Samaritans

What Samaritans does

Samaritans is a UK and Ireland-registered non-profit charity founded in 1953 that provides 24/7 emotional support and suicide prevention services through a network of approximately 23,000 trained volunteers operating across five jurisdictions — England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland — supported by around 300 paid staff. Core service delivery runs through the free national helpline (116 123), supplemented by email, online chat, written correspondence, face-to-face branch support, the Samaritans Self Help App, and the Samaritans Veterans App, with data in both apps stored locally on the user's device.

The organisation's product surface extends beyond crisis intervention into workplace and institutional training via the Samaritans Training and Engagement Programmes (STEP), which delivers half-day, one-day, open, and bespoke courses on emotional health and suicide prevention to enterprise clients. Awareness and fundraising are channelled through structured campaigns — Small Talk Saves Lives, Brew Monday, Samaritans Awareness Day, World Suicide Prevention Day, and the 2026 UK launch of the Push-Up Challenge — alongside a research and policy function that publishes the only consolidated suicide statistics database covering all UK nations and Ireland, plus media reporting guidelines and a Lived Experience Panel.

Commercially, Samaritans runs a donation-led revenue model with monthly and one-off giving tiers (£5–£133 GBP, €5–€96 EUR), supplemented by corporate partnerships, charity shops operated by some branches, training fees from STEP, and a wholly owned trading subsidiary (The Samaritans Enterprises Limited) that handles branded merchandise. Annual turnover is stated as under £36 million. The organisation is governed as a company limited by guarantee with separate registered entities per jurisdiction and is executing a 2022-2027 strategy ("Tackling suicide together") alongside a 2026 Futureproofing Programme aimed at evolving its structure and operating model.

Name

Samaritans

Legal name

Samaritans

Website

https://samaritans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Samaritans is a UK and Ireland non-profit charity, founded in 1953, that delivers 24/7 suicide prevention emotional support via phone, email, chat, and face-to-face through 23,000 trained volunteers, complemented by workplace training, awareness campaigns, and suicide research publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Suicide Prevention Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI), Disaster Behavioral Health & Psychosocial Support (HLAJAGAM)

Keywords

• Suicide prevention services
• Emotional support helpline
• Mental health charity
• Crisis intervention support
• Workplace wellbeing training

Headquarters

HQ city

Ewell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from the public, available as one-off or monthly recurring gifts. Donation amounts include £10, £25, £30, £44, £133 and equivalent EUR amounts for Ireland.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with organizations for workplace training, corporate donations, and cause marketing
3. Charity Shops: Some Samaritans branches run charity shops selling pre-loved items to raise critical funds
4. Training and Engagement Programmes (STEP): Fee-based training programmes for organizations including half day, one day, and masterclass courses on emotional health, suicide prevention, and workplace wellbeing

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Samaritans delivers free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to people in distress or experiencing suicidal thoughts, primarily through its national helpline (116 123), email, online chat, and face-to-face branches staffed by trained volunteer listeners. The charity complements its crisis listening service with dedicated mobile self-help apps and a fee-based workplace training programme (STEP) that equips organisations with skills in suicide prevention, emotional health, and listening.

Product overview

Samaritans is a suicide prevention charity offering a multi-channel emotional support service accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, primarily through its core Samaritans Helpline (116 123) via telephone, email, and online chat. The organization complements its listening services with digital products including the Samaritans Self Help App and Veterans App (both mobile applications with locally-stored data), and organizational training through Samaritans Training and Engagement Programmes (STEP). Awareness and prevention work is delivered through campaigns including Small Talk Saves Lives, Brew Monday, Samaritans Awareness Day, World Suicide Prevention Day, and World Mental Health Day. Research and policy capabilities include a suicide statistics database covering all UK nations and Ireland, media guidelines, and publications on suicide prevention. An online Lived Experience Panel engages people with lived experience to inform organizational work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Samaritans Helpline (116 123) Free, confidential telephone helpline (116 123) available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for people in distress or experiencing suicidal thoughts. Calls are answered by trained volunteer listeners who provide non-judgmental emotional support.
• Email Support Email-based emotional support service providing confidential written assistance to individuals in crisis who prefer text-based communication over telephone.
• Online Chat Support Real-time text-based chat service accessible through the Samaritans website, providing live emotional support to people in distress who prefer written communication channels.
• Face-to-Face Branch Support In-person emotional support delivered at local Samaritans branches across the UK and Ireland, providing an alternative to remote channels for individuals who prefer face-to-face contact.
• Samaritans Self Help App Mobile application providing self-help resources and tools for individuals experiencing emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. Data is stored locally on the user's device for privacy.
• Samaritans Veterans App Dedicated mobile application for military veterans providing tailored emotional support resources and crisis intervention tools. Data is stored locally on the user's device for privacy.
• Samaritans Training and Engagement Programmes (STEP) Organisational training programmes providing courses in emotional health, suicide prevention, listening skills, and workplace wellbeing, including half-day courses, one-day courses, open courses, and bespoke course development for corporate and institutional clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 134 million calls for help answered over 70 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• National Suicide Prevention AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamaritans hosts the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, bringing together organizations to coordinate suicide prevention efforts across the UK
• Support after Suicide PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamaritans hosts the Support after Suicide Partnership providing resources and support for those bereaved by suicide
• BarclaysflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomised training programme for Barclays customer service team including managing suicidal conversations, colleague wellbeing and decompression. Training enabled staff to handle vulnerable customers expressing suicidal thoughts.
• Scottish Ambulance ServiceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomised Listening Skills and Emotional Health programme delivered to 109 staff members. Training helped staff feel more confident supporting patients in mental health crisis and distress.
• Network RailflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork Rail invested in Samaritans training courses focused on preventing suicide and supporting those affected. Described as changing and saving lives.
• Standard LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquipped customer service teams with skills to effectively manage challenging conversations and their own wellbeing through STEP training
• Kensington MortgagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining gave servicing teams skills to handle sensitive conversations with vulnerable customers who may not be eligible for traditional lending

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mind: Mind is the leading UK mental health charity, providing information, advice, support and campaigning on mental health. Like Samaritans it operates a hybrid helpline/information/service model and competes for donations, volunteer time, and policy influence in the same UK mental-health charity market.
• SHOUT: Shout is a UK-based 24/7 crisis text message support service, functionally overlapping with Samaritans' helpline but delivered via SMS. It directly competes for the same users seeking low-friction crisis support and for enterprise/grant funding in the suicide-prevention space.
• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably): CALM runs a UK helpline and webchat focused on preventing suicide among men, overlapping with Samaritans' stated focus on middle-aged and disadvantaged men. It competes for donations, corporate partnerships, and brand awareness in the same suicide-prevention category.
• PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide: PAPYRUS is a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide, operating a helpline (HOPELINEUK), training programmes, and awareness campaigns — directly comparable to Samaritans in service mix and target audience (albeit with a youth focus).
• Childline (NSPCC): Childline is a UK free, private helpline for children and young people, comparable to Samaritans in being a multi-channel (phone, online) crisis support service heavily reliant on volunteers, and in competing for UK charity mindshare and government funding.

Broad incumbents

• Rethink Mental Illness: Rethink Mental Illness is a major UK mental health charity providing services, support groups, and policy advocacy across a much broader mental-health remit. It overlaps with Samaritans on crisis support and policy influence but is a larger, more diversified incumbent.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): The 988 Lifeline is the US national suicide-prevention hotline network, offering a comparable 24/7 crisis-call service and competing for policy attention and best-practice leadership in the global suicide-prevention category.

Regional players

• Crisis Text Line: Crisis Text Line operates a 24/7 text-based crisis support service in the US using trained volunteers — the same operating model Samaritans uses for its UK helpline. It is a strong functional comparator even though it primarily serves a different geography.
• Lifeline Australia: Lifeline Australia operates a 24-hour crisis support phone line across Australia, run largely by trained volunteers — a near-mirror of Samaritans' UK/Ireland operating model in a different geography.
• Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): SOS runs a 24-hour hotline for individuals in crisis in Singapore, overlapping with Samaritans on service model and suicide-prevention mission but serving a different geographic market with its own volunteer pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/samaritans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Samaritans