The Access Project
The Access Project is a UK education charity that supports young people aged 14–18 from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities, via one-to-one tutoring, embedded in-school mentoring by University Access Officers, life-skills coaching, and university enrichment trips across 39 partner schools in England.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Access Project does
The Access Project is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1143011, Company Number 07473072) founded in 2008 that supports young people aged 14–18 from under-resourced backgrounds to access selective UK universities. Its core delivery model combines one-to-one and small-group academic tutoring, Skills for Access life-skills coaching, embedded in-school mentoring delivered by dedicated University Access Officers, and university-linked enrichment trips. Approximately 25% of programme cost is funded by partner schools; the remaining 75% is sourced from university partners (including The Queen's College Oxford, Keble College, Imperial College London, and The University of Manchester), corporate sponsors (Rothschild & Co, Kaizen Reporting, Vodafone, Jangala, The Reading List Foundation), and individual donations. The organisation works with around 1,900 students across 39 non-selective state schools in Greater London, the West and East Midlands, West Yorkshire, and the North West of England, reporting that 96% of Year 13 students received a university offer and 83% received a top-university offer in 2025.
The technology backbone is built entirely on third-party SaaS: the Access Hub (a Moodle-based learning management system hosted by Accipio, used for online tutoring with recorded sessions for safeguarding), Salesforce as the central CRM, BambooHR for HR, Mailchimp for supporter communications, and standard paid social/Google Analytics stacks for marketing. Specialised product modules include the Oxbridge Pathway, Healthcare Pathway, Group Tuition A-level programme, and a University Transition Programme for alumni. Services are free at the point of delivery to students. Governance is by a board of trustees chaired by John Kelly-Jones; leadership has been headed by CEO Anna Searle since October 2023.
The Access Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Access Project
- Legal name
- The Access Project
- Website
- https://theaccessproject.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Access Project is a UK education charity that supports young people aged 14–18 from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities, via one-to-one tutoring, embedded in-school mentoring by University Access Officers, life-skills coaching, and university enrichment trips across 39 partner schools in England.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Access Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Charity Services (Widening Participation)
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI), Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ)
Keywords
Where The Access Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Access Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations from individuals: Individual donations from supporters who contribute to the charity's mission of supporting under-resourced young people.
- Corporate sponsorships: Partnerships with corporations such as Kaizen Reporting that provide employee volunteering programmes and funding.
- University partner funding: Funding from university partners including The Queen's College Oxford, Imperial College London, and others to support outreach and widening participation programmes.
- School programme contributions: Approximately 25% of the programme is paid for by partner schools.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Access Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Access Project is a UK education charity that delivers a multi-year widening participation programme combining one-to-one and group tutoring, in-school mentoring by dedicated University Access Officers, Skills for Access life-skills coaching, and university trips and enrichment activities, aimed at helping under-resourced students aged 14–18 raise GCSE and A level grades and secure places at top UK universities.
Product overview
The Access Project is an education charity offering a single integrated programme of tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment to help under-resourced young people access top UK universities. The core programme combines one-to-one and group tutoring, in-school mentoring from University Access Officers, Skills for Access coaching, and university trips. Specialised pathways include the Oxbridge Pathway and Healthcare Pathway for students targeting competitive courses. The programme is delivered through The Access Hub learning management system (hosted by Accipio) and supplemented by a University Transition Programme for alumni.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Access Project Programme Multi-year widening participation programme combining one-to-one tutoring, in-school mentoring, university readiness support, and enrichment activities for under-resourced students in non-selective state schools to help them achieve places at top UK universities.
- Oxbridge Pathway Specialised pathway supporting students through the application process to Oxford, Cambridge, and other highly selective universities with additional admissions requirements.
- Healthcare Pathway Specialised pathway supporting students applying for Medicine, Dentistry, and related healthcare degrees at selective universities, including UCAT preparation and interview support.
- University Transition Programme Post-programme support for alumni students transitioning to university, providing resources, guidance, and tracking of university outcomes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students are 50% more likely than statistically similar peers to place at top universities
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use The Access Project
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Access Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Access Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kaizen ReportingcoreEmployee volunteering partnership where Kaizen employees volunteer as skills coaches to support students from under-resourced backgrounds. The partnership provides coaching opportunities to build student confidence, develop key skills and improve access to higher education opportunities.
- The University of ManchestercoreNew widening participation partnership where The University of Manchester's Faculty of Humanities supports The Access Project's university access programmes, helping reach more young people through outreach and widening participation initiatives.
- The Reading List FoundationminorScholarship partnership awarding students £275 to help pay for first year textbooks, supporting access to higher education.
- The Queen's College, University of OxfordcorePartnership to support The Access Project programme in four schools across the north west (Lancashire and Cumbria). The college provides volunteer tutors, facilitates visits to the college, and helps resource the charity's core programme. Originally founded for students from the north west.
- Keble College, University of OxfordminorSupporting The Access Project at Colmers School in the West Midlands, contributing to the school's partnership programme.
- Imperial College LondoncoreLong-standing partnership supporting The Access Project's West Midlands programme, including enrichment activities and university trips.
- Rothschild & CocoreCorporate partnership where Rothschild & Co awards the R&Co4Generations Bursary to students. Students receive £6,000 per year towards living costs while studying at university to help with financial barriers to higher education.
- University of LeicesterminorUniversity destination for students, with alumni going on to study courses such as Microbiology.
- JangalaminorCharity partnership providing 120 Get Boxes (low-cost WiFi devices) to students living in digital poverty, enabling them to access online tutorials and learning resources.
- Vodafone (Charities Connected scheme)minorPartnership providing over 200 SIM cards to boost students' ability to stay connected to their learning from home as part of Vodafone's Charities Connected scheme.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Access Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sutton Trust: UK foundation focused on social mobility through education, running summer schools, university access programmes, and influential research on widening participation. Comparable in mission and funder relationships (trusts, universities, government) though more research/policy-oriented and less embedded-delivery than TAP.
- The Brilliant Club: UK education charity placing PhD researchers into non-selective state schools to deliver university-style tutorials and widen access to highly selective universities. Directly comparable mission (top-university access for under-resourced students) with a slightly different delivery model (tutorial-based rather than 1:1 tutoring).
- Social Mobility Foundation: UK charity running mentoring, aspiration-raising, and skills programmes (including employer mentoring) for state-school students targeting professional careers and top universities. Overlapping target cohort and university-employer partnership model; competes for similar corporate and trust funding.
- IntoUniversity: UK education charity operating local learning centres in disadvantaged areas, providing after-school academic tutoring, mentoring, and university access support to under-resourced students aged 7–18. Most direct peer — same target population, very similar tutoring-plus-mentoring model, and competes for overlapping school, university, and corporate partnerships.
- Brightside: UK online mentoring charity connecting under-represented young people with university students and professionals for university and careers guidance. Similar widening-participation mission delivered through a more technology-mediated mentoring model.
Broad incumbents
- The Prince's Trust: Large UK youth charity supporting disadvantaged 11–30 year-olds into education, employment, and training. Overlapping beneficiary population and corporate-partnership model but much broader scope; not a direct competitor for university-access funding.
- Teach First: Large UK education charity placing teachers in low-income schools and running broader widening-participation programmes. Larger and broader in scope, but overlapping beneficiary population and corporate-partnership funder pool; competes for trust and corporate CSR funding.
Emerging players
- Future First: UK charity building state-school alumni networks to help current students access careers and higher education. Comparable beneficiary population (non-selective state school students) and corporate-partnership model, but more focused on careers/alumni networks than tutoring/UCAS support.
- Speakers for Schools: UK charity connecting state-school students with leading professionals for talks, work experience, and aspiration-raising programmes. Comparable in working with non-selective state schools and corporate partners but focused on inspiration/work experience rather than academic tutoring.
- Generating Genius: UK charity supporting disadvantaged students into top STEM universities through university partnerships and residential programmes. Comparable widening-participation mission with a STEM specialism that overlaps with TAP's Healthcare Pathway and STEM A-level group tuition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Access Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Access Project compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
The Access Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Access Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Access Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Access Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Access Project
What does The Access Project do?
The Access Project is a UK education charity that delivers a multi-year widening participation programme combining one-to-one and group tutoring, in-school mentoring by dedicated University Access Officers, Skills for Access life-skills coaching, and university trips and enrichment activities, aimed at helping under-resourced students aged 14–18 raise GCSE and A level grades and secure places at top UK universities.
Is The Access Project a public or private company?
The Access Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Access Project founded?
The Access Project was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Access Project based?
The Access Project is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Access Project make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations from individuals are the primary driver. The others are corporate sponsorships, university partner funding and school programme contributions.
Who are The Access Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sutton Trust, The Brilliant Club, Social Mobility Foundation, IntoUniversity and Brightside. Broad incumbents are The Prince's Trust and Teach First. Emerging players are Future First, Speakers for Schools and Generating Genius.
Does The Access Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Access Project.
What industry is The Access Project in?
The Access Project's product category is Education Charity Services (Widening Participation). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAJALAL, Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.