Social Action for Health

What Social Action for Health does

Social Action for Health is a UK-registered charity (No. 1040496) headquartered at the Brady Arts Centre in east London, delivering free community health services to populations most affected by health inequalities across Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, and Waltham Forest. Founded in 1986 as the Tower Hamlets Health Campaign, registered as a charity in 1994, and rebranded under its current name in 2000, the organization operates a portfolio of named programs including Good Moves (8-week course for residents with long-term conditions, ~400 participants/year), Good Friends (peer support), Sure STEPS (support for pregnant women and new mothers), Wellbeing for Men (mental health groups for Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic men), and Panel 100 (community advisory panel). Services are delivered through community venues, GP surgeries, religious institutions, schools, and housing associations by multilingual staff supporting Bengali, Somali, Urdu, Polish, Chinese, Spanish, and English speakers.

The organization's business model is grant- and donation-funded, not fee-based — all services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue streams comprise commissioned project funding from NHS bodies, local authorities, and Clinical Commissioning Groups (e.g., Hackney CCG), corporate charitable grants (notably Johnson & Johnson for men's mental health), research partnerships with universities (Queen Mary's Genes & Health study, University of Aberdeen), and individual donations. The charity also conducts community-based research on health inequalities including COVID-19 vaccine uptake, cancer awareness, weight management engagement, and men's mental health, contributing to its reputational authority and partner attractiveness. Core operational technology is limited to standard SaaS: Salesforce CRM for service delivery management, Typeform for referrals, Eventbrite for events, and Mailchimp for newsletters — there is no proprietary technology platform.

The organization is governed by a Board of 12 Trustees chaired by Karin Pappenheim, with Ceri Durham as CEO. Core staff is approximately 5-10 supplemented by sessional workers, volunteers, and consultants. Annual beneficiary engagement exceeds 3,270 people, with a reported 99% beneficiary satisfaction rate on health and wellbeing outcomes. Strategic positioning is built on four decades of community trust, multilingual and culturally appropriate service delivery, and reciprocal partnerships with academic and clinical commissioning bodies — factors that collectively support continued grant capture in an increasingly competitive UK health-equity funding environment.

Name

Social Action for Health

Legal name

Social Action for Health

Website

https://safh.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Social Action for Health is a UK-registered east London charity providing free, multilingual community health services and peer support programs to minoritised ethnic and underserved populations across Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, and Waltham Forest, funded through grants, donations, and commissioned project work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Community health services
• Health inequality programs
• Peer support groups
• Chronic disease management
• Community based research

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Project-specific funding: Most funding is awarded for specific projects commissioned by Government and Health Authorities or Research Institutions. Funded by public sector bodies for community health programs.
2. Donations: Regular and consistent donations from supporters enable identification and development of new areas where work can have greatest impact. Both one-off gifts and regular donations accepted.
3. Charitable grants: Long-term funding from various sources including Johnson & Johnson for men's mental health project. Funding also secured from NHS, local authorities, and research institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Social Action for Health delivers free community health and wellbeing services across East London, including the Good Moves eight-week chronic disease course, the Good Friends peer-support program, Sure STEPS support for pregnant women and new mothers, and Wellbeing for Men mental health drop-ins. It also conducts commissioned community-based research on health inequalities and partners with universities and the NHS. Services are free to beneficiaries and delivered through community venues by multilingual staff.

Product overview

Social Action for Health is a community-based health charity (not a technology platform) providing a portfolio of health services and community support programs across east London. The core service offering includes: Good Moves (an 8-week health course for residents with long-term conditions), Good Friends (peer support groups), Sure STEPS (support for pregnant women and new mothers), Wellbeing for Men (mental health support groups), and Panel 100 (community advisory panel). The organization also conducts substantial community research addressing COVID-19, vaccine uptake, cancer awareness, weight management, and minority ethnic men's mental health. Services are delivered in accessible, culturally appropriate ways with multilingual staff support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sure STEPS: One-to-one and group support in Tower Hamlets for pregnant women, and mums of children aged under 5 who are living in challenging circumstances.
• Good Moves
• Good Friends
• Panel 100
• Wellbeing for Men

Products and services

• Good Moves A social and holistic eight-week course designed to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Tower Hamlets with long-term health conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Free to participants and delivered in person and online.
• Good Friends A peer support programme that brings people together around shared health conditions, experiences or situations to provide support, friendship and encourage building trusting relationships, confidence, and social connections across East London.
• Sure STEPS One-to-one and group support in Tower Hamlets for pregnant women and mums of children aged under 5 who are living in challenging circumstances. Free to participants and includes support for women with diabetes in pregnancy via Newham Hospital drop-ins.
• Wellbeing for Men A weekly drop-in social and exercise group supporting men's mental health and wellbeing, specifically targeting Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic men in Tower Hamlets. Activities include wellbeing workshops, exercise, and partnerships with groups such as Outside Edge Theatre Company.
• Panel 100 A community advisory panel of local people who have their say on local issues and directly influence the work of Social Action for Health, providing a structured mechanism for community voice in the charity's priorities.
• Community Research A community-based research service addressing health inequalities across East London, delivered by multilingual community researchers using surveys, one-to-one interviews, focus group discussions, desk-based research and community conversations. Includes projects on COVID-19 vaccine uptake, cancer awareness, weight management, genetic health, and minoritised ethnic men's mental health, commissioned by universities, NHS bodies, and local authorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of beneficiaries reported improved health and wellbeing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• St Mary's Secret GardensecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership to run health and wellbeing gardening sessions for people in Hackney living with long-term health conditions including long COVID, or who are bereaved.
• University of AberdeencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration for Change project working alongside University of Aberdeen to explore reasons behind low COVID-19 vaccine uptake in ethnic minoritised communities. Part of a collaboration representing two UK universities, nine community organisations, and two SMEs.
• Hackney Clinical Commissioning GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2021Commissioned by Hackney CCG to run a cancer awareness project focusing on Black African, Black Caribbean, and Turkish/Kurdish communities.
• Genes & Health (Queen Mary University of London)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Since 2015, partnered with the Genes & Health medical research study led by Queen Mary University. Raise community awareness, collect genetic samples, and sit on Executive Committee and Community Advisory Group. Study is the biggest scientific research into genetics in people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage with over 55,000 volunteers.
• Outside Edge Theatre CompanysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for men's wellbeing workshops. Outside Edge runs drama groups and resources for communities affected by addiction and also delivered wellbeing workshops for men's mental health events.
• Sanger InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support students from Beal High School with research on health inequalities and representation in genetic research.
• Newham HospitalsecondaryOthersDrop-in support sessions at Newham Hospital for expectant and new mums who have diabetes in pregnancy.
• Change for GoodsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwn Tier 2 Weight Management service used to enable participants to motivate and support one another through peer support networks.
• North East London Research Engagement NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in creating three engaging online modules to help people new to research understand how to get involved in research.
• The Health Tree NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for social prescribing day celebration and ongoing collaboration in Tower Hamlets social prescribing initiatives.
• Tower Hamlets GP Care GroupsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in social prescribing events and activities in Tower Hamlets.
• Spare TyresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for social prescribing day, leading workshops on Covid Café work.
• COVER-ME Project (Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health Charity)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with QMUL and Barts Health Charity to explore perceptions and experiences of COVID-19 vaccination and other vaccination programmes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Trust for London: London-focused anti-poverty funder that grants to charities addressing inequality including health inequalities. Comparable as a London funding ecosystem participant and potential partner/funder, though not a direct service-delivery competitor.

Direct peers

• Certitude: London-based charity delivering person-centred support across mental health, learning disabilities, and social care. Comparable in operating model (community-based support services, partnerships with NHS and local authorities in London).
• Revolving Doors Agency: UK charity working with people facing multiple disadvantage including mental health, offending, and homelessness. Operates a research-and-advocacy-plus-direct-service model similar to SAfH's blend of community research, peer support, and commissioned program delivery in England.
• Together UK (Mental Health): UK charity delivering peer-led mental health support, advocacy, and service design across England. Comparable to SAfH in delivering non-clinical, community-based wellbeing programs and using lived-experience peer support models.
• Pathway (Healthcare Charity): UK charity improving healthcare access for homeless and excluded people, including in London NHS hospitals. Overlaps with SAfH in addressing health inequalities for marginalised populations through NHS partnerships.
• Centre for Better Health: East London-based charity providing community mental health support and recovery-focused services to excluded populations. Directly analogous geography, beneficiary profile, and community-venue delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Mind: The UK's largest mental health charity, operating across England and Wales with both local delivery and national advocacy. Overlaps with SAfH's mental health and peer-support work, particularly Wellbeing for Men, but at far broader scale.
• Locality: National membership network supporting community-led organisations in England. Overlaps with SAfH in the community-organising, local-empowerment model and the engagement of community venues as service-delivery platforms.
• NHS Charities Together: National umbrella charity supporting NHS-affiliated charities across the UK. Comparable in relying on commissioned NHS relationships and grant funding for community health programs, but at network scale rather than local delivery.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity providing information, support, and influence. Overlaps with SAfH's cancer awareness project for Black African, Caribbean, and Turkish/Kurdish communities in Hackney, but operates at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/safhuk
• Xx.com/SAfHUk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Social Action for Health