlining messages about the skills that are inside us all – if only we recognise them: Resilience,...

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