Young Foundation


The Young Foundation is a not-for-profit think tank driving community research and social innovation. It is named after founder Michael Young, the British sociologist and social activist.

History

The Institute of Community Studies was set up by Michael Young in 1953. The ICS was an urban studies think tank which combined academic research and practical social innovation. In 2005, it merged with the Mutual Aid Centre and was renamed The Young Foundation, in honour of its founder, Michael Young. In both current and previous incarnations, The Young Foundation claims its goals are to emphasise combining research and practical application.
Michael Young worked to shape the UK’s new welfare state after the Second World War. In the early 1950s he set up the Institute of Community Studies and used it as a base for research and action.

Programme

The Young Foundation has continued to incubate new social enterprises, such as the Social Innovation Exchange in 2007 which was incorporated in 2013. The Young Foundation is currently involved in different areas including health and well-being, place-based work, inequality and support for young people.

Notable former employees