Aldridge Foundation CIO

The Aldridge Foundation CIO, established in December 2016 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation from the legacy of the Rodney Aldridge Charitable Trust (absorbing its assets in 2018), is a social mobility charity founded by Sir Rod Aldridge. Its mission is to transform life chances for young people from deprived English communities by building enterprise, employability, and character skills for fulfilling lives. Rooted in values of opportunity, aspiration, resilience, and practical enterprise, it focuses on breaking intergenerational disadvantage through non-statutory philanthropy beyond school curricula, leveraging its unique ties to Aldridge academies in high-deprivation areas.

It prioritises advancing education via skills-building programmes, mentoring, entrepreneurship workshops, leadership development, enterprise challenges, and school-to-work transitions for pupils at partner Aldridge schools and colleges (e.g., Brighton and Darwen Aldridge Community Academies). Beneficiaries are primarily disadvantaged youth identified by school teams, with support emphasising sustainable, evidence-based interventions, partnerships with businesses and communities, and impact measurement for broader economic benefits.

Unsolicited applications from external organisations are not accepted; funding is targeted to direct programmes within Aldridge networks or pre-selected partners, with no specified entity types, income rules, or geographic bases beyond England-wide focus on partner schools in deprived locales. The sole open opportunity is the Next Steps Bursary for Year 13 Aldridge students (deadline: 30 January 2026; up to £2,000 one-off or £2,000/year for 4 years max), applied via online form. No core, capital, or unrestricted grants; distinctive for its ecosystem of school-linked, place-based enterprise education distinguishing it from generalist charities.