Founded in 1987 as an educational charity, the Trust is funded by a combination of government grant, fees from affiliated schools for its services, and donations from corporate sponsors and foundations.

The Trust initially played an important role in establishing the City Technology Colleges (CTCs) by helping to raise £40 million in sponsorship from industry. These innovative, non-fee paying independent urban schools emphasise technology, maths and science in addition to the national curriculum. Popular with parents and pupils alike, CTCs now have three times as many applicants as places. Their results are outstanding - in 2002, 83% of CTC pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE compared to a 46% average for other nearby schools.