What Willow Foundation does

Willow Foundation is a UK-registered charity (no. 1106746) and company limited by guarantee (no. 5207070), founded in 1999 by Bob Wilson and Megs Wilson and headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The organisation's core function is delivering bespoke "Special Days" and "Special Treats" to seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 who have been diagnosed with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses. These experiences are individually tailored — ranging from family days out, weekends away, hero meetings, and lifelong dream fulfilment — and are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. Access is gated exclusively through medical professional referrals rather than direct consumer application, which functions as a clinical triage and eligibility mechanism.

The organisation operates two core programmes: Special Days (full bespoke experiences) and Special Treats (curated gift-style experiences). The underlying operating model is a community-led, donation-financed charity with no proprietary technology platform, AI components, or commercial product. The model is instead relationship- and event-driven, executed by a small team of 11–50 employees supported by volunteers and corporate partners.

Willow is funded through five identifiable revenue streams: individual donations (one-time and regular giving), fundraising events and challenges (London Marathon, Willow 10K, Golf Classic, Royal Parks Half Marathon, Thames Path Challenge, etc.), corporate partnerships and sponsorships, legacy giving (gifts in wills), and charity shop retail. Pricing is non-commercial: services are provided free to beneficiaries, with the charity entirely dependent on voluntary income. Distribution is purely domestic (United Kingdom), and the organisation holds the UK Government's "Disability Confident Committed" employer status and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

Name

Willow Foundation

Legal name

Willow Foundation

Website

https://willowfoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willow Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded in 1999 that delivers free, bespoke "Special Days" and "Special Treats" to seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40, funded by donations, events, corporate partnerships, legacy gifts, and charity shops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Charitable special days
• Nonprofit support services
• Fundraising events
• Seriously ill support
• Memory making experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Welwyn Garden City

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from supporters, including one-time gifts and regular giving
2. Events and Challenges: Fundraising events including London Marathon, Willow 10K, Golf Classic, Thames Path Challenge, and various other challenge events
3. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorships from corporate partners for events and campaigns
4. Legacy Giving: Gifts left in wills
5. Charity Shops: Willow charity shops selling donated items

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Willow Foundation is a UK-registered charity that provides bespoke Special Days and Special Treats for seriously ill young adults aged 16-40 diagnosed with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses. The charity arranges unique experiences such as family days out, weekends away, meetings with heroes, and the fulfilment of lifelong dreams, creating lasting memories for beneficiaries and their loved ones. Applications are accepted only via medical professional referrals, and the service is delivered free of charge to eligible individuals.

Product overview

Willow Foundation operates as a single unified charitable service offering two core programs: Special Days (bespoke full-day experiences) and Special Treats (curated gift experiences) for seriously ill young adults aged 16-40. Both offerings are tailored to individual needs and create precious memories for beneficiaries and their loved ones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Special Days Bespoke Special Days providing unforgettable experiences for seriously ill young adults aged 16-40, including family days out, weekends away, and opportunities to meet heroes or fulfill lifelong dreams. Applications are submitted by medical professionals on behalf of eligible patients.
• Special Treats Curated gift experiences and treats for seriously ill young adults, providing moments of joy and relaxation tailored to individual needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Creates unforgettable memories for young adults with serious illnesses

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major, flagship and core.

• CloudClevrminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Golf ball sponsor for the Willow Golf Classic 2026, supporting this fundraising event.
• JCDecauxmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Willow was selected for a four-week nationwide advertising campaign with JCDecaux through their community channel which offers free advertising space to charities. The campaign featured beneficiary stories on digital billboards across UK city centres and roadsides, reaching 4 million people.
• MiQflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026MiQ served as headline sponsor for the London Football Awards 2026, an annual flagship event organized by and held in support of Willow. MiQ also sponsored specific award categories.
• Mappin and WebbcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Trophy partner for the London Football Awards 2026, contributing to this major annual fundraising event.
• PFA (Professional Footballers' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026The PFA partnered with Willow for the London Football Awards 2026, sponsoring the Men's and Women's Player in the Community Champion awards.
• Weston HomescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of the Outstanding Contribution to London Football award at the London Football Awards 2026, and headline sponsor for the Willow Golf Classic.
• The i PaperminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of the Community Project of the Year award at London Football Awards 2026.
• GOALminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of the Men's Young Player of the Year award at London Football Awards 2026.
• JumpminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of the English Football League Player of the Year award at London Football Awards 2026.
• Gung HominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of The Power of Football award at London Football Awards 2026.
• Odyssean EnterprisesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sponsor of the Manager of the Year award at London Football Awards 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Make-A-Wish UK: Make-A-Wish UK is the largest UK wish-granting charity for children and young people with critical illnesses, granting wishes that include special days, trips, and meetings with heroes. Directly comparable to Willow because both deliver bespoke memorable experiences funded by community donations to seriously ill young people in the UK.
• Dreams Come True: Dreams Come True is a UK charity that grants wishes to children and young adults aged 2-21 with life-limiting conditions. Directly comparable wish-fulfillment peer operating in the same bespoke-experience niche with a similar donation and corporate-partnership funding model.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: Starlight brightens the lives of seriously ill children in the UK through wishes, hospital entertainment, and distraction programs. Comparable to Willow as a peer in UK wish-granting and serious-illness experience delivery for children and young people, supported by corporate partnerships.
• Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent): Young Lives vs Cancer supports children and young people with cancer and their families across the UK through financial grants, emotional support, and advocacy. Comparable to Willow as a UK cancer-and-youth-focused charity with overlapping age range and fundraising model.
• Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity: Rays of Sunshine grants wishes and funds hospital-based programs for seriously ill children and young people in the UK. Comparable to Willow because both focus on delivering uplifting experiences and special wishes to seriously ill young people, relying on event fundraising and corporate partnerships.
• Teenage Cancer Trust: Teenage Cancer Trust is a UK charity focused specifically on young people aged 13-24 with cancer, funding specialist hospital units and support services. Comparable because the overlapping 16-40 age range, UK-only scope, and event-based fundraising make it a natural peer in the young-adult serious-illness charity segment.
• When You Wish Upon a Star: When You Wish Upon a Star grants wishes to children and young people aged 4-17 with life-threatening illnesses across the UK. A direct functional peer to Willow in the bespoke-wish-granting category, sharing the referral-based eligibility model and community fundraising approach.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Research UK: Cancer Research UK is the UK's largest cancer-research charity, running major mass-participation fundraising events like Race for Life and the London Marathon teams. Comparable to Willow in competing for the same UK charity-event participants, marathon donors, and corporate-partnership slots, even though mission scope differs.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest UK cancer charities, providing clinical, financial, and emotional support to people affected by cancer. Overlaps in serving seriously ill UK adults and competing for the same corporate-partnership and event-fundraising dollars as Willow, though at vastly greater scale.
• Together for Short Lives: Together for Short Lives is the UK charity for children's palliative care, supporting seriously ill children and their families across the UK. Comparable as a broader-incumbent peer serving the same seriously-ill-young-people beneficiary demographic though with a clinical-palliative-care lens rather than experience-granting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/willowfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willow-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/willowfoundation
• Xx.com/Willow_Fdn

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Willow Foundation