Every Foundation for Change programme is carefully evaluated to understand its real, lasting impact.

We collect both quantitative and qualitative data at three points:

• the start of each course,
• the end of each course,
• at our course reunions, 9 month later. 

These touch points allows us to track change over time — not only in outcomes like going onto further education, volunteering or employment, but also in wellbeing, confidence, and community connection. 

We collect data ethically and anonymously, always ensuring that participants’ voices guide our learning. The insights we gather shape how we grow, strengthen our impact, and help others learn from our work.

Our impact

• Our overall completion rate is 81%.
  • Many of those we work with have had a history of not completing programmes so this leads to a significant boost in self-esteem and self-efficacy. 
• 80% of individuals are successful in gaining an accredited Open College Network qualification.
  • Many of the people we work with struggled at school and did not achieve formal qualifications. For a lot of the people we work with, this is their first and leads to a crucial shift in their ability to learn and achieve. 
• 81% say their relationship to learning changed.
• 84% state that their lives make sense in ways they never have before.
• 93% experience a greater sense of what they are capable of after completing our courses. 

Changes in wellbeing

We track changes in wellbeing using the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. 

• We see a 9 point (43%) increase in wellbeing from the first to the last day of our courses (compared to an average of a 4 point increase for interventions such as psychotherapy and recovery colleges). 
• After 9 months, this has dropped by only 3 points - we created our peer-to-peer Community Network to support the cultivation of wellbeing after graduation. 

Longer-term impact

• Our response rate to our 9 month follow ups is 57%.
• Of this figure, 96% continue to remain abstinent. 
• 62% report a reduction in the use of support services (such as substance use, mental health, A&E and GP)
• 76% report feeling like they are active members of their communities. 

Our theory of change

Our monitoring and evaluation system is fully aligned with our theory of change, so every measure we take reflects the impact we exist to create — of individuals permanently leaving treatment services and living meaningful and fulfilled lives. This alignment keeps us accountable to our vision and proves that your support is driving real, measurable change.

"It is rare for organisations the size of FfC to really embrace documentation, measurement, evaluation and learning." - Major Donor

The majority of people we work with have been unemployed for many years with 29% having been unemployed for 10 years or more. This means that finishing a course, completing a qualification or moving into volunteering are huge achievements for them. This also means that it can take time for people to make the bigger changes in their lives such as going into further education or finding a career. Our Impact reporting from 2023 shows that 90% of trainees report being engaged in volunteering, training or further education 9 months after completing a course.

Watch the video below to hear John's story. 

We also collect longer interviews with graduates that you can read here. 

Do you want to help us change more lives? Please make a donation.