Three ways in.
Most of what the foundation does depends on people who are not on its staff — professionals who give an hour a month, organisations that fund a cohort, donors who cover a term of fees.
Here is what each of those actually involves.
Give
Money is the most flexible thing you can give us. It pays school fees directly to institutions, funds places on training programmes, and covers the materials that turn a workshop into something useful.
Any amount, any time. We do not run automatic monthly billing — if you want to give regularly, a standing order set up at your own bank is simpler and costs us less in fees.
Our Donor Policy sets out exactly what we commit to: where the money goes, how to get a receipt, and how to get a refund if you make a mistake.
Partner
What a partnership looks like
Bluevese is our current partner. Together we are funding a nine-month tech programme for ten young people, each studying the area of tech they applied to learn. It is running now.
That is the shape of partnership we want. Not a logo on a page: a specific number of people, a real skill, and a length of time long enough for it to stick. Ten people properly trained is worth more than a hundred given an afternoon.
What we are looking for
Organisations that can fund a cohort. You cover the cost, we handle selection, delivery and reporting. You get a clear account of what your money produced — names, outcomes, and the parts that did not go to plan.
Employers who can offer placements or training. The gap between finishing a programme and getting hired is where most of our participants lose momentum. If you can offer an internship, a placement, or a real look at how your industry works, that is often worth more than funding.
Schools and institutions. Partner schools let us pay fees directly, flag problems early, and run holiday programmes in their facilities.
Venue and facility providers. A room with working computers for four weeks is a programme we could not otherwise run.
How it works
Tell us what you have and what you would want from it. We will tell you honestly whether we can use it well — and if we cannot, we will say so rather than take it and find a use later.
Talk to us about a partnership
Mentor
A mentor is often the difference between knowing what you are capable of and knowing how to get there. Our scholars and programme participants are frequently the first in their family to reach where they are, which means there is nobody at home who can tell them what comes next.
That is what a mentor supplies. Not expertise in their field necessarily — just someone a few steps ahead who will pick up the phone.
What it involves
[CONFIRM: how often a mentor meets or calls, and how long a match runs. I have left the specifics out rather than guess, because someone deciding whether to volunteer needs the real commitment, and a figure that turns out to be wrong is the fastest way to lose a good mentor.]
What is fixed:
- Contact goes through the foundation, not through personal numbers
- Screening comes first. Nobody begins contact with a participant until it is complete. Where the participant is under 18, our full safeguarding rules apply
- Meetings happen in the open — school premises, foundation sessions, or another public place
Those rules protect the mentor as much as the participant. Following them means your conduct is never in question.
Who we are looking for
Working professionals willing to be consistent. Being consistent matters more than being senior — a mentor who turns up every month for a year does more good than an impressive one who fades after six weeks.
Volunteer
Write to us and describe what you have — time, skills, money, a room, a contact. We will tell you where it would do the most good.
contact@stephenasomfoundation.org