Groundwork is a federation of Trusts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, each working with their partners in poor areas to improve the quality of the local 
environment, the lives of local people and the success of local business. Each Groundwork Trust is a partnership between the public, private and voluntary 
sectors with its own board of trustees. The work of the Trusts is supported by the national and regional offices of Groundwork UK and by Groundwork Wales.    
Groundwork works closely with the Government and devolved assemblies, local authorities, regional development agencies and businesses. Groundwork 
also receives support from the European Union, the National Lottery, the landfill tax credit scheme, private sponsors and charitable donations.   
Groundwork's purpose is 'to build sustainable communities through joint environmental action'. They do this by getting residents, businesses and other 
local organisations involved in practical projects that improve the quality of life, bring about regeneration and lay the foundations for sustainable development. 
The main issues are: Neighbourhood renewal, housing and sustainable communities; Youth work and community safety; Citizenship, education and lifelong 
learning; Employment, enterprise and regional development; Brownfield reclamation and biodiversity.Groundwork is continually trying to measure and 
evaluate the impact of its work. As part of this we commission research and evaluation. Invitation to tender for this work is advertised on the website.   
Groundwork Environmental Business Services (ebs) provides practical support, advice, information and training to companies on environmental business 
issues, encouraging companies and their employees to be more aware of the environmental impact both globally and locally.   
Although Groundwork's primary role is in the UK, it is recognised that a core principle of sustainable development is that local action forms a key part of 
achieving global sustainability. Groundwork is currently working directly on projects with partners in the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe, 
and is also working with local partnerships modelled on the Groundwork approach that have been established in Japan and the USA.