Over the past year, your support has helped ensure that no engineer has had to face life's challenges alone.
At Foothold, we exist to support IET members and their families for life, including into retirement. Whether someone is facing financial hardship, health challenges, mental ill health, or a sudden change in circumstances, we're there to help them regain stability and hope.
We can only do this with the support of IET members like you.
Whether you've donated, volunteered, shared our work, joined a webinar, told your story, or encouraged someone to reach out – thank you. Your support has made a real difference to engineers across the world.
Our latest impact report shows all the ways you helped in 2024–25.
The year at a glance
Foothold supported 1,226 people across 47 countries, spending £1.2 million to help engineers and their families when they needed it most.
That support reached people at every stage of life, from early‑career engineers to those in retirement, and reflected the diversity of challenges faced across the global profession.
Donations from IET members and the wider community generated £189,520. We were also honoured to receive 10 legacy gifts from people who wanted to support the engineering community for generations to come.
Supporting people through tough times
Life can change quickly. Ill health, bereavement, redundancy, caring responsibilities or rising living costs can leave people struggling, even after decades of stable employment.
Thanks to your support, Foothold has been able to provide tailored financial help to 122 people over the last year. Grants went to people in 17 countries, aged 18 to 94.
This includes both ongoing grants to help with everyday living costs and one‑off support for things like medical expenses, disability needs and mental health care.
The impact goes far beyond financial help. Behind every grant is someone able to sleep better, focus on recovery, put food on the table, or feel less alone during a difficult chapter of their life.
Building resilience to life’s challenges
You have also helped us to grow the ways we support the resilience of the engineering community in these uncertain times.
Your support enabled our wellbeing, advice and digital services:
- 94 referrals to our expert partners for debt and housing services
- 2,142 sign‑ups to our free monthly webinars on wellbeing and financial planning
- 325 uses of our Mental Health Check‑In tool, offering confidential, personalised support
- 103 sign‑ups across our Wellbeing Hub and Differently Wired Hub
- More than 23,000 open‑access digital health and wellbeing sessions
Together, these services help engineers and their families navigate challenges before they reach crisis point.
Thank you
Foothold's work is entirely funded by the generosity of the engineering community. We rely on donations and gifts in Wills to ensure that engineers will have somewhere to turn, whatever life brings.
If you're interested in supporting Foothold – and the engineering community for generations to come – explore how you can do so at www.myfoothold.org.
“In these worrying times we’re all facing, it’s easy to become consumed by anxiety, but Foothold gave me light and I’m so very grateful for that. If you’re going through a difficult time, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Foothold as they might be able to help you rebuild your life too, one step at a time.”
Adam, electrical engineer, Mid Wales.