Our objectives
The Duchy Foundation is a women-led charitable organisation in development, being established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to create long-term opportunities for people who are often furthest from access, confidence, networks and progression.
Our work sits across education, employment, empowerment, prevention, progression and community-led opportunity creation. Rather than operating as a set of disconnected projects, The Duchy Foundation is being designed as a connected ecosystem of programmes that help people build skills, confidence, identity, employability, cultural awareness and routes into meaningful futures.
We are currently developing a portfolio of programmes that includes youth aspiration, women’s leadership, care-experienced young people, education-to-employment pathways, international learning, community memory, social mobility, creative industries, sport, volunteering and place-based regeneration.
Our activities
Core Activities of The Duchy Foundation
The Duchy Foundation’s core activities are centred on creating access to education, skills, mentoring, employment pathways, personal development and long-term opportunity for people who may face social, economic, cultural or personal barriers to progression.
The organisation will deliver a connected range of charitable programmes focused on education, employability, empowerment, prevention, aspiration-building, community development and social mobility.
1. Education, Skills and Learning Programmes
We will design and deliver practical learning opportunities that help people build confidence, knowledge and employability skills. This may include workshops, short courses, mentoring, live projects, work-related learning, career exposure, creative learning, enterprise education and structured development activities.
The aim is to support participants to gain useful skills, understand their options, build self-belief and move towards further education, employment, enterprise or leadership opportunities.
2. Youth Aspiration and Progression Activities
The Foundation will support young people through programmes that raise aspirations, expose them to new environments, connect them with role models and help them understand future pathways.
This may include school and college engagement, careers activities, sports-based development, creative projects, confidence-building sessions, cultural experiences, mentoring and access to employers or professionals.
3. Women and Girls’ Empowerment
A key activity of the organisation will be supporting women and girls to access education, leadership development, skills, networks and opportunities that improve confidence, independence and long-term progression.
This may include mentoring, employability support, scholarship pathways, enterprise support, wellbeing-informed development, leadership programmes and access to safe, encouraging spaces for growth.
4. Employment, Enterprise and Work-Readiness Support
The Foundation will create activities that help people move closer to work, enterprise or meaningful progression. This may include employability workshops, CV and interview support, employer engagement, work placements, volunteering opportunities, enterprise projects, skills development and access to professional networks.
We will also work with employers, professionals and partners to open up real opportunities for participants.
5. Mentoring, Role Models and Positive Networks
A central activity will be connecting participants with trusted adults, professionals, mentors, volunteers and peer networks who can provide guidance, encouragement and practical insight.
The Foundation recognises that access to positive networks can be as important as formal learning, particularly for people who may not already have strong personal or professional support systems.
6. Community, Heritage and Cultural Programmes
The organisation will develop projects that use culture, storytelling, heritage, memory, identity and place as tools for learning, confidence and community connection.
This may include intergenerational storytelling, community memory projects, creative programmes, cultural exchange, place-based learning, and activities that help people understand their identity, history and future possibilities.
7. Skills-Based Volunteering and Capacity Support
The Foundation will also support communities and smaller organisations by connecting skilled volunteers, professionals and partners with practical needs.
This may include help with governance, administration, fundraising, communications, digital skills, finance, project planning and organisational development. The aim is to strengthen community capacity while giving volunteers meaningful ways to contribute.
8. Partnership Development and Opportunity Creation
The Foundation will work collaboratively with schools, colleges, universities, employers, charities, community groups, cultural organisations, sports organisations, local authorities and international partners.
These partnerships will help create access to learning, placements, mentoring, resources, funding, facilities and wider opportunities for the people and communities we support.
Summary Statement
In summary, The Duchy Foundation’s core activities are to design, deliver and support charitable programmes that improve access to education, skills, mentoring, employment, enterprise, confidence, cultural connection and long-term opportunity.
The organisation will work with individuals, communities and partners to help people build stronger futures, particularly where access to opportunity has been limited by disadvantage, exclusion, lack of networks or reduced confidence.
