Breathe

What Breathe does

Breathe Arts Health Research C.I.C. is a London-based not-for-profit Community Interest Company founded in 2012 (with its flagship Breathe Magic programme dating to 2008) that designs and delivers evidence-based arts and health interventions for NHS beneficiaries. Its core products combine music, magic, dance and visual art into structured therapeutic programmes — notably Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy for children with hemiplegia (over 60 hours of bimanual therapy), Breathe Melodies for Mums (group singing for postnatal depression, grounded in Royal College of Music and Imperial College London research), Breathe Harmony NHS Staff Choir, Breathe Dance for Strength and Balance (falls prevention), Breathe Sing for Lung Health, Breathe Magic for Mental Health and Breathe Melodies for Dads. Programmes are co-designed with clinicians, academics and patients, and underpinned by peer-reviewed research, randomized controlled trials and quantified outcomes. All programmes are delivered free to participants.

The organisation is funded through a mix of NHS Clinical Commissioning Group commissions (15+ CCGs nationally), individual monthly and one-off donations (£5–£100+ tiers), trust and foundation grants (including NHS Innovation Challenge Prize recognition), corporate partnerships, training and consultancy services (including WHO engagement), and legacy gifts. Distribution is anchored in NHS settings — principally Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Evelina London Children's Hospital and community venues across London boroughs (Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets) — supplemented by online nationwide delivery and international reach via Breathe Magic alumni and training services.

Operationally Breathe runs on a small core team (11-50 employees) led by founder and Managing Director Yvonne Farquharson, with a board chaired by David Owen KC, three heads of function (Programmes, Development and Finance, Scalability) and a clinical lead structure drawn from the Evelina Children's Hospital. The organisation holds GDPR and PCI-DSS compliance, is registered as a CIC (number 8132323), and is governed by an Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies filing regime.

Name

Breathe

Legal name

Breathe Arts Health Research C.I.C.

Website

https://breatheahr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Breathe is a London-based not-for-profit social enterprise delivering evidence-based arts and health programmes — using music, magic, dance and visual art — to NHS beneficiaries including children with hemiplegia, new mothers with postnatal depression, NHS staff and older adults at risk of falls.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Holistic & Alternative Therapies (Reiki, Sound Healing, Breathwork, Energy Work) (THAJAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF), Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK), Trauma-Informed Mindfulness & Somatic Mind-Body Practices (HSADAJAI)

Keywords

• Arts health programmes
• Therapeutic interventions
• Social prescribing services
• Community health programmes
• Clinical training services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NHS Commissioning: Regular commissions from NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across the country for delivering arts and health programmes to patients, staff and communities.
2. Individual Donations: One-off and monthly donations from individuals supporting the organization's work. Monthly donors provide stability for ongoing programme delivery.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from trusts and foundations including NHS commissioners, businesses, grant funders to cover programme costs and bursary support.
4. Training and Consultancy Services: Training and consultancy services offered to individuals and organizations in the UK and internationally to share best practice and raise money.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Support from businesses including workplace giving, charity partnerships and sponsorship arrangements.
6. Legacy Gifts: Gifts left to Breathe in supporters' Wills to help change lives now and for years to come.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Breathe Arts Health Research designs and delivers evidence-based arts and health programmes using music, magic, dance, and visual art as therapeutic interventions to improve health and wellbeing. Core offerings include singing programmes for mothers with postnatal depression (Breathe Melodies for Mums), magic-based intensive therapy for children with hemiplegia (Breathe Magic), NHS staff choirs (Breathe Harmony), and dance-based falls prevention for older adults (Breathe Dance for Strength and Balance). All programmes are co-designed with healthcare professionals, grounded in peer-reviewed research, and commissioned through NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups while delivered free to participants.

Product overview

Breathe Arts Health Research is a not-for-profit social enterprise offering a portfolio of evidence-based arts and health programmes. The core offering includes Breathe Melodies for Mums (group singing for mothers with postnatal depression), Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy Programme (magic-based therapy for young people with hemiplegia), Breathe Harmony NHS Staff Choir, Breathe Dance for Strength and Balance, Breathe Sing for Lung Health, and Breathe Magic for Mental Health. Additional programmes include Breathe Melodies for Dads, Breathe Resident Musicians, and Breathe Magic for Rehabilitation. Supporting services include Arts and Health Training, Workplace Training, and Talks and Advocacy. All programmes are co-designed with healthcare professionals, researchers, and communities and underpinned by scientific research including peer-reviewed trials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Breathe Melodies for Mums

Quantifiable outcome

• 75-92% of children have clinically significant improvements in hand function after Breathe Magic camp
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Croydon CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for delivery of Breathe Arts Health programmes in the Croydon area, including Breathe Melodies for Mums at community venues.
• Evelina LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Evelina London Children's Hospital for delivery of Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy Programme and clinical collaboration.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational health authority partnership for arts and health initiatives, including NHS Innovation Challenge Prize recognition.
• Southwark CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for delivery of Breathe Arts Health programmes in the Southwark area.
• Wandsworth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for delivery of Breathe Arts Health programmes in the Wandsworth area.
• University College London (UCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with UCL's Social Biobehavioural Research Group led by Prof Daisy Fancourt. Collaboration on research studies, peer-reviewed publications, and academic partnerships.
• Royal College of MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for ground-breaking research underlying Breathe Melodies for Mums. Prof Rosie Perkins leads research on music, health, and social science.
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership including SHAPER study on singing for postnatal depression. Collaboration with Prof Carmine Pariante and ongoing research partnerships.
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor NHS Trust partnership hosting Breathe Harmony NHS Staff Choir, Breathe Dance for Strength and Balance, and Performing Arts Programme. Ongoing clinical collaboration.
• Sea Containers LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate charity partnership where Sea Containers London has chosen Breathe as their charity of the year.
• The Magic CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Magic Circle providing access to elite magicians for the Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy Programme. Venue partnership for annual reunion events.
• Disabled Leaders NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Disabled Leaders Network at Breathe Magic reunion to discuss transition from school to higher education and beyond.
• Headway East LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Breathe Magic for Memory programme for brain injury survivors.
• Headway NottinghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Breathe Magic for Memory programme for brain injury survivors.
• MyCool Music FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Breathe Harmony's 2020 NHS single 'Anytime You Need a Friend' virtual recording bringing musicians together globally.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health based at UCL. Breathe contributes to WHO training and policy development. Breathe Magic selected as WHO case study.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• English National Ballet: English National Ballet runs Dance for Parkinson's and other dance-based health and wellbeing programmes commissioned by NHS and cultural partners. Directly comparable as a UK arts organization embedding clinical-grade dance interventions into healthcare pathways, with overlapping talent pool (multiple Breathe staff previously worked there).
• Nordoff Robbins: UK music therapy charity delivering evidence-based music therapy in healthcare and community settings, with published outcome research and NHS partnerships. Comparable to Breathe's Melodies for Mums and Sing for Lung Health as a non-profit music-health provider with clinical research underpinning delivery.
• Alzheimer's Society: Alzheimer's Society runs 'Singing for the Brain' group singing programmes for people with dementia and their carers, with similar NHS-aligned commissioning and volunteer-driven delivery. Directly comparable as a charity deploying arts-based group sessions as health interventions for a defined patient cohort.
• Headway - the brain injury association: Headway delivers brain injury rehabilitation and support services including creative arts programmes across the UK. Breathe Magic for Memory is delivered in partnership with Headway East London and Headway Nottingham, making Headway a direct operational peer for the magic-based memory programme.
• Candoco Dance Company: Candoco is an inclusive dance company working with disabled and non-disabled dancers, including participatory health and rehabilitation projects. Direct peer in arts-based physical rehabilitation and inclusive dance delivery, and a former employer of Breathe's Head of Programmes.
• Koestler Arts: Koestler Arts uses the arts to support people in criminal justice settings, including mental health, wellbeing, and rehabilitation outcomes. Comparable to Breathe as a charity using creative practice to deliver measured health and social outcomes, with prior talent overlap (Breathe's Deputy Head of Programmes previously served as Director of Arts at Koestler).
• Cardboard Citizens: Cardboard Citizens is a theatre company making work with and for people with experience of homelessness, poverty, and social exclusion, including health and wellbeing outcomes. Comparable arts-and-social-outcomes charity with a former-employer relationship via Breathe's Head of Development.

Others

• The Anna Freud Centre: The Anna Freud Centre is a UK mental health research and treatment charity delivering evidence-based psychological support for children, young people, and families. Overlapping with Breathe on mental health and postnatal depression programming, and as a former employer of Breathe's Head of Development.
• Royal College of Music: RCM is a research partner that co-developed the evidence base behind Breathe Melodies for Mums and continues to publish on music, health, and social science. Comparable as a UK institution bridging music and health research with international reach and clinical collaborations.
• Royal Society for Public Health: RSPH advocates for and evaluates public health interventions including arts and health programmes. Comparable as an ecosystem actor shaping commissioning policy, evidence standards, and advocacy that affects demand for Breathe's programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/breatheahr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Breathe