The Inflexion Foundation is pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with the Sutton Trust, an educational charity which aims to improve social mobility and address economic disadvantage, with a grant of £200,000 per year for the next three years.

As the UK’s leading social mobility charity, the Sutton Trust believes every young person should have a fair chance in life, regardless of their family’s income, the school they go to or where they grow up. But today in this country, the opportunity to succeed is heavily shaped by socio-economic background. The Sutton Trust’s mission is to change this. Their programmes empower young people to access life-changing opportunities, and their research influences national change to deliver a fairer future.

Each year, together with their university and employer partners, the Sutton Trust supports over 11,000 young people to reach their potential through university, apprenticeship and career access programmes. The Inflexion Foundation’s support will directly contribute towards the Trust’s delivery of these impactful, evidence-led programmes.

The grant will specifically enable the charity to reach up to 1,150 young people annually through two targeted interventions; Pathways to the Professions and Access Apprenticeships. Pathways supports students aged 16-18 to understand more about specific subjects and career sectors (banking and finance, law, engineering, consulting and medicine), levelling the playing field with their more socio-economically advantaged peers. The new Access Apprenticeships programme, launched in early 2024, supports students aged 16-17 in accessing high-quality apprenticeships.

The Sutton Trust is doing vital work to improve social mobility across the UK and we are delighted to be able to support the great work they are doing with this grant. The Inflexion Foundation is passionate about creating opportunities for all young people to reach their full potential, and the Trust’s evidence-led programmes are making a real, lasting difference.

Simon Turner, Inflexion Foundation Trustee

We’re immensely grateful to the Inflexion Foundation for their generous commitment of £200,000 per year. As an independent charity, our work is entirely reliant on the generous support of our community of donors and the need to support our work to tackle the UK’s low social mobility has never been greater. This vital support will enable us to broaden our reach and strengthen the impact of our work with 11,000 young people annually. In particular, it will make a meaningful difference to our Pathways and Access Apprenticeships programmes, helping us to level the playing field for those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Nick Harrison, CEO, Sutton Trust