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Deaf Choices UK is the only charity in the UK which promotes manual bilingualism, meaning it supports children and their families with British Sign Language as well as giving visual access to English through Cued Speech (CS). Accessing CS resources can be time-consuming and requires specialist knowledge, so with a grant of £15,000 the organisation will develop a web-based tool that translates written or spoken English into Cued Speech, making the sound structure of language accessible to deaf children. This method particularly supports children with SEND who struggle with conventional literacy approaches.

The HealthBus Trust provides vital frontline healthcare to people experiencing homelessness across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Its mobile service reaches individuals facing extreme health inequalities and exclusion from mainstream care, and their £15,000 grant will enable them to improve their clinical system with bespoke outreach features, outcome measurements and practical resources.

More than two million people in the UK live with sight loss, yet most of what charities and community organisations publish is effectively closed to them because print-oriented PDFs are difficult for screen readers to handle. To fix this, Middlesex Association for the Blind created a way for online PDF or Word publications to be converted into fully accessible HTML editions optimised for screen-readers and available in a choice of contrast schemes. Their grant of £5,562 will allow them to now create a cloud-based, free to use AI-assisted document conversion service that any UK charity can use.

Speaking about the grants, the Chair of the WCIT Charity, Gary Moore, said: “These three applications really spoke to the members of the grants committee. They are cases where technology can be applied in specific ways to improve lives in disadvantaged communities (visual impairment, hearing impairment and homelessness). Thank you to our donors and volunteers for making these projects possible.”

We are delighted to announce our latest grants. From 100 applications, we funded three quite different projects which reflect two of our priority areas – digital inclusion and digital education.

Chasing the Stigma is a national mental health charity which aims to ensure everyone is able to find appropriate support before they reach a point of crisis. One of the ways they do this is through the Hub of Hope, a comprehensive directory of mental health services. Their grant of £15,000 will allow them to design and pilot a secure, scaleable open API so that other charities and the NHS can embed live support data directly into their own digital services, ensuring even greater reach for those who need help.

Swansea MAD is a grassroots community group which, with its grant of £5,000, will deliver holistic digital skills training for both local people and local not-for-profits. They will also work with Swansea University to develop a proportionate evaluation framework for their approach.

Haltwhistle Film Project was awarded £4,000 to increase awareness among marginalised groups – including those with learning disabilities – of how the quality of decision making can be enhanced or diminished by the use of AI in creative film making.

Professor Jones will be concluding his Gresham College lecture series with the topic, Forging better futures for you and AI.

In it, he will explore the potential of AI fitting in with us: things we can chat to; humanoid robots; even devices that draw on understandings of pets to make them more palatable and pleasing. He will also suggest a way to weave AI into everyday life as a simple instrument to enable our souls to sing…

Watch online

The IT Livery Company Professor of IT was established in 2015 and is sponsored by the WCIT and WCIT Charity.

A new digital platform designed to support neurodivergent young people into employment has been successfully developed thanks to a £14,900 grant from the WCIT Charity.

The Mason Foundation is perhaps best known for its Community Mile initiative, but its focus more broadly is on tackling inequalities and improving lives. As part of that work, they wanted to develop online resources to support their successful in-person Propel programme, which would allow the organisation to scale its impact nationwide.

Through the new Propel Pathways project, the organisation has created an innovative digital platform that offers interactive workshops, CV-building resources, vocational profiling and job opportunities with inclusive employers. Early feedback from parents, teachers and users has been strongly positive, particularly around accessibility and ease of use.

Developed entirely using AI tools, the platform is positioned as a potential model for future digital delivery in the charity sector, with a robust, scalable infrastructure and a full suite of employment support resources adapted from the organisation’s face-to-face programmes. In the spirit of charity collaboration, they will share these learnings more broadly with the WCIT Charity’s AI4C community.

Reflecting on the project, staff at the Mason Foundation believe that Propel Pathways has laid a strong foundation for future impact. They are now working hard to maximise platform engagement with schools, local authorities, parents and SEND networks.

Take a tour of the Propel Pathways platform

The WCIT Charity was delighted to be asked by its membership association, the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), to contribute to some new technology resources it was creating for its grant-making members.

Through the WCIT Livery’s Pro Bono Panel, two members volunteered to share their expertise, and their insights and suggestions were greatly appreciated.

The final guides to Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security, available on the ACF website, both explicitly mentioned their input:

“ACF thanks Hylton Stewart and Richard Mann for their significant contributions to these resource, obtained through the Pro Bono panel of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.”

In an increasingly digital world, technology plays a central role in how young people learn, create, collaborate and problem‑solve. Modern IT facilities not only support the delivery of the curriculum, but also help students develop confidence and creativity – skills that are essential for success beyond the classroom.

But for Lilian Bayliss Technology School, its own equipment was nearing the end of its useful life and desperately needed updating. A grant of £20,400 helped them install data and electricity to the room and install 32 high-spec computers.

Students at Key Stage 3 have already benefited through curriculum‑based projects that require research, digital creativity, coding, and data handling. The improved facilities have enabled teachers to deliver lessons that are more ambitious in scope and depth, while students have been empowered to engage more meaningfully with their work. Notably, pupils using the new suite have demonstrated increased confidence in their abilities and a willingness to tackle more complex challenges.

“It’s a massive improvement on what we had before.” a Key Stage 4 student

The impact has also extended into extra‑curricular provision. Clubs and other activities making use of the computer suite have seen increased participation, and for many this access has sparked a genuine interest in technology‑related careers.

This investment is especially significant given the financial pressures faced by schools nationwide. Limited budgets often mean that keeping pace with rapid technological change is a challenge, and many students risk being disadvantaged by outdated or insufficient resources. The creation of this state‑of‑the‑art facility has therefore been transformational, enabling the school to provide an equitable learning experience that will continue to benefit generations of students to come.

Hear from students who are using the new equipment – for WCIT members only

The WCIT Charity received over 160 requests in the first quarter of the year. From many deserving causes, three projects were funded.

The Excelsior Trust received £15,000 to provide hands-on digital skills training for up to 100 young people and volunteers in Lowestoft. Participants will gain future-ready skills in 3D modelling, digital imaging and media capture by working directly with nationally significant maritime assets. The project aims to create a sustainable, replicable framework that bridges the gap between traditional heritage crafts and modern digital innovation.

Sickle Cell Care Manchester received £13,490 to pilot and evaluate a pain and trigger tracking tool to help those with the disease manage their condition proactively. And Bexley Deaf Centre were awarded £1,114 for equipment that will enable them to produce service and product information videos in British Sign Language for other organisations to host on their websites, so that deaf people can enjoy the same level of access as hearing people.

The next grant deadline is April 22.

It is well known that targeted digital inclusion projects deliver significant social and economic benefits, so this remains a key focus of funding for the WCIT Charity.

In 2025, the Charity supported Digital Poverty Alliance to deliver a project in central London. Westminster may not seem like a geographic area of need, but the borough has areas of severe deprivation where some 30% children live in poverty. The project was designed to complement a new OpenRoaming Network that provided free Wi-Fi in public libraries, Housing Offices, markets, recreation grounds and community hubs throughout the borough.

Through the initiative, 50 refurbished laptops were distributed to young people aged 11-19 who previously lacked reliable access to a suitable device for learning and everyday use.

For many recipients this was their first personal computer, and it enabled them to complete their homework independently, access online learning resources and build essential digital skills. Alongside the device distribution, Digital Poverty Alliance delivered two engaging workshops focused on digital confidence, media literacy and emerging technologies such as AI.

While the need for digital support in Westminster remains high, the project has made a meaningful difference by equipping young people and their families with the tools and skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Chair of the WCIT Charity, Gary Moore, concluded: “Digital access remains a significant barrier for many across the UK, so we were delighted to support this project which supported so many young people at a critical time in their studies.”  

In February, the Pro Bono Panel held the first in what is hoped to be a regular series of meetings aimed at strengthening volunteer engagement and highlighting the impact of the Panel’s work.

As well as hearing how the pro bono process works, participants heard from Jeni Burchell of Reach Inclusive Arts, who received pro bono support from Liveryman Liz Thrussell. Jeni’s reflections offered a valuable insight into how meaningful this assistance can be for organisations that might otherwise struggle to secure specialist help.

Speaking about being matched with Liz, Jeni recalls how she immediately felt in safe hands. “Liz had such a lovely, calm, patient nature. The first session felt a bit like a counselling session for me – I offloaded all this stuff and Liz just listened and started to unpick what I always though was a big knotted ball of wool in our organisation! Having that space really helped me feel it was manageable and that we could start to make progress.”

The help had, she said, been transformational. “It feels as if it’s really made a difference to our tiny organisation, and in no small part that is down to the support we had from the WCIT and Liz.”