About us
Good Things Foundation is a social change charity that supports socially excluded people to improve their lives through digital.
Digital technology and community action are at the heart of everything we do.
We bring together thousands of community partners to make up the Online Centres Network, reaching deep into communities to help people gain the support and skills they need to change their lives and overcome social challenges.
"We believe that digital technology can support equality of opportunity, and ensure everyone can participate fully in today's society."
Our history
2009
UK Online Centres is awarded the £30 million Smarter Government contract to support 1 million people to get online
2011
The Learn My Way online learning platform is launched as an expanded and updated successor to myguide
Online Centres Foundation becomes an independent social enterprise and staff-owned mutual
2012
We reach our target of supporting one million people to improve their computer and internet skills (8 months ahead of schedule!)
Helen Milner is inducted into BIMA's Digital Hall of Fame and named in the top 20 Britons in Digital
We run our first national conference, "Digital Evolution: Local action", at the BT Centre in London
2013
Online Centres Foundation is renamed as Tinder Foundation
We win funding from NHS England to deliver the Widening Digital Participation programme, supporting people to deliver their digital health literacy skills
We win funding from DCLG to run the English My Way programme with the British Council and BBC as part of the English Language Competition
The 500,000th learner is registered on Learn My Way
2014
We launch the "a Leading Digital Nation by 2020 report", setting out the cost of getting everyone in the UK online
We publish an independent report called Mobile: a powerful tool for Digital Inclusion exploring the role of mobile phones and tablets in helping people to get online at home
We are successful in our bid for the Government's Future Digital Inclusion contract, a five year programme to support one million people to learn basic digital skills
2015
Our Chief Executive Helen Milner is awarded an OBE for services to digital inclusion in the Queen's Birthday Honours
We start a 12 month digital inclusion pilot in the Philippines
2016
Tinder Foundation becomes a registered charity
We run the 10th annual Get Online Week campaign which has supported hundreds of thousands of people to get online
We changed our name!
In November 2016, Tinder Foundation is renamed Good Things Foundation and we officially reach 2 million people supported to use the internet since 2010
2017
We take our mission to Australia, creating Good Things Foundation Australia and begin delivering the Be Connected programme designed to support older Australians to improve their digital skills
2018
Helen Milner is appointed as Member of the Ministerial Digital Skills Partnership Board and co-Chair of the Local Digital Skills
We launch our Bridging the Digital Divide campaign in the UK, calling on government to commit to ensuring 100% of the nation is digitally included
Good Things’ Learning Team wins Learning Team of The Year Gold Award at the Learning Technology Awards
2019
We teamed up with J.P. Morgan to research how digital skills can address economic exclusion throughout the UK
Learn My Way is translated into Welsh
We're appointed by the Office of National Statistics to support the delivery of the 2021 census in England and Wales.
2020
Good Things Foundation partners with Accenture and Nesta to deliver the Future Proof: Skills for Work programme
Our first virtual Get Online Week campaign made a real impact reaching more than 20,000 people through 2,000 events
We launch DevicesDotNow an emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic providing support to the thousands of vulnerable people
We quickly establish the Response and Resilience Fund totalling £375,000 to enable Online Centres to continue to support their local communities
2021
Our See It Differently videos are viewed over 1 million times
