Career Ready Fund

The Career Ready Fund from the Henry Smith Foundation supports organisations that help young people with learning disabilities move towards meaningful paid employment. Part of the Foundation’s Building Independence Programme, it funds job coach-led careers education in mainstream and SEND schools, focusing on vocational profiling, careers preparation, meaningful work experience and early employer engagement.

The programme aims to create stronger links between schools, employers, families and specialist support providers, helping young people aged 14+ develop the skills, confidence and experience needed to enter work. Projects should follow supported employment principles and create clear pathways into internships, employment and paid jobs.

Eligible applicants include UK charities, CIOs, not-for-profit CICs with an asset lock and other charitable not-for-profit organisations with annual income below £3 million. Organisations should have experience supporting young people with learning disabilities, strong local employer relationships and the ability to embed trained job coaches within school settings. Funding can also be used to recruit or train staff in supported employment techniques.

Expressions of Interest are open until 2 September 2026, with successful applicants invited to submit full applications by 23 October 2026. Final funding decisions are expected in mid-December 2026. The Foundation expects to award around eight grants through this programme.

This opportunity is particularly relevant to organisations delivering supported employment, SEND transition services, careers education or employability programmes that help young people with learning disabilities achieve greater independence and access sustainable employment opportunities.

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