Headway - The Brain Injury Association

What Headway - The Brain Injury Association does

Headway - the brain injury association is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1025852 in England and Wales; SC 039992 in Scotland) operating as a company limited by guarantee from its headquarters in Nottingham. Founded in 1979, the organisation delivers a comprehensive support, information, and advocacy service for people affected by acquired brain injury — including traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain tumour, encephalitis, and other conditions — alongside their families, carers, and the professionals who work with them. Its core service offering includes a free nurse-led national helpline (0808 800 2244), a Brain Injury Identity Card programme (over 10,000 issued), a Headway Emergency Fund, and the Justice Programme serving survivors in contact with the criminal justice system. The organisation also delivers the Approved Provider accreditation scheme for care providers, a catalogue of nine+ professional training courses for healthcare and legal professionals, recurring Headway Webinars, and the quarterly Headway News magazine.

Headway operates a federated model: the national body in Nottingham is supported by a network of more than 100 local groups and branches across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands, providing face-to-face community support. Distribution channels include the website, the helpline, high street charity shops, an online shop for publications and merchandise, the HealthUnlocked online community (10.6k members), and professional training delivered directly to enterprise clients. Engagement spans six active social platforms (Facebook 34k, Twitter/X 28k, LinkedIn 15.8k, YouTube 9.7k, Instagram 9.3k).

The organisation's revenue model is diversified across six streams: donations and fundraising events (including JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving challenges), charity retail shops, the Friends of Headway individual membership scheme, corporate partnerships (workplace, matched, and payroll giving), legacies and Wills, and paid professional training and publications. Services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge; pricing is not publicly disclosed because the helpline, information resources, and community services carry no fee. Ownership is independent — no parent company, PE firm, or institutional investor holds a stake — and the organisation is governed by a board of trustees.

Name

Headway - The Brain Injury Association

Legal name

Headway - the brain injury association

Website

https://headway.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Headway is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1979 and headquartered in Nottingham, that delivers free support, information, helpline services, and advocacy to brain injury survivors, their families, and carers, alongside a professional training and accreditation programme for healthcare and legal providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brain Injury Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Brain injury support
• Charity helpline services
• Neurorehabilitation advocacy
• Carer support services
• Acquired brain injury

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Headway relies heavily on public donations, regular giving programs, and various fundraising activities including challenge events (marathons, cycles, treks), community fundraising, and corporate fundraising campaigns.
2. Charity Retail Shops: Headway operates charity shops selling second-hand goods, with proceeds supporting the charity's work. The Retail Gift Aid scheme allows donors to contribute items for sale.
3. Membership Scheme: Friends of Headway individual membership scheme provides ongoing support and engagement with the charity.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate membership, workplace giving, matched giving, and payroll giving programs enable businesses to support the charity.
5. Legacies and Wills: The charity encourages supporters to leave gifts in their Wills as a long-term sustainable funding source.
6. Training and Publications: Headway generates some revenue through professional training courses for organizations and sale of publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Headway is a UK charity that provides support, information, and services to people affected by acquired brain injury. Its offerings include a free nurse-led helpline, a Brain Injury Identity Card scheme, an emergency fund, a Justice Programme, professional training and accreditation, plus a nationwide network of local groups and branches delivering community-based support.

Product overview

Headway - The Brain Injury Association is a UK-based charity organization offering a comprehensive suite of support services for brain injury survivors, their families, and carers. The organization operates as a federation model with local groups and branches across the UK providing face-to-face support, complemented by national services. Core offerings include the free nurse-led helpline (0808 800 2244), the Brain Injury Identity Card scheme, the Headway Emergency Fund, and the Justice Programme for those in the criminal justice system. For professionals, Headway provides an Approved Provider accreditation scheme, professional training courses, and webinars covering brain injury topics. The organization also runs awareness campaigns under the Action for Brain Injury initiative, publishes the quarterly Headway News Magazine, maintains the Brain Injury and Me story platform, and operates charity shops and an online shop for publications and merchandise. The network includes local groups and branches across all UK regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Headway Helpline A free nurse-led helpline providing support, information, and guidance to brain injury survivors, families, and carers, available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday at 0808 800 2244.
• Brain Injury Identity Card An ID card scheme to help brain injury survivors communicate their condition to police and other authorities.
• Headway Emergency Fund Financial emergency support for brain injury survivors facing immediate hardship.
• Headway's Justice Programme Support services for brain injury survivors involved in the criminal justice system, including the Making Headway: Probation initiative.
• Approved Provider Scheme An accreditation scheme for care providers delivering services to brain injury survivors, with standards assessments conducted annually.
• Professional Training Courses Training programmes including Brain Injury and Me, Navigating Life After Brain Injury, An Introduction to Brain Injury, Understanding Brain Injury, Effective Communication Strategies, Behaviours That Challenge, Goal Setting in Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Brain Injury Training for Solicitors, and Supporting Brain Injury in General Practice.
• Head Injury Solicitors Directory A directory of solicitors specialising in brain injury legal claims and advice.
• Groups and Branches Network Network of local Headway groups and branches providing face-to-face support across UK regions including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Channel Islands.
• Headway Online Communities Online forums and community spaces for brain injury survivors and carers to connect and share experiences.
• Headway Webinars Online educational webinars for professionals covering topics such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, memory problems, criminal justice, and rehabilitation after brain injury.
• Charity Shops High street charity shops raising funds through retail sales, with presence including Hinckley shop and volunteers.
• Friends of Headway Membership Individual membership scheme allowing supporters to join and contribute to Headway's work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 Brain Injury ID Cards issued to survivors

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JustGivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising platform enabling supporters to create personal fundraising pages for Headway events and challenges.
• Virgin Money GivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising platform for charity events and challenges supporting Headway.
• HealthUnlockedcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline peer support community hosting Headway's forum with 10.6k members for brain injury survivors and carers to connect and share experiences.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Scope: UK disability equality charity providing information, support, and campaigning for disabled people. Comparable to Headway in operating model (free helpline, online community, professional training, awareness campaigns) within the broader UK disability sector.
• Mencap: One of the UK's largest disability charities, supporting people with learning disabilities through advocacy, services, and fundraising. Comparable in charity operating model (donations, retail, campaigns, helpline), though serving a different disability population.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK health charity providing information, support, and financial aid to people affected by cancer. Highly comparable in operating model (helpline, information library, fundraising, retail, professional resources) though at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• SameYou: UK charity founded by Emilia Clarke focused on brain injury recovery and rehabilitation. Operates in the same brain injury survivor segment as Headway, with overlapping goals of supporting recovery and raising awareness.
• Stroke Association: UK's leading stroke charity providing support, information, and research funding for stroke survivors. Highly comparable operating model (helpline, local services, awareness campaigns, fundraising) serving a closely related condition population where many stroke survivors also have acquired brain injury.
• The Children's Trust: UK charity providing rehabilitation, education, and support services specifically for children with acquired brain injury and neurodisability. Directly comparable to Headway in mission (brain injury support), beneficiary type, and charity-sector delivery model.
• Different Strokes: UK charity supporting younger stroke survivors (working-age adults and children) through peer support groups, exercise programmes, and information. Comparable to Headway in targeting ABI survivors and operating a network of community-based support.
• Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (part of The Disabilities Trust): UK charity providing specialist residential, rehabilitation, and community services for adults with acquired brain injury. Directly comparable in beneficiary population (ABI survivors) and delivery of rehabilitation and supported living services.
• UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF): UK umbrella organisation for the acquired brain injury sector, convening charities, clinicians, and policymakers. Comparable to Headway in advocacy focus and stakeholder engagement with the ABI ecosystem in the UK.

Regional players

• Brain Injury Association of America: The leading US brain injury advocacy and support organization. Operates a near-identical model to Headway (helpline, local chapters, awareness campaigns, professional education) but serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeadwayUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/headwayuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/headwayuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/headway-the-brain-injury-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/headway_uk

Compliance2 records

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 Headway - The Brain Injury Association