A group that acts as a ‘do’ as well as a ‘think’ tank, the Young Foundation aims to develop innovative solutions to unmet social needs.

Address: 18 Victoria Park Square, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PF
Telephone: 020 8980 6263
Email: reception@youngfoundation.org
Website: http://www.youngfoundation.org.uk

Director: Geoff Mulgan
Associate Director and Head of Launchpad: Simon Tucker
Associate Director and Head of the International Team: Rushanara Ali
Local Projects Director: Nicola Bacon

A body led by Geoff Mulgan, one of the founders of Demos, The Young Foundation aims to act as a ‘do’ as well as ‘think’ tank. The Foundation is primarily concerned with social innovation-identifying and developing new and practical ways of meeting essential social needs. The group works across sectors including health, education and housing and its work is divided into three key strands.

The first, Launchpad, helps to develop social venture funds by providing finance and expertise. The group uses its links with the public sector and the government to aid social entrepreneurs in creating new organisations. Current projects focus on health and practical learning but Launchpad has ambitions to expand into areas including climate change and justice. The second involves a Local Innovation team who aim to improve quality of life by encouraging local action on issues such as community engagement and youth crime.

The third, a research strand, investigates and reports on issues across the policy spectrum and has recently published research on the psychological damage of recession and on parliamentary reform.

The Foundation was created in 2005 through the merger of the Mutual Aid Centre and the Institute of Community Studies. It was from the founder of the latter, sociologist Michael Young, that the think-tank acquired its name and it aims to emulate his success in creating pioneering institutions such as the Open University. Each year the Foundation awards the Michael Young Prize to the early career social science researcher whose work has the best chance of influencing positive social change.

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