Khulisa

What Khulisa does

Khulisa is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (charity no. 1120562) founded in 2007 that delivers intensive, trauma-informed therapeutic group programmes for marginalised young people aged 11–18 — particularly those disengaged from school or at risk of criminal justice involvement — alongside training for the adults around them. Its core product suite comprises the Face It intensive young people's programme (10 modules, creative arts-based, 1-to-1 reflection), a Trauma-Informed Training programme for education and welfare professionals, the Nurturing Connections six-session parent/carer curriculum, and a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum aligned to the CASEL framework and Ofsted requirements. These are sold either as standalone offerings or bundled into the Face It Whole School Programme, a multi-year partnership that simultaneously serves students, school staff and families.

The organisation earns revenue through three streams: charitable donations and individual fundraising (including JustGiving campaigns and an Enthuse donation platform), institutional grants from a diversified base of UK trusts and foundations (BBC Children in Need, Berkeley Foundation, Henry Smith Charity, Esmee Fairbairn, Impetus, National Lottery Community Fund, Leather Sellers' Foundation, Charles Russell Speechlys), and paid programme delivery fees paid by schools, PRUs and alternative provision settings. Distribution is direct-to-school, with named partnerships across London (23 of 28 programmes in 2024) and a growing North West/Manchester footprint (5 of 28 in 2024). The charity has been described as a 'million-pound income' organisation under its outgoing CEO's tenure and supports a headcount of 11–50 staff across two UK offices (South London headquarters and a North London operations site at Voluntary Action Islington).

Name

Khulisa

Legal name

Khulisa

Website

https://khulisa.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Khulisa is a UK youth charity that delivers trauma-informed therapeutic group programmes (Face It), professional training, and parent support to schools, PRUs and communities for marginalised young people affected by adversity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trauma-Informed Care & Crisis Response (School-Based) (EDAKAMAF), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), School Counseling & Guidance Services (Academic/Social-Emotional) (EDAJALAF)

Keywords

• Youth mental health
• Trauma-informed programmes
• Social emotional learning
• School wellbeing services
• Therapeutic group programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Khulisa relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals and organizations. They run JustGiving campaigns and accept direct donations. The charity maintains transparency about fund allocation: 90p per pound goes to programmes and services, 9p to fundraising, and 1p to governance.
2. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from institutional donors including Berkeley Foundation, BBC Children in Need, Henry Smith Charity, Charles Russell Speechlys, Esmee Fairbairn, Impetus, Leather Sellers' Foundation, and The National Lottery Community Fund.
3. Programme Delivery Fees: Schools pay for delivery of the Face It whole school programme, including intensive young people's therapeutic programmes, trauma training for professionals, and parent/carer support sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Khulisa delivers intensive, therapeutic group programmes for young people aged 11-18 affected by trauma or adversity to explore the root causes of emotional distress and build social and emotional skills. It also trains education professionals in trauma-informed practices and supports parents and carers through structured programmes, with delivery primarily through schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision settings in London and Manchester.

Product overview

Khulisa is a national youth charity providing therapeutic group programmes for young people affected by trauma or adversity. The core offering consists of Face It (flagship intensive therapeutic programme for young people aged 12-16), Trauma-Informed Training for professionals, Nurturing Connections for parents and carers, and a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. These programmes are delivered as standalone offerings or combined into the Face It – Whole School Programme, a comprehensive 3-year partnership approach that addresses the needs of students, professionals, and families simultaneously. All programmes are trauma-informed and use creative therapeutic techniques to build social and emotional skills, emotional self-regulation, resilience, and wellbeing. The organisation has operated since 2007, working primarily in London and Manchester.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Face It Programme
• Trauma-Informed Training
• Nurturing Connections
• Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum (SEL)
• Face It – Whole School Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% of participants reported improved wellbeing after just 6 weeks, ranking above national average (University of Sussex study 2019-20)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered network partner, delivery partner, recognition partner, local partner and academic partner.

• Fair Education Alliancenetwork partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of organisations working together to close the gap in educational achievement for disadvantaged young people. Khulisa participates as member organization.
• All Youth (AYJ)network partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-focused advocacy organization. Khulisa participates as member working on youth policy and provision.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB)network partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and advocacy organization for children. Khulisa partners on policy influencing and best practice sharing.
• ImpactEddelivery partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation impact measurement organization. Khulisa uses their platform and methodology for tracking and demonstrating programme outcomes.
• Centre for Social Justicerecognition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicy think tank focused on social justice. Khulisa won CSJ Award 2022 and participates in policy discussions on youth disadvantage.
• Young Harrow Foundationlocal partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal giving organisation supporting youth provision in Harrow. Khulisa delivers programmes in local schools.
• Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)recognition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health body. Khulisa was finalist for RSPH Health at Every Age Award 2022.
• The Royal Central School of Speech and Dramaacademic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution. Khulisa has hired graduates from their drama, applied theatre and education programme for facilitation roles.
• Adopt Londondelivery partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdoption agency. Khulisa staff member Sheila White provides therapeutic parenting support and delivers therapy sessions to adoptees through this partnership.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Large UK social business working with disadvantaged young people, including mental health, education, and justice programmes. Comparable as a broader social-services incumbent overlapping with Khulisa's youth wellbeing and criminal-justice-adjacent mission.
• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, providing training, resources, and campaigning. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the youth mental health/education space where Khulisa also operates.

Direct peers

• Place2Be: UK charity providing in-school counselling, mental health support, and professional training to schools, with national reach. Closest direct peer to Khulisa's Face It model and whole-school trauma-informed approach.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity providing in-school counselling and emotional support services to pupils, including whole-school mental health programmes. Highly comparable to Khulisa's school-based trauma-informed wellbeing model.
• St Christopher's Fellowship: UK charity supporting vulnerable children and young people through residential care, fostering, and community programmes including trauma-informed interventions. Comparable in working with trauma-affected youth, though with a residential focus.
• Anna Freud Centre: UK charity delivering mental health training, evidence-based programmes (e.g., Mentally Healthy Schools), and direct support in schools. Direct competitor in school-based SEL/mental health provision with stronger research credentials.

Others

• Impetus: UK charity that finds, funds, and builds high-potential education and employment charities. Core funder of Khulisa, comparable only as an ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB): UK charity and strategic partner of Khulisa focused on improving outcomes for children through research, policy, and best-practice sharing. Listed as a network partner of Khulisa, indicating ecosystem overlap in the youth wellbeing space.

Regional players

• The Access Project: UK charity supporting disadvantaged young people into top universities through in-school tutoring and mentoring. Tom Georgiou (Khulisa's Director of Delivery & Operations) previously worked here, indicating comparable target audience and school-based delivery model.

Emerging players

• MindEd: Free educational resource on mental health for adults working with children and young people, offering e-learning to teachers and professionals. Adjacent to Khulisa's Trauma-Informed Training offering but in a free, digital format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KhulisaUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://khulisa.co.uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://khulisa.co.uk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Khulisa