We work closely with local businesses who are passionate about making a real difference in the Westminster community. The type of support offered ranges from team fundraising and financial contributions to our annual Brighter Futures Fund, to free space and specialist services for youth organisations.
Employers can also create valuable career opportunities for Westminster’s young people, to ensure doors into the world of work are open to all.
– Brian Bickell, YWF Chair of Trustees
Read more about some examples of brilliant businesses from a range of sectors who have supported YWF’s work and invested in brighter futures for young people in Westminster.
Total Media are a global behavioural planning and media buying agency. Through their commitment to working with the Westminster community, they have impacted all areas of our work, and our partnership won Best Charitable Social Responsibility Initiative at the UK Company Culture Awards 2022.
Total Media has worked with YWF since 2018. They have worked on various activities that have supported YWF members and young people, including;
Fundraising sports activities to raise funds for children and young people in Westminster.
Contributing to our annual grant Brighter Futures Fund, which aims to increase long-term funding for youth clubs and organisations in response to the needs of young people in Westminster.
Running marketing specialist training with youth hubs in Westminster.
Total Media’s wider team and employees continue to reach young people and create value from their engagement and opinions while allowing employees to be actively involved.
The partnership between YWF and Total Media has developed into a trusted, long-term charity partnership, and we will continue to work together on projects that benefit the local communities and young people.
An example of this is Total Media supporting the YWF Sports Challenges by running the Asics 10k run to raise funds for children and young people in Westminster.
‘’It was great to get so many runners excited to participate and raise funds for a cause everyone at Total Media cares so much about. It’s great to get to marry the challenge of a big run with being able to raise money and awareness for a cause that’s really close to our hearts. Between the team spirit in the lead-up and the amazing atmosphere on the day, it’s a really rewarding experience for all of us.” – Alix Troy, Office Manager and Executive Support
“Our partnership with YWF continues to grow stronger and I can’t wait to see where the next few months and years take us. I’m proud to work for a company with such strong values and a sense of community.”
Lemeece Page-Shepherd, Business Director
Landsec is the largest commercial property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. Based in Westminster, Landsec first joined YWF as a Founding Partner in 2017 and have continued to invest in and support our work ever since.
Landsec have supported Westminster’s youth sector through funding towards our Small Grants programme and the Brighter Futures Fund. This partnership has been further strengthened through their commitment to be a Growth Partner for the charity over the next five years.
On a strategic level, we were joined by Clive Johnson, former Head of Health and Safety at Landsec, as a Trustee, serving from 2017 until 2019. Ben Anderson (Social Sustainability Manager) also chaired our grants panel in 2021.
The company continues to offer free space for board meetings and events at their offices in Westminster, and have contributed to the Mastering My Future employability programme with speakers, space and opportunities for young people. Landsec have also provided direct support to YWF Members, including Cardinal Hume Centre.
In 2020, Landec supported YWF to showcase our We are Together campaign on their Piccadilly Lights, to fundraise for youth services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We look forward to continuing our support of YWF as a growth partner, alongside industry colleagues through the Westminster Property Association where we can all work to create a more diverse property sector.”
Marcus Geddes, Managing Director - Central London
Capital Arches Group is a franchise of 30 McDonald’s restaurants across Central London. They were a founding partner for the Foundation in 2017, and continue to support our work.
Alongside donations towards our Brighter Futures Fund, Carolina Costa (Head of Operations Support) has sat on our grants panel to help the decision-making process for funding local youth projects.
As our leading partner in hospitality, Claude Abi-Gerges (Managing Director) was a keynote speaker at YWF’s launch event at Madame Tussaud’s in 2018.
Capital Arches Group have worked with us to promote their apprenticeship opportunities for young people and career pathways management roles. This has formed part of the Mastering My Future programme with insight days and employability visits to youth clubs.
These visits have included an off-site trip for YWF Member Caxton Youth Organisation, a specialist provision for young people with disabilities.
“As one of the very first businesses to partner with the Young Westminster Foundation back in 2017, CAG is very proud to contribute to and to be part of the great work the foundation does to support young people across the borough.”
Carolina Costa, Head of Operations Support
Addison Lee is London’s largest same-day courier and private cab hire service, and have supported young people in Westminster by hosting cohorts on the Mastering My Future programme.
Addison Lee first partnered with the Mastering My Future youth employability programme in February 2020. Running a 4-day experience at their offices, young people were invited to experience different departments and to do practice pitches to the marketing department around development of a new app.
In April 2022, they hosted twenty more young people from Westminster spent the day at their head offices, taking part in interactive business activities.
Dragon Rouge is a global, independent, graphic design, branding and packaging agency with London offices located in Paddington. They supported St Andrew’s Club in a major rebranding project.
In early 2021, Young Westminster Foundation worked with St Andrew’s Club to develop a creative brief to help design a new approach for the branding and identity of the world’s oldest youth club.
YWF facilitated a partnership with Dragon Rouge in May 2021. Following a thorough process of research, interviews, narrative and refinement, the final new identity created by Dragon Rouge – completely pro bono – was signed off in June 2022.
The new brand identity reinvigorates how the St Andrew’s Club brand appears across all its communications, better reflecting its personality and the Club’s mission of enriching young lives.
Annette Fettes, CEO of St Andrew’s Club, said:
“We are delighted to have this strong, new modern identity, which we are gradually incorporating across all the Club’s assets. Young Westminster Foundation helped us find the right creative agency – Dragon Rouge – to meet the brief, all pro bono, for which we are truly grateful.”
“Working with St Andrew’s has been hugely rewarding and a wonderful opportunity to contribute (in some small way) to the next chapter of the Club and its ongoing legacy at the heart of Westminster.”
Becky King, Creative Director
The Howard de Walden Estate is a property estate in Marylebone, owned by the Howard de Walden family. Their support for YWF has continued to increase since joining as a founding partner in 2017.
The Howard de Walden Estate partnered with us on the inception of our small grants programme in 2018 for youth organisations who are YWF Members.
They have continued to support our grant-giving annually, as a key investor for the Westminster Brighter Futures Fund.
The company hosted one of our grants panels to decide on funding, with Mark Kildea (CEO) chairing the decision-making process with our panellists of partners.
They have also offered additional financial support to YWF Members directly, including Pan intercultural Arts.
Employees from Howard de Walden Estate have further supported Westminster’s young people through the Mastering My Future programme.
GPE is a property investment and development company in Central London, Westminster. GPE joined YWF as a Growth Partners in 2019 .
GPE has been a key growth partner of YWF through:
Supporting the YWF/WPA Mastering My Future programme (MMF), an employability programme led by 2-3 Degrees which helps open doors for young people in the workplace.
Provided venue space and employee support for an MMF workshop.
Supporting the YWF Refresh and Refurbish Challenges, a programme that encourages GPE contractors to fund/donate time/repainting and refurbishing spaces used by local communities.
GPE has been a long-term supporter of YWF and we look forward to continuing our work together.
”A key aspect of our social impact strategy is to partner with organisations that respond to the needs of young people living in the London boroughs within which we work. We are therefore delighted to continue our long standing relationship with Young Westminster Foundation and the Brighter Futures programme.”- Janine Cole, Sustainability & Social Impact Director and Social Impact Coordinator
“We are proud to be one of YWF’s Partners. Not only has YWF helped introduce us to relevant members who are doing great work nearby, they also helped support families facing digital exclusion through their Digital Futures programme.”
Ashley Cox, Head of Customer & Community
The Westminster Property Association is the voice of property in Central London. Representing 240+ members, the Association brings together property owners, developers, occupiers and professional advisers into a collective voice to inform policymakers and drive the economic prosperity of Westminster.
In 2023, Westminster Property Association partnered with YWF for three consecutive years, to deliver a property focused programme specialism in Mastering My Future delivered by YWF member 2-3 Degrees.
The programme introduces young people to the property sector, provides access to Westminster’s built environment and supports local young people to access jobs and other opportunities linked to WPA member’s activities.
Sign up to hear directly from us about partnership opportunities with YWF and ways for your organisation to support young people in Westminster.
These businesses have collectively committed over £500,000 to fund local youth projects over the next three years:
The Aziz Foundation | Berkeley Estate Asset Management | British Land | Capital Arches Group | Derwent London | Eyre Estate | FM Conway | GPE | Grosvenor | The Howard de Walden Estate | Landsec | Lazari Investments | Shaftesbury Capital PLC | Veolia
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