Our History

Aspire Foundation formed in 2006 and has its roots in a vision and concept developed in Bristol in 1999.

The Aspire concept was launched originally as a fair trade catalogue company offering paid employment opportunities to people moving out of homelessness. This idea grew rapidly and extensively and was franchised across several areas of England under a common Aspire brand.

The catalogue business itself closed in 2004 providing both inspiration and crucial lessons to the social enterprise movement. Studies and commentary are available on the catalogue business experience (contact us for details).
The franchise network continued to trade, with each area setting up and running different businesses, all with the shared aim of creating paid employment for people moving out of disadvantaged situations.

In 2004, Aspire Support UK was launched to support the network of social enterprises working under the Aspire name. It became a registered charity in 2006 and is now exploring and developing new opportunities for spreading and embedding the core Aspire model of transforming lives through enterprise and employment. Aspire Support UK became Aspire Foundation in June 2008 to better reflect our wider role and aims.