Humanists UK

What Humanists UK does

Humanists UK is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 285987), founded in 1896 and headquartered at 3 Waterhouse Square, London, that serves as the leading advocacy, ceremonial, and educational body for the non-religious population in the United Kingdom. The organization operates as a non-profit with 101-250 employees and a presence across England, Wales (Cymru), Northern Ireland, and Scotland, with dedicated regional navigation and community infrastructure in those jurisdictions.

Its portfolio spans core services and supporting sub-brands. Core services include Humanist Ceremonies (non-religious funerals, weddings, and naming ceremonies delivered through a nationwide network of trained celebrants) and Education Services (school speakers, community speakers, Assemblies for All, and courses on humanism for parents, teachers, and students). Supporting programs include the Humanist Heritage digital archive, the Understanding Humanism educational resource, the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN, a co-founding membership), and the Humanists UK podcast "What I Believe." The organization also runs advocacy campaigns covering assisted dying, faith schools, religious education reform, blasphemy laws, and defending humanists at risk globally.

Revenue derives from annual membership subscriptions, charitable donations including legacy bequests, and shop sales of merchandise, books, and educational resources. The go-to-market motion is community-led: recruitment via the humanists.uk website (JOIN and DONATE CTAs), email marketing, local humanist groups, events, and earned media. Distribution relies on direct digital channels plus a field network of certified celebrants delivering in-person ceremonies and pastoral support in hospitals, prisons, and other institutional settings where religious chaplains traditionally operate.

Name

Humanists UK

Legal name

Humanists UK

Website

https://humanism.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Humanists UK is a UK registered charity founded in 1896 that promotes secular humanism through non-religious ceremonies, education programs, and advocacy campaigns for non-religious individuals across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Humanists UK generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions. Members join through the website and pay recurring fees to support the organization's campaigns, ceremonies, and educational work.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: The organization accepts donations from supporters, including one-time contributions and legacy bequests. Donations support the organization's advocacy, education, and community-building activities.
3. Shop Sales: Humanists UK operates an online shop selling merchandise, books, and educational resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Humanists UK delivers non-religious life-event services and secular advocacy for the non-religious community in the UK. Its core services are Humanist Ceremonies — funerals, weddings, and naming ceremonies conducted by a trained network of celebrants — and Education Services including school speakers, community speakers, and Assemblies for All. Supporting programs include advocacy campaigns, Non-Religious Pastoral Support, the Humanist Heritage archive, and the Understanding Humanism educational resource.

Product overview

Humanists UK offers a portfolio of non-religious life-event services and advocacy programs. The core offerings include Humanist Ceremonies (non-religious funerals, weddings, and naming ceremonies conducted by trained celebrants) and Education Services (school speakers, community speakers, and Assemblies for All). Supporting programs include the Humanist Heritage historical archive, the Understanding Humanism educational resource, the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network, and the Humanists UK Podcast. The organization also runs advocacy campaigns on civil liberties, medical ethics, religious education, and defending humanists at risk globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Humanist Ceremonies: Non-religious ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies.
• Understanding Humanism
• Humanist Heritage
• Non-Religious Pastoral Support

Products and services

• Humanist Ceremonies Non-religious ceremonies — funerals and memorials, weddings, and naming ceremonies — delivered by trained and vetted Humanist UK celebrants across the UK, for individuals and families who do not want a religious ceremony.
• Education Services Educational programs covering humanism, ethics, and religious education, including school speakers, community speakers, the Assemblies for All program, and courses on humanism, targeted at UK schools, teachers, parents, and students.
• Humanist Heritage Online digital archive documenting the history of humanism and humanist organizations in the UK, providing research and educational access to humanist heritage materials.
• Understanding Humanism Educational website providing information and teaching resources about humanism, aimed at teachers, students, parents, and the general public.
• Non-Religious Pastoral Support Pastoral care and chaplaincy network providing non-religious pastoral support in settings such as hospitals, prisons, and other institutions where religious chaplains traditionally operate.
• Campaigns Advocacy campaigns on civil liberties and ethical issues including freedom of thought, expression, and choice, assisted dying, faith schools, religious education, defending humanists at risk, and blasphemy laws.
• Humanists UK Shop Online shop selling merchandise, books, and educational resources, with revenue supporting the charity's activities.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanists UK is a founding member of the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN), which provides humanist pastoral support in hospitals, prisons, and other institutional settings where religious chaplains traditionally operate.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Humanist Association: Long-established US-based humanist advocacy and community organization founded in 1941. Comparable as a large, mature humanist organization running ceremonies, advocacy, education, and pastoral programs, with structural parallels in membership and donor funding.
• Humanists International: Global umbrella federation of humanist organizations founded in 1952, headquartered in London. Comparable as the international coordinating body for the humanist movement; Humanists UK is among its member organizations and shares overlapping campaigns on freedom of thought and expression.

Regional players

• Conway Hall Ethical Society: London-based historic ethical society and humanist community (founded 1929, building dating to 1929) running talks, events, and educational programs. Comparable as a heritage UK humanist/ethical community organization operating in overlapping geography and offering similar community programming.
• Humanist Society of Scotland: Scotland-based humanist organization providing ceremonies and advocacy in Scotland, a different but adjacent UK nation. Comparable because it offers the same non-religious ceremonies (funerals, weddings, namings) and competes with Humanists UK for celebrant work in Scotland.
• Humanist Canada: Canadian national humanist organization providing ceremonies, advocacy, and community services. Comparable structurally to Humanists UK — ceremonies, education, campaigns — but operating in a different national market with its own regulatory framework.

Direct peers

• National Secular Society: UK-based advocacy organization promoting secularism and separation of religion from public life. Most directly comparable UK peer to Humanists UK, operating in the same geography and overlapping on campaigns (faith schools, religious education, blasphemy) though focused more narrowly on secular-state separation.

Emerging players

• Pink Triangle Trust: UK-based humanist charity specifically focused on LGBT+ humanists and challenging religious opposition to LGBT+ rights. Comparable as a UK humanist organization with overlapping advocacy priorities, particularly around the LGBT+ Humanists sub-community that Humanists UK also runs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/humanists_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-humanist-association-the-bha-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Humanists UK