An education and aspirations programme based on philanthropy and partnership. The Raising Aspirations programme has been designed by Somerset Community Foundation to address issues of underachievement and aspirations of young people in Somerset. This involves a mentoring and grant making scheme which brings people together to develop ideas and mobilise resources.

There is an alarming gap growing between the attainment of young people in Somerset and the average for England, particularly by children from the poorest families. The percentage of pupils on free school meals achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs in 2010 was just 35%, which places Somerset 156th out of 157 local authority areas in the country.

We already have funds in excess of £50,000 per annum from funds established within the Foundation by local donors and business to support the grant-making aspect of the programme and we expect this to continue to grow.