Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn't.
The ICAS Foundation is an independent Scottish charity working to make sure ability, not background, decides who gets to build a career in accountancy.
A charity with one clear belief
Talented young people from low-income backgrounds still face real barriers to entering the accountancy profession, not because they lack ability, but because they lack access, to information, to networks, and to the people who've walked the path before them.
Our vision is an accountancy profession without unnecessary barriers to entry, where every talented young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity and support to pursue a successful career.
Since 2014, we've supported more than 400 students through up to four years of bursary funding, mentoring from experienced finance professionals, and real career opportunities.
Why we exist
To ensure ability, not background, determines opportunity.
Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Young people from low-income backgrounds still face systemic barriers to university study, professional careers and financial stability. Without support, too many never reach their potential. The ICAS Foundation exists to remove those barriers.
"Our approach is deliberately long-term and relational, grounded in evidence and strengthened through close engagement with mentors, firms, and partners across the profession."
Independent social mobility charity, aligned with ICAS
We are a registered Scottish charity, independent from ICAS. This means our decisions are driven entirely by the needs of our students and the mission of widening access, not by membership or institutional priorities. Every bursary, mentoring relationship and career opportunity we provide is funded by donations, partnerships and volunteering from people who believe in what we do.
Supporting the ICAS Foundation means you can
Support social mobility, and ethnic and gender diversity, among students studying accountancy and finance at university.
Assist Foundation students directly through mentoring, financial support and work experience opportunities.
Give back to the profession by helping bring a more diverse range of talent into the next generation of CAs.
"We're not creating the talent that's already there, we're just enabling them to move one obstacle out of the way so they can progress."
Our 2030 strategy
By 2030, we aim to triple the number of Programme places we offer each year. Our strategy sets out how we intend to get there.
