The IEE and IIE merged to become the IET. The charity changed its official name to ‘the Institution of Engineering and Technology Benevolent Fund’. We chose ‘IET Connect’ as our trading name, to reflect that we provided support beyond financial grants.
Research with community members was carried out to make sure the charity was keeping pace with their needs. It became clear that needs went beyond financial support. A range of other advice and support was needed.
In 2002, the organisation formed a smaller board of 10 trustees.
As the number of Local Centres (now called Local Networks) grew, so did the Court of Governors, with nearly 50 people meeting 3 times a year.
In 1944, an appeal was started for a homes fund for engineers returning from war. Two generous donations followed, which shaped the future of Foothold…
On 10 October 1900, the fund awarded its first grant – £20 (about £2,500 today) – to Charles Capito, an engineer who authored papers on electrical engineering, mathematics and mechanics.
On 27 March 1890, a benevolent fund was set up by members of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE, now The IET). Its aim was to give financial help to those in need.