The Costa Foundation funds first UK projects with £50,000 investment in young people facing barriers to employment

Two SEND schools in Hampshire and Kent become the first UK recipients of Costa Foundation funding

The Costa Foundation, Costa Coffee’s global charity partner, is investing £50,000 in the UK for the first time, supporting two schools in Hampshire and Kent for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Costa Foundation’s support for both projects comes at a time when in England, only 5.1 percent of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority are in paid employment (NHS Digital), and 13.3 percent of 16 to 24 year olds, more than one in eight young people, are not in education, employment or training (NEET) (Department for Education).

Both projects give the pupils hands on experience of the working world. At Treloar’s School & College in Hampshire, Planting Possibilities gives disabled children and young people aged 4 to 25 the chance to develop practical business skills, confidence and independence through gardening and growing projects. At Five Acre Wood School, an all aged (4 to19) specialist school in Kent, Made FAW You will transform an existing teaching kitchen into a commercial standard training space, where pupils aged 11 to 19 gain real world experience cooking, producing and selling food in a supported environment.

Martin Ingram, Treloar’s CEO and Principal, said: “With the support of the Costa Foundation, we’re inspiring more physically disabled children and young people to imagine a future in horticulture. What excites me most is the confidence and ambition we’re seeing grow in every young person involved in Planting Possibilities. Seeing our college students lead the plans for developing our outdoor centre gives me enormous hope for what lies ahead.”

Peggy Murphy, Five Acre Wood’s Principal, said: “Thanks to the Costa Foundation, we’ve created a fully equipped commercial catering kitchen that gives our pupils who are young people with profound, severe and complex learning needs hands-on industry experience that genuinely prepares them for adulthood. Made FAWYou will build confidence, independence and real employability skills. The impact on our young people’s futures will be lasting, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

The Costa Foundation is Costa Coffee’s global charity partner, focused on creating brighter futures through education, with a long-standing track record of supporting projects in coffee-growing communities around the world. The funding marks a significant moment for the Costa Foundation, which has spent nearly twodecades changing the life stories of children in coffee-growing countries around the world.

Kate O’Brien, Executive Director at the Costa Foundation, said: “Funding our first-ever UK projects is an exciting step for the Costa Foundation and we’re proud to be supporting two schools doing life-changing work for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The Costa Foundation exists because we believe education unlocks brighter futures and are looking forward to seeing the impact of these projects on children and young people in the UK.”

To celebrate the funding of both projects, the Costa Foundation will host events with each school on 4th and 5th June 2026, giving pupils, staff and supporters the chance to hear more about the projects.

To find out more about the Costa Foundation’s work changing lives through education in the UK and globally, visit www.costa.co.uk/costa-foundation/uk-projects.