Money Advice Plus

What Money Advice Plus does

Money Advice Plus is a UK-registered charity (Company number 3029782, Charity number 1045340) headquartered in Hove with a secondary postal address in Eastbourne, providing free, confidential debt and benefit advice primarily to vulnerable adults in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex, with national reach through its CEDEAS helpline. The organisation's core services comprise debt and benefit advice and casework (including DROs, IVAs, bankruptcy), money management and appointee/deputy services for clients unable to handle finances independently, and specialist support for victim-survivors of domestic and economic abuse through the Centre of Excellence for Debt and Economic Abuse Services (CEDEAS), which has operated since 2011. Its technology stack is modest: AdvicePro for electronic case recording, hosted on secure servers in Dundee and Aberdeen, with legacy TOPAZ records for older casework, plus a multilingual self-service website (10 languages) featuring a Benefits Calculator.

The business model is non-profit grant funding: all services are free to clients, and operations are sustained through grants, charitable donations, and statutory funding from a diversified base including Brighton & Hove City Council, Lloyds, Nationwide, Community Fund, Macmillan, MentalHealthUK, Money and Pensions Service, East Sussex County Council, and contracts with housing associations (Sovereign, Victory Homes, L&Q). Distribution is community-led, relying on referrals from social workers, NHS services, Citizens Advice, foodbanks, housing associations, and the UOK Partnership, supplemented by the CEDEAS helpline (0808 196 8845) and self-referral forms. In the most recent reporting period, MAP supported 424 people with money-handling services, handling £5.3M in client money, with 94% client satisfaction and 88% reporting improved confidence in managing finances.

Revenue diversification is being pursued through professional services: Case Supervision, organisational Consultancy (for FCA-regulated debt advice set-up), and Training for Professionals delivered in partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse. The proprietary Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF), devised by MAP and piloted with Surviving Economic Abuse, is a notable product extension: it reduced creditor decision times from 63 to 13 days median and is being rolled out to 30 financial services firms in 2024-2025 with UK Finance support, with active toolkits being developed with HMRC and the Local Government Association. The organisation is led by Chief Executive Karen Perrier and currently employs 101-250 staff.

Name

Money Advice Plus

Legal name

Money Advice Plus

Website

https://moneyadviceplus.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Money Advice Plus is a UK-registered charity providing free specialist debt, benefit, and money management advice to vulnerable adults in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex, with national reach through its CEDEAS economic abuse helpline and the Economic Abuse Evidence Form tool.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt and Financial Counselling Services

NAICS

Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Hardship & Forbearance Assistance (FSAEAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning Tools & Financial Coaching (Goal Setting, Apps, Advisors) (EDAAAJAN), Income Support & Cash Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAE)

Keywords

• Debt advice services
• Financial counselling
• Welfare benefits advice
• Money management support
• Economic abuse services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable funding and grants: As a registered charity (Company number: 3029782, Charity number: 1045340), Money Advice Plus is funded through grants, charitable donations, and statutory funding from local authorities and national bodies. All services are provided free to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Money Advice Plus is a UK registered charity that provides free, confidential debt and money advice, welfare benefits advice, and money-management support to individuals experiencing financial hardship, with a specialist focus on victim-survivors of economic abuse in the context of domestic abuse. It also delivers training, consultancy and casework supervision to advice-giving professionals and partner organisations.

Product overview

Money Advice Plus offers a comprehensive portfolio of free, confidential money and debt advice services primarily serving residents of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, and nationally through specialized programmes. The core offering comprises debt and benefit advice and casework, money management services for vulnerable individuals (including appointee and deputy services), and specialized support for victim-survivors of domestic and economic abuse through the CEDEAS (Centre of Excellence for Debt and Economic Abuse Services) sub-brand. Supplementary professional services include case supervision, consultancy for setting up regulated debt advice services, and training programmes in partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse. Digital self-help tools include a Benefits Calculator and educational guides on debt advice, budgeting, banking, and financial safety. The organization also operates a dedicated Financial Support Line for domestic abuse victims.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEDEAS: Centre of Excellence for Debt and Economic Abuse Services - provides dedicated support to victim-survivors of domestic abuse with their money worries, including a helpline and casework services.

Products and services

• Money Management

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAP partners with Surviving Economic Abuse as the Centre of Excellence for Debt and Economic Abuse Services (CEDEAS). Together they run training programmes on economic abuse and have co-developed the Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF), an innovative information-sharing tool now being rolled out to financial services firms with UK Finance support.
• Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC)coreOthersMajor funder providing funding to work with tenants and leaseholders, and commissioner of Advice and Financial Inclusion Partnership. Also involved in Social Worker Support Service referral pathway.
• Sovereign Housing AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner housing association for providing specialist money advice to tenants. Joint casework example documented with Sovereign Debt Team.
• Victory HomescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner housing association for providing specialist money advice to tenants.
• L&Q Group (Pound Advice partnership)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner housing association for providing specialist money advice to tenants as part of the Pound Advice partnership.
• Citizens Advice Brighton & HovecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in Advice and Financial Inclusion Partnership delivering services for Brighton & Hove residents via single point of contact. Also partner organisation for client referrals.
• UOK PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAP is part of UOK Partnership, a group of 20 community services working together to support good mental health and wellbeing in Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. MAP provides specialist debt and benefit advice to clients experiencing mental ill health through this partnership.
• UK FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Finance is supporting the rollout of the Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF) to 30 new financial services firms in 2024-2025.
• HMRCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAP is actively working with HMRC to further develop economic abuse toolkits.
• Local Government AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAP is working with the Local Government Association to further develop economic abuse toolkits.
• NHS Brighton & HovecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNHS Mental Health services refer clients to MAP, including Assertive Outreach Team for money management services.
• Macmillan Cancer SupportcoreOthersPreviously funded service for people affected by cancer in East Sussex struggling with benefits. Service transitioning to new provider.
• BHT (Brighton Housing Trust)minorOthersListed as a partner organisation and supporter/funder of Money Advice Plus.
• National Debt Line (referral partner)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlternative referral source for debt advice if clients cannot access MAP services.
• Lloyds Banking GroupminorOthersListed as funder and supporter of Money Advice Plus.
• Nationwide Building SocietyminorOthersListed as funder and supporter of Money Advice Plus.
• Community FundminorOthersListed as funder and supporter of Money Advice Plus.
• Mental Health UKminorOthersListed as funder and supporter of Money Advice Plus.
• Money and Pensions Service (MaPS)coreOthersRequired funder for debt advice services, with MAP holding MaPS Debt Advice Standard. Data reporting required as part of funding agreement.
• East Sussex County CouncilminorOthersListed as funder and supporter of Money Advice Plus.
• Emmanuel Church (Foodbank)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAP works in partnership with Emmanuel Church to provide Welfare Benefits and Debt Advice at foodbank locations within Brighton and Hove.
• BHT AdviceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as partner organisation for referring clients to advice services.
• Wave Community BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as partner organisation for Brighton & Hove residents.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PayPlan: Free debt advice and managed repayment plan service operating across the UK. Comparable as a regulated free debt counselling provider handling DROs, IVAs, and informal arrangements.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): UK charity providing free debt counselling, money coaching, and poverty relief through local church partners. Comparable free debt advice and financial coaching model with strong FCA-aligned quality standards.
• Citizens Advice: National network providing free, independent debt and benefits advice across England and Wales. Directly comparable as a free debt-advice provider and one of MAP's main referral partners for Brighton & Hove residents.
• Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA): UK charity focused on economic abuse and financial control in domestic abuse contexts. Strategic co-development partner on EAEF, with directly overlapping mission and beneficiary base for victim-survivors.
• StepChange Debt Charity: UK's largest specialist debt charity delivering regulated debt advice, DROs, IVAs, and bankruptcy support. Comparable in regulated debt counselling remit, although operating at significantly greater national scale.
• National Debtline (Money Wellness): Free debt advice service delivered by Money Wellness covering England, Wales, and Scotland. Directly comparable telephone and online debt advice offering, and listed by MAP as an alternative referral partner.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter: National housing and homelessness charity providing debt and welfare benefits advice to tenants. Comparable given MAP's housing-association-tenant segment and overlapping housing-debt caseload.
• Money and Pensions Service (MoneyHelper): Arm's-length government body setting the UK Debt Advice Standard and commissioning free debt advice nationally. Sets the regulatory framework MAP operates under and is a core funder.

Regional players

• BHT (Brighton Housing Trust): Brighton-based homelessness and housing charity and listed MAP partner. Comparable regional social-housing and advice provider in the same South East geography.
• Centre for Personal Insolvency: Smaller specialist UK organisation offering personal insolvency advice and casework. Comparable as a niche debt advice specialist, though with a narrower scope than MAP's economic abuse focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/moneyadviceplus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Money Advice Plus