Mark Williams Foundation

Impact

Our Purpose

The Mark Williams Foundation exists to protect children’s rights to loving relationships with good fathers, to challenge injustice, and to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to build stronger futures for themselves, their families, and fuel economic growth.

We believe every child deserves the love and guidance of both parents, and that good fathers should never be pushed to the sidelines by a system that too often fails them. We’ve seen the damage caused when families are fractured unfairly, and we know that when fathers are supported, children thrive. At the same time, we recognise that building stronger futures also means investing in the dreams of young people, giving them the tools, confidence, and opportunity to create something lasting.

The Foundation is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) with two core purposes:

1. To support good fathers at risk of losing access to their children

2. To empower young entrepreneurs through mentorship, education, and opportunity

How We Achieve our Mission

1. Father Support Initiative

We provide financial assistance for legal representation to fathers who may not qualify for legal aid but cannot afford the cost of private litigation. This work is about more than legal access, it’s about protecting the bond between a father and his child. By removing the financial barriers to justice, we aim to reduce long-term emotional harm, support children’s rights to have meaningful relationships with both parents, and promote more balanced and fair outcomes in family law.

Alongside this, we offer peer support through trained wellbeing volunteers who share similar values and lived experience. They understand the emotional challenges fathers face during family separation and are there to help navigate this difficult time. Our volunteers are trained in mental health awareness and active listening, providing a safe, non-judgmental space where fathers can talk openly and feel heard. This peer-to-peer support offers reassurance, understanding, and an additional layer of care when it is needed most.

2. Entrepreneur Apprenticeship

This programme brings together the wisdom of experienced business leaders and the ambition of young entrepreneurs from to create real, lasting change. It is about more than business development, it is about unlocking potential, restoring confidence, and giving young people the chance to build a future they may never have thought possible. By opening doors to opportunity, we are helping shape stronger lives, stronger communities, and a more hopeful future for all.

By investing in young entrepreneurs, this programme helps build a stronger Scottish economy and a generation with an entrepreneurial mindset. It empowers participants to think boldly, act with confidence, and turn ideas into action, creating the foundations for future businesses, jobs, and innovation. In doing so, we are not only supporting individual success, but helping to develop the talent, ambition, and resilience Scotland needs for long-term growth.

Our Entrepreneur Apprenticeship is an 11-month programme that runs annually and includes:

  • 1:1 Mentorship
  • Networking & Roundtables
  • Entrepreneurial Decision Making Exposure
  • Industry Shadowing
  • £1k Investment Challenge
  • CMI Training Programme

Mark's Legacy Lives on

By standing up for justice in family life and unlocking the potential of future entrepreneurs, we honour Mark’s vision of a fairer, more empowered society, one where no one is left behind simply because they couldn’t afford to fight, or no one believed in them.

Every life we touch - whether it’s a father staying present in his child’s life or a young person building their first business - is a reflection of the Mark values: integrity, resilience, compassion, empowerment, and opportunity.

Our vision is bold, our purpose is clear, and our resolve is unwavering: to create lasting change in the lives of those who need it most. Mark’s legacy lives on in every life we uplift.