What Groundwork does

Groundwork is a federation of independent UK charities founded in 1981 and headquartered in Birmingham, operating as The Federation of Groundwork Trusts (registered charity No. 291558). It delivers community, environmental and social-welfare programmes through a network of more than 13 regional Groundwork Trusts covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, supported by 1,200+ employees and 150 volunteer trustees. Core service lines include the Green Doctor energy-efficiency programme (delivered in partnership with British Gas), Wellies in the Woods (nature engagement for children), Stay Warm Stay Well, Naturally Connected, the Energy Redress Programme, Sustainable Business Services, Landscape Services, and Life Skills and Employment support.

The organisation runs two distinct business mechanics: a direct-delivery model that deploys staff into communities to deliver environmental and social programmes, and a grant-management model in which Groundwork administers funds on behalf of corporate and public-sector partners. In the most recent disclosed year it distributed £20 million in grants to over 17,000 organisations and reported £101 million invested in communities. Anchor corporate and institutional partners include Bupa Foundation, Tesco, British Gas, Cadent Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, Balfour Beatty, Centrica, Deloitte, PwC, JLL, Morgan Sindall, NHS Property Services, Pfizer and Sopra Steria, with corporate employee volunteering forming a significant distribution channel.

Revenue is derived from charitable donations and grants, fee-for-service grant administration (for programmes such as Tesco Fruit & Veg Grants, HS2 Funds and Social Investment Business funds), corporate volunteering and partnership fees, and sustainability consulting through Sustainable Business Services. The organisation does not develop proprietary technology and does not disclose its annual income, though its scale of activity places it among the larger UK community-foundation federations.

Name

Groundwork

Legal name

The Federation of Groundwork Trusts

Website

https://groundwork.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Groundwork is a federation of UK charities, founded in 1981 and headquartered in Birmingham, that delivers community, environmental and social-welfare programmes through 13+ regional trusts, 1,200+ employees and 150 volunteer trustees, funded by donations, grants and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Environmental sustainability programs
• Charitable grant management
• Energy efficiency advisory
• Green space development

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Groundwork relies on donations, charitable grants, and fundraising activities to support its mission. They manage grant schemes on behalf of businesses, public sector and third sector partners.
2. Grant Management Services: Groundwork provides grant management services to national and local government, public sector agencies, corporate partners and charitable trusts. Last year they distributed £20 million in grants to over 17,000 organisations.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Volunteering: Groundwork helps businesses put their corporate responsibility strategies into action through partnerships, employee volunteering programs, and social value initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Groundwork is a UK federation of independent charities delivering community regeneration, environmental improvement, and social support programmes across disadvantaged areas. Its core offerings include the Green Doctor in-home energy efficiency advice service, nature-based programmes (Wellies in the Woods, Naturally Connected), Stay Warm Stay Well winter support, Community Services, Life Skills and Employment support, Sustainable Business Services for corporate partners, and administration of grant programmes (Tesco Fruit & Veg Grants, Green Community Grants, HS2 Funds, Grassroots Grants) on behalf of public sector, corporate and charitable funders.

Product overview

Groundwork is a federation of independent charities offering a portfolio of community-focused programs and grant management services. The organization operates through distinct service lines including the Green Doctor energy efficiency program, Wellies in the Woods nature programs for children, Community Services, Life Skills and Employment support, Sustainable Business Services, and Grant Management. Core programs like Green Community Grants provide funding for green space projects while the Green Doctor delivers in-home energy advice. Groundwork also manages grant programmes on behalf of businesses, public sector and third sector partners including Tesco Fruit & Veg Grants, HS2 Funds, and Grassroots Grants. The organization supports communities across the UK through local Groundwork Trusts operating under a common federation strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Doctor: Energy efficiency programme delivering in-home support to help people reduce energy bills and improve home warmth
• Wellies in the Woods
• Stay Warm Stay Well
• Naturally Connected

Products and services

• Green Doctor

Quantifiable outcome

• £101 million invested in communities
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• WPS (Wates Family)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Groundwork announced a three-year partnership with WPS, the specialist property services business owned by the Wates Family, who aim to raise £150,000 for community causes. WPS looks after around one in seven social homes nationally and provides facilities management support to thousands of public sector and commercial buildings.
• Bupa FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Groundwork and Bupa Foundation partnership for Green Community Grants programme. In 2025 the Bupa Foundation invested more than £500,000 in Green Community Grants. Since 2023, Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants have directly supported more than 386,600 people across the UK and the Republic of Ireland through over £1.4m investment in local communities.
• TescomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesco partners with Groundwork for Fruit & Veg Grants programme, inviting schools and charities to apply for up to £1,500 to improve access to fruit and veg. Every four months, three local projects are selected for customer voting in Tesco stores throughout the UK.
• North East Wales Adult Learning PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundwork North Wales is contracted by the council-led partnership to support adult learners with courses spanning digital skills, cookery, DIY, woodworking, gardening, and family numeracy.
• Corporate Volunteer PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent volunteer partnerships with organisations including Balfour Beatty, Bupa, Centrica, Deloitte, JLL, Morgan Sindall, NHS Property Services, Pfizer, PwC, Sopra Steria and Teacher Active. These organisations provide employee volunteers for community projects.
• Environmental Services & Solutions ExpominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundwork partnered with Environmental Services & Solutions Expo and Environmental Services Association to conduct the 2025 National Environmental Services Survey across the UK.
• Consumer ReportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundwork Collaborative worked with Consumer Reports and More Perfect Union on a December 2025 investigation exposing AI-driven 'surveillance pricing' practices by major delivery platforms and retailers.
• British GasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the British Gas Green Doctor programme delivering energy efficiency advice and home visits to households.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Earthwatch Europe: Environmental engagement charity connecting people with citizen-science and nature programmes — overlaps with Groundwork's Naturally Connected and Wellies in the Woods nature-engagement offerings.
• Surfers Against Sewage: UK environmental action charity mobilising communities around environmental issues, with a comparable grassroots-campaign-and-volunteering model and corporate partnership base.
• Centre for Sustainable Energy: Bristol-based charity providing energy-efficiency advice and tackling fuel poverty in vulnerable households — the closest direct peer to Groundwork's Green Doctor and Energy Redress programmes.
• Friends of the Earth: Environmental charity working on climate, nature and social justice — overlaps with Groundwork's climate, fuel poverty and environmental-justice mission though focused more on advocacy than service delivery.
• The Wildlife Trusts: UK federation of 46 independent wildlife trusts — mirrors Groundwork's federated structure and combines local delivery with national advocacy on environmental issues.
• Locality: UK network supporting community organisations and social enterprises — closely comparable to Groundwork's community-development, life-skills and place-based regeneration work.
• Sustrans: UK charity enabling walking, cycling and active travel through community engagement and partnership with government and corporates — directly comparable community-and-environment remit and funding model.
• The Conservation Volunteers (TCV): UK charity running community-based practical conservation and green-space volunteering programmes. Highly comparable operating model to Groundwork's community environmental delivery and corporate volunteering work.
• Keep Britain Tidy: Environmental charity focused on litter, waste and local environmental improvement across the UK, overlapping with Groundwork's green-space and community-environment programmes.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: Much larger UK conservation and heritage charity with overlapping green-space, volunteering and community programmes, but a broader heritage remit and significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groundworkuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/groundworkchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/groundworkuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/groundwork_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Groundwork