Our History & Funding
Springboard was founded by a group of parent carers in September 1992 after they saw a lack of provision and opportunity for their children with special educational needs and disabilities during school holidays. The group originally met at several local village halls and schools, but as the group grew, new accessible premises were needed. Three Oaks Trust kindly gifted what was to become Springboard House to the group. This generous donation meant we had a hub to offer regular sessions, as well as opening an inclusive provision for stay and play in the community.
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Since then, the charity has expanded throughout Horsham, Crawley, and Worthing, delivering activities for children and young people aged 0-30 years with disabilities, achieving such notable awards as the Queens Award for Volunteering.
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We aim to promote inclusion and diversity, improve physical and emotional wellbeing, increase life skills and independence, reduce isolation by helping to build relationships and friendships and provide accessible recreational and leisure opportunities.
How We're Funded
It’s important to be open and transparent about how we spend money and where it comes from.
Every £1 spent...
Approximately:
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89p goes on delivering activities for children, young people and their families.
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4p goes on governance costs.
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The remaining 7p goes into raising the next £1.
Every £1 received...
Approximately:
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87p comes from grants and fees
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2p comes from trading
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11p comes from donations, including gifts and wills
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0p comes from investments and property
This includes...
We use your money to support children throughout West Sussex. In 2022/23 Springboard recorded 15,438 children, young people and parent/carer visits. That includes:
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1,983 attendees at our services for children and young people with additional needs
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13,197 stay and play visits
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258 people attended family events
We regularly evaluate our services by speaking with our customers.
See our recent impact report for our Stepping Stones programme.
Stepping Stones Report 22/23 (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD)
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To find out more about how your donation makes a real difference to young people in the UK, see our latest annual report.