Turner & Townsend’s charitable fund marks £1m in donations and two new partnerships
Turner & Townsend, the global professional services company, has announced its international Making the Difference Fund is partnering with Railway Children and Build Change. This further expands the global impact of the fund as it celebrates over £1m in donations from the business.
Launched in 2023, the Making the Difference Fund complements Turner & Townsend’s existing local and regional charitable partnerships, providing a coordinated global effort that can scale up support for causes and initiatives that generate long-term benefits and opportunities for communities across the globe.
The Making the Difference is funded entirely by Turner & Townsend, and aims to create positive outcomes through three core objectives:
- Supporting social mobility – by unlocking opportunities for underrepresented groups in the construction, development and energy industries.
- Assisting disaster relief and recovery – helping in relief efforts during and in the aftermath of disasters affecting humanity, and providing financial support for the long-term resilience of communities affected.
- Industry innovation – providing pathways, research and technological advancements that will help industry meet and overcome future challenges.
Since its creation, the fund has had a partnership with Barefoot College International which works to tackle poverty in remote and rural communities. This includes the Solar Mama ENRICHE programme in Guatemala and Senegal, which has worked to advance the clean energy transition.
The programme supports women in rural areas, teaching them to install and maintain solar power technology, while developing digital literacy, healthcare, civil rights and micro-enterprise management skills.
Turner & Townsend colleagues across the world make applications to determine how the funds should be allocated. To date, this includes £30,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) following humanitarian crises in Turkey and Syria; £30,000 to the REACT Disaster Response, which helps train workers to support with responding to disasters and rebuilding communities; and £80,000 to Save the Children, focused on famine support in East Africa and helping children and families affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
As the business marks the £1m donation milestone, it is also expanding the reach of the fund with two new partnerships. Railway Children helps to protect vulnerable children worldwide who are found alone and at risk on streets and at transport hubs, while Build Change promotes disaster-resilient housing solutions around the world.
These new partnerships further strengthen Turner & Townsend’s commitment to creating long-lasting, positive impacts for people, communities and the planet.
Patricia Moore, chair of the Making the Difference Fund committee, and UK Managing Director at Turner & Townsend, said:
“£1m is a figure we’re deeply proud of, but the real impact goes beyond the numbers. We are changing lives and livelihoods in the underserved communities that this fund was created to help.
Since partnering with Barefoot College International, we’ve been able to train 42 women in remote areas of Guatemala and Senegal to assemble, install, and maintain solar home lighting systems, bringing clean energy to over 1,500 homes while giving these women in-demand skills and long-term careers.
"We’re delighted to announce new partnerships with Railway Children and Build Change. This will help us take further steps in transforming people’s lives as we continue our efforts to build a sustainable cycle of empowerment, healthier living, and opportunities to escape poverty. Ultimately, we want to create a brighter and better future for all, and we hope this is just the start of the positive impact this fund will have.”
