INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES
Helping communities thrive
We work with local partners and employee volunteers to deliver programmes focused on education, employability and entrepreneurship.
Empowering the next generation
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to realise their potential. Yet globally, more than 200 million young people are out of work or live in low-income poverty, and that's just not good enough. The economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has made this worse.
Futuremakers by Standard Chartered is our global initiative to tackle inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion in our markets. Futuremakers supports disadvantaged young people, especially girls and people with visual impairments, to learn new skills and improve their chances of getting a job or starting their own business.
In 2021, Futuremakers programmes reached more than 304,000 young people, and more than 671,000 young people between 2019 and 2021 across 41 markets.
USD75 million for young people between 2019 and 2023
We set out to fundraise and donate USD50 million for Futuremakers between 2019 and 2023 to empower the next generation to learn, earn and grow.
In 2020, in response to COVID-19, we committed a further USD25 million to Futuremakers to support economic recovery for young people impacted by the pandemic. This brings our total fundraising and donation target for Futuremakers to USD75 million between 2019 and 2023.
Between 2019 and 2021, nearly USD64 million was contributed to Futuremakers through fundraising and Group donations.
Funds raised go to NGO and charity partners to deliver Futuremakers programmes. This includes the Standard Chartered Foundation.
About Futuremakers programmes
Read more about Futuremakers global community programmes focused on education, employability and entrepreneurship.
Unleashing the economic potential of girls
We know that investing in girls can result in increased prosperity and diversity. Giving girls the tools to shape their own future has an incredible multiplier effect on communities and societies.
Goal is our programme to equip adolescent girls with the confidence, knowledge and skills they need to be economic leaders in their families and communities. As part of Futuremakers, we are expanding Goal as our global education programme.
Since its launch in 2006, Goal has grown to become an internationally-recognised global movement operating in more than 20 markets. Through sport and activity-based learning, Goal delivers modules on financial education; communication skills; health and hygiene; and self-confidence.
In 2021, the programme reached more than 89,000 girls and young women, and more than 735,000 between 2006 and 2021. Our target is to reach one million girls between 2006 and 2023.
What's next?
Following programme disruptions due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will continue to deliver the curriculum using a diverse range of modalities (online, hybrid, face-to-face) in 2022.
Preparing young people to be job-ready
Globally, more than 200 million young people are out of work or live in low-income poverty. Many disadvantaged young people lack the skills they need to get a job or to improve their circumstances, including knowing how to manage their financial future.
Youth to Work is a global programme that will develop opportunities that support young people to become job-ready. Youth to Work reached more than 66,000 young people through employability projects in 2021, and more than 87,000 between 2019 and 2021. Our target is to reach 100,000 youth, supporting at least 20,000 of these beneficiaries into work between 2019 and 2023.
What's next?
In 2022, we will continue to support employability across our markets, including through COVID-19 economic recovery projects.
Nurturing small business owners to succeed
More individuals and businesses have greater access to financial services than ever before. However, many micro and small business owners lack the financial management skills they need to grow their business.
Entrepreneurs for Growth builds on our existing financial education training for entrepreneurs and our Women in Technology (WiT) Incubators, which provide support, mentorship opportunities and access to resources, such as funding and banking products and services, to female entrepreneurs in the technology sector. In 2021, we reached more than 46,000 young people, micro and small businesses through entrepreneurship activities and more than 60,000 between 2019 and 2021. Our target is to reach 50,000 micro and small businesses between 2019 and 2023.
What's next?
In 2022, we will continue to support entrepreneurship across our markets, including through COVID-19 economic recovery projects.
Tackling inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion
Transforming lives with young people
Established in 2019, Futuremakers has reached more than 671,000* young people across 41 markets. We are committed to promoting economic inclusion and empowering the next generation to learn, earn and grow.
Watch our film and hear from Aisha, Jinying and Mwita on how Futuremakers transformed their lives.
*the total number of participants between 2019 and 2021
Understanding our theory of change
The Futuremakers’ theory of change explains three interlinked ‘pathways’ that offer young people opportunities to become more economically active. This provides a framework against which to measure the success of the programmes, and the wider initiative.
Social and economic inequality, and the growing income gap within and between countries, is a shared challenge across our markets. Click here to learn more about our Futuremakers programme across Europe and Americas.
Watch the videoSocial and economic inequality, and the growing income gap within and between countries, is a shared challenge across our markets. Click here to learn more about our Futuremakers programme across Europe and Americas.
We support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help prepare for the future of work, open up their career choices and improve their chances of getting a job. Learn more about the Work Experience Programme in China.
Watch the videoWe support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help prepare for the future of work, open up their career choices and improve their chances of getting a job. Learn more about the Work Experience Programme in China.
Exploring the education, employability and entrepreneurship paths under Futuremakers
Our partnerships
We partner with non-governmental organisations to implement Futuremakers programmes across 41 markets.
Established in 2019 by Standard Chartered Bank, the Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable foundation that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people from low-income households, particularly girls and people with visual impairments.
SCF is the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered.
Challenges Worldwide supports small and growing businesses and people to grow and develop through improved management practice and processes; using innovative, practical training to enhance and strengthen peoples’ skills, capability and confidence.
During the course of 2021, Challenges has reached over 2,075 growth businesses, provided over 25,000 onsite consultancy days, across 16 countries. They have directly supported over 15,000 young professionals, experienced managers and leaders to advance their professional skills.
Enactus is the largest experiential learning platform dedicated to creating a better world while developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators. This global network of business, academic and student leaders is unified by the vision to create a better, more sustainable world.
Annually, 72,000 students participate in Enactus programs on 1,730 university campuses in 35 countries. They have impacted 1.3 million lives through more than 3,800 social enterprises.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.
Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities.
Founded over 80 years ago, Plan International is a global development and humanitarian organisation, working in 77 countries to advance children’s rights and equality for girls.
Plan International works with girls and boys in some of the world’s poorest communities, making sure they have access to the education, health care, clean water and future opportunities they need to thrive.
Sightsavers works in more than 30 countries in Africa and Asia to address avoidable blindness and visual impairment, eliminate neglected diseases and promote disability rights.
As part of Inclusive Futures, an initiative run by a consortium of global partners that improves access to health, education and employment for people with disabilities, Sightsavers builds the skills of jobseekers with disabilities and equips employers to become disability inclusive.
For over 70 years SOS Children’s Villages has been supporting vulnerable children and is now active in 137 countries and territories worldwide. They empower young people to acquire the skills they need to transition to the workplace and an independent life.
Every year SOS Children’s Villages supports over 1 million people worldwide and over 200,000 young people are supported with education and employability programmes.
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is an international development agency that aims to create a fair world for everyone through the lasting power of volunteering.
In 2020/21, VSO worked with over 3,000 volunteers to reach 12.9 million people in 29 countries across their programmes in health, education and livelihoods.
Youth Business International (YBI) is the global network for organisations supporting youth entrepreneurship. YBI supports young people around the world to start, grow and sustain businesses, leveraging entrepreneurship to create decent work and drive inclusive economic growth, whilst transforming livelihoods and strengthening communities.
The global network supports young entrepreneurs around the world through its 52 members in 46 countries.
Women Win is a global multi-dimensional women’s fund guided by the vision of a future where every girl and woman exercises their rights. Women Win advances the playing field that empowers adolescent girls and young women through sport and play.
Together with their implementing partners, Women Win have impacted the lives of over 4 million adolescent girls and young women in over 100 countries.
Find out more
Supporting communities through volunteering
Volunteering has a positive impact on our communities, employees and our broader business. That’s why we offer every employee three days paid leave to volunteer.
Volunteering provides an opportunity for our staff to share their time, skills and expertise with local partners working on issues that matter in their communities. It is also a great way to promote the mental and physical health of our employees.
In 2021, our employees contributed more than 31,000 days of volunteering; over half of these days were dedicated to Futuremakers, environment and community outreach.
What’s next?
During 2021, we will continue to develop in-person and virtual opportunities for employees to share their unique skills and expertise through Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, our global initiative to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion.
Supporting our vision to be the world’s most sustainable and responsible bank, we will also encourage employees to participate in volunteering opportunities that support the environment to reduce carbon emissions in our communities.
Meet our employee volunteers
INSIGHTS See how we’re helping people, businesses and economies to prosper
More on our approach to banking
We’re committed to promoting social and economic development in our markets through our core business of banking