Outset Foundation

The Outset Foundation is an independent UK charity established in June 2014 to promote self-employment and skills development, enabling individuals from underprivileged, socially excluded backgrounds—such as those facing economic hardship, disabilities, or ethnic disadvantages—to overcome employment barriers through entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise. Governed by trustees including Tim Jones and Rodney Baker-Bates, it leverages corporate, entrepreneurial, and European funding to amplify impact, embodying core values of empowerment, social mobility, economic inclusion, and local engagement via award-winning Outset services.

It funds targeted projects fostering entrepreneurial training, self-employment, and micro/small business growth in deprived areas across England and Wales, supporting sustainable job creation and economic resilience. Grants go to UK-registered charities, community groups, and occasionally individuals, backing direct services, advocacy, capacity building, and limited infrastructure for marginalised communities. Preference is for grassroots and small-to-medium organisations with local reach, without strict income thresholds.

Typical grants range from £5,000 to £25,000, with larger multi-year awards for strategic partnerships. Funding is invite-only via direct commissioning—no unsolicited applications, forms, or deadlines—with ad hoc trustee decisions aligned to programme cycles. It excludes unrestricted or emergency aid, distinguishing itself as a specialist catalyst for microenterprise-driven social change, prioritising commissioned innovations over open calls to maximise leverage and sustainability in tackling unemployment through enterprise.