What Crosslight Advice does

Crosslight Advice is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO 1163306) founded in 2009 by former BayernLB banker Bruce Connell, delivering free, FCA-authorised (registration 715066) debt advice, financial education, and money-management support to individuals experiencing financial hardship. Core offerings include one-to-one Debt Advice appointments, the proprietary Money Course financial-education programme (delivered in-person and via a Thinkific-hosted online platform with a Budget Builder tool), one-on-one Budget Coaching, specialist Debt Relief Order intermediary services, and Benefit Advice. Distribution runs through eight physical branches across London (Balham, Ealing, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Kensington, Richmond, Twickenham) plus West Kent and Swindon, supplemented by church satellite locations, telephone/email advice, and referral channels including Foodbanks, GPs, and social prescribers.

The underlying technology stack is composed primarily of third-party SaaS integrations rather than proprietary systems: Squarespace for the public website, Thinkific for course delivery, Weio for the Budget Builder, Mailchimp and Active Campaign for supporter communications, Donorfy for donation and grant administration, Trustfolio for credit reports and open-banking access, Evolve for telephony and Dubber for call recording, and Wyser for generative-AI call transcription and summarisation. Crosslight holds the Advice Quality Standard, AdviceUK membership, and Community Money Advice network membership, and is supported by four independent federated charities (West Kent Debt Advice, TW Money Advice Service, St Paul's Money Advice Centre, Chiswick Money Advice Centre) that share systems, processes, and policies.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations (online, bank transfer, cheque, payroll giving), charitable grants from trusts and foundations, and resource-sharing from the four supporting charities; all services are free to end clients. Reported client outcomes are 85% issue resolution, 83% feeling more in control, and 81% reporting improved mental health (period 29/10/24–28/10/25). The organisation is privately held, has no parent company, no venture capital backing, and operates with 11–50 employees under a Board of Trustees governance structure.

Name

Crosslight Advice

Legal name

Crosslight Advice

Website

https://crosslightadvice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crosslight Advice is a UK-registered charity, founded in 2009, that delivers free FCA-authorised debt advice, Money Course financial education, and budget coaching through eight branches across London, West Kent, and Swindon, serving individuals in financial hardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Debt Counselling and Financial Education Services

NAICS

Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK)

Keywords

• Free debt advice
• Financial education
• Debt counselling
• Money management
• Charity financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 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: Crosslight relies entirely on public donations to fund operations. All advice and support provided to clients is completely free. Donations can be made online, by direct bank transfer, cheque, or payroll giving.
2. Charitable Grants: Funding from charitable trusts, foundations, and grant-making organizations to support specific programs and general operations.
3. Supporting Charities: Crosslight is supported by independent local charities (West Kent Debt Advice, TW Money Advice Service, St Paul's Money Advice Centre, Chiswick Money Advice Centre) that provide funding and resources for branches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Crosslight Advice delivers free, confidential debt advice and financial education to individuals across the UK through in-person appointments, church-based satellite locations, and online platforms. Its core services include Debt Advice appointments, the proprietary Money Course budgeting programme, one-to-one Budget Coaching sessions, specialist Debt Relief Order intermediary support, and Benefit Advice assistance for Universal Credit, PIP and related entitlements.

Product overview

Crosslight Advice is a charity offering free debt advice and financial education services through multiple integrated products. The core offering consists of Debt Advice appointments, the Money Course budgeting program, and Budget Coaching sessions. These are supported by specialist services including Debt Relief Order (DRO) advice, Benefit advice assistance, and an online Budget Builder tool. The organization also operates a Crosslight Catalogue for symbolic gift donations and runs the annual Move4Change community fundraising event. All services are free to clients and delivered through a network of branches across London and surrounding areas, with support from church partners and volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Move4Change: Annual community walk event organized by Crosslight Advice Hammersmith to raise awareness of debt and financial hardship challenges, featuring a 10km walk along the Thames.
• Money Course

Products and services

• Debt Advice
• Money Course
• Budget Coaching
• Debt Relief Order (DRO) Advice
• Benefit Advice
• Budget Builder
• Crosslight Catalogue

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of clients report that Crosslight resolved the issue they were most concerned about
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Kent Debt AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting charity providing funding and resources for Crosslight branches in the West Kent area. Shares systems, processes, and policies with Crosslight. Charity number 1125756.
• TW Money Advice ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting charity providing funding and resources for Crosslight branches. Shares systems, processes, and policies with Crosslight. Charity number 1162828.
• St Paul's Money Advice CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting charity operating money advice services, sharing resources and funding with Crosslight. Charity number 250015. Located in Hammersmith.
• Chiswick Money Advice CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting charity providing funding and resources for Crosslight branches in Chiswick. Shares systems, processes, and policies with Crosslight. Charity number 1185550.
• Support ChurchescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurches within Crosslight branch catchment areas that provide space, equipment, volunteers, and financial support for local debt advice services. They champion Crosslight work and encourage referrals from congregations.
• Run for CharityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity event partner providing access to running and challenge events (London 10K, Royal Parks Half Marathon, Tough Mudder, etc.) for Crosslight's fundraising efforts.
• Financial Ombudsman ServiceminorOthersExternal complaints resolution service for debt advice complaints. Clients can escalate complaints to FOS if not satisfied with Crosslight's response.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice: National UK charity delivering free, FCA-authorized debt and money advice alongside broader social welfare guidance. Direct competitor for the same client pool, donor base, and statutory funding streams.
• PayPlan: Free UK debt advice service offering Debt Management Plans, DROs, and bankruptcy advice with national reach. Operates a nearly identical FCA-authorized regulated debt advice model and competes for the same free-advice segment.
• National Debtline: Free, confidential UK debt advice service funded by the Money and Pensions Service, providing telephone and online debt counseling to consumers. Direct peer in service model, regulatory standing, and target client.
• Money Wellness: UK charity delivering free debt advice and money guidance, with a comparable FCA-authorized service model, DRO intermediation, and target client base of financially struggling UK consumers.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): Faith-based UK debt advice charity using a church-partnership model and holistic support approach similar to Crosslight's. Direct peer on community-rooted delivery, FCA-authorized debt advice, and target client base of financially vulnerable households.
• Community Money Advice: UK network of independent debt advice agencies of which Crosslight is itself a member. Provides peer support, shared quality standards, and infrastructure across member charities, making it both a peer network and an enabling ecosystem participant.
• StepChange Debt Charity: UK's largest free debt advice charity providing FCA-authorized debt counseling, DROs, and bankruptcy support via phone and online channels. The closest direct peer on mission, regulatory authorization, and the free-to-client model, and a direct competitor for donor and statutory funding.
• Toynbee Hall: East London charity providing free debt, housing, and welfare advice. Direct peer in mission and London-based referral channels, with overlapping competition for grants and donor relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CrosslightAdvice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crosslight-advice
• Xx.com/CrosslightAdv

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Crosslight Advice