Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a UK registered charity founded in 1918 that provides advice, support, community forums, wellbeing workshops, and policy advocacy to single parent families across England and Wales, funded by donations, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1918
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Gingerbread does
Gingerbread is a UK-based registered charity (charity no. 230750, company limited by guarantee no. 402748) founded in 1918 and headquartered at 54-74 Holmes Road, London. The organisation exists to support single parent families across England and Wales, delivering a multi-channel service portfolio that combines a free Helpline staffed by trained Advice Workers, a 24/7 online community forum, an expanding network of over 50 volunteer-led local groups, free remote wellbeing workshops delivered via Zoom, and an information library covering benefits, child maintenance, housing, debt, and money management. The underlying technology footprint is modest: a primary website (www.gingerbread.org.uk), a separate online-community subdomain, and two digital benefits-checker tools, with no mobile app, no public API, and no documented integrations.
In June 2026 Gingerbread launched the Resilient Living Programme, a new structured workshop series built around three themes — Wellbeing (emotional resilience, self-compassion, trauma-informed approaches), Money (budgeting and household finance), and Work (employability and workplace rights) — delivered by external experts, fully remote, and recorded for catch-up viewing. This sits alongside the policy and campaigning function, which produces research reports (e.g., "Fix the CMS" with 1,622 survey responses and 24 interviews; "They are sanctioning the children" on UC sanctions) and runs active campaigns including #FixtheCMS and #SupportNotPunish.
As a non-profit, Gingerbread's revenue mechanics depend on a mix of public donations and legacies, corporate partnerships, and restricted/unrestricted grants from charitable trusts and foundations including the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. All beneficiary services are free of charge. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on grassroots volunteer activation and digital content rather than paid acquisition, with partnerships and coalition briefings used to amplify research and policy influence. The organisation is governed by trustees, led by a Chief Executive, and supported by a staff base of 11-50 employees augmented by the volunteer-led local group network.
Gingerbread firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gingerbread
- Legal name
- Gingerbread
- Website
- https://gingerbread.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1918
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gingerbread is a UK registered charity founded in 1918 that provides advice, support, community forums, wellbeing workshops, and policy advocacy to single parent families across England and Wales, funded by donations, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gingerbread industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Single Parent Family Support Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs (EDACALAI)
Keywords
Where Gingerbread is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gingerbread business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Gingerbread relies on public donations, fundraising activities, and legacies to fund its charitable work supporting single parent families.
- Corporate Partnerships: The charity engages corporate partners to support its work through the Partnerships / Corporate Support programme.
- Trust and Foundation Grants: Gingerbread receives grant funding from charitable foundations including Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales and Joseph Rowntree Foundation to fund specific research and programme work.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Gingerbread product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gingerbread is the UK charity for single parent families, providing free expert advice, information resources, wellbeing workshops, and an online and in-person community for single parents across England and Wales. The organisation also runs a national Helpline, benefits checkers, and policy and campaigning programmes that advocate for systemic reform on issues such as Universal Credit, the Child Maintenance Service, and child poverty.
Product overview
Gingerbread is a UK-based charity for single parent families offering a multi-channel support ecosystem. The organization provides direct support services (helpline, wellbeing workshops, the Resilient Living Programme), community platforms (online forum with 54 local groups across England and Wales), digital information tools (benefits checkers, online resources on housing/money/child maintenance), and policy advocacy. The Resilient Living Programme is the newest offering, combining wellbeing, money, and work-focused workshops delivered remotely by external experts. Gingerbread also operates a donation portal for public support and conducts policy campaigns on issues affecting single parents including Universal Credit, Child Maintenance Service reform, and child poverty.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gingerbread Helpline A helpline service providing advice and support to single parents, operated by trained Advice Workers who can assist with queries about benefits, housing, child maintenance, and other issues affecting single parent families.
- Gingerbread Online Community A 24/7 online forum and community platform enabling single parents to connect, share experiences, access support, and participate in discussions, including local and online groups with Zoom meetups.
- Wellbeing Workshops Free workshops delivered over Zoom that provide tips around supporting wellbeing, self-care, and resilience, enabling single parents to connect with others in similar situations.
- Resilient Living Programme A new series of free remote workshops under three themes: Wellbeing (emotional resilience, self-compassion, trauma-informed approaches), Money (household finance management, budgeting, financial planning), and Work (employability skills, career support, parental workplace rights). Sessions are recorded for catch-up viewing and delivered by external experts.
- Benefits Checkers Online tools (Benefits Calculator and Benefits Finder for single parents under 18) that help single parents identify what benefits they may be entitled to claim, including help with housing costs, Council Tax, and energy bills.
- Local Support Groups Over 50 volunteer-led groups across England and Wales offering friendship and support to single parent families, run by single parent volunteers to provide safe spaces to share experiences and build connections.
- Policy and Campaigning Advocacy work influencing policy changes for single parents, including campaigns on Child Maintenance Service reform (#FixtheCMS), Universal Credit reform (#SupportNotPunish), and child poverty strategy.
- Find Information Resources Comprehensive information resources covering housing (mortgage help, bedroom tax, renting), benefits (Universal Credit, benefit cap, benefits checkers), money management (debt, grants, budgeting), and child maintenance.
- Donation Portal Online donation platform allowing supporters to make financial contributions to support single parent families.
Quantifiable outcome
- 76% of workshop participants reported an improvement in wellbeing after attending Gingerbread wellbeing workshops.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Gingerbread
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Gingerbread technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Gingerbread partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Home-Start LambethcoreGingerbread partnered with Home-Start Lambeth to conduct research exploring families' experiences of Universal Credit. The partnership highlighted the urgent need for UC reform and was part of Gingerbread's Week of Action and #SupportNotPunish campaign. Susie Baker, Chief Executive of Home-Start Lambeth, contributed commentary on the challenges faced by families and the strain on frontline charities.
- Surviving Economic AbusecoreGingerbread collaborated with Surviving Economic Abuse and Women's Aid to publish a joint briefing, 'Maintenance is used as a weapon all of the time': Domestic Abuse and the Child Maintenance Service, exploring the experiences of victim-survivors of domestic abuse with the CMS.
- Women's AidcoreJoint collaborator with Gingerbread and Surviving Economic Abuse on the domestic abuse and CMS joint briefing published in April 2026. The briefing was developed with victim-survivors and calls for strengthened support and safeguards in the Child Maintenance Service.
- HimmahsupportingGingerbread worked with Himmah alongside Home-Start Lambeth to complete desk research and surveys for the 'They are sanctioning the children' report on UC sanctions.
- Contact (charity)supportingGingerbread collaborated with Contact, Praxis, CPAG, Z2K, The Runnymede Trust, and The Baby Bank Alliance on a joint briefing on ensuring the Child Poverty Strategy delivers for all children.
- Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)supportingGingerbread collaborated with CPAG as part of a coalition of charities on the joint briefing on child poverty strategy.
- Z2K (Zacchaeus 2000 Trust)supportingGingerbread partnered with Z2K as part of a multi-charity coalition on a joint briefing for the Child Poverty Strategy.
- The Runnymede TrustsupportingGingerbread partnered with The Runnymede Trust as part of a multi-charity coalition on the joint briefing on child poverty.
- The Baby Bank AlliancesupportingGingerbread partnered with The Baby Bank Alliance as part of a coalition on the joint briefing on child poverty strategy.
Scale indicators6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gingerbread competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Family Action: National UK charity providing practical, emotional and financial support to families experiencing disadvantage. Directly comparable in family-focused services, grant-funded operating model, and policy advocacy role.
- Home-Start UK: UK-wide charity supporting families with young children through volunteer-led peer support. Directly comparable to Gingerbread in mission (family support), volunteer-led delivery model, and active partnership on Gingerbread's UC sanctions research.
- Turn2us: UK charity helping people in financial hardship access benefits, grants and support. Directly comparable in benefits/financial information services and digital self-serve tools targeting low-income households.
- Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG): UK charity focused on child poverty policy and benefits advice. Highly comparable in policy research output, coalition campaigning, and benefits-advisory services; co-briefings with Gingerbread on Child Poverty Strategy.
- Women's Aid: UK federation of domestic abuse services. Closely comparable in policy research, coalition briefings, and support for women — and an active joint-briefing partner with Gingerbread on domestic abuse and the Child Maintenance Service.
- Contact: UK charity for families with disabled children. Direct peer in family services, advice-line operation, and policy/coalition advocacy (Contact is an active partner of Gingerbread on child poverty briefings).
- Surviving Economic Abuse: UK charity dedicated to economic abuse. Directly comparable in policy research focus and coalition working; partnered with Gingerbread and Women's Aid on the CMS/domestic abuse joint briefing.
Broad incumbents
- Citizens Advice: Largest UK advice charity covering benefits, debt, housing and employment. Comparable on advice delivery and benefits navigation, but operates across all client groups rather than single-parent-specific support.
- Shelter: Major UK housing and homelessness charity. Comparable on housing advice content (Gingerbread publishes housing resources) and large-scale policy campaigning, though Shelter's mission is broader than single-parent support.
Regional players
- One Parent Families Scotland: Scotland's dedicated single parent charity with parallel services to Gingerbread (advice, helpline, policy advocacy). Highly comparable on mission and beneficiary base but operates only in Scotland, where Gingerbread is not present.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gingerbread social profiles
Digital presenceGingerbread financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gingerbread leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Gingerbread funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gingerbread M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gingerbread
What does Gingerbread do?
Gingerbread is the UK charity for single parent families, providing free expert advice, information resources, wellbeing workshops, and an online and in-person community for single parents across England and Wales. The organisation also runs a national Helpline, benefits checkers, and policy and campaigning programmes that advocate for systemic reform on issues such as Universal Credit, the Child Maintenance Service, and child poverty.
Is Gingerbread a public or private company?
Gingerbread is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Gingerbread founded?
Gingerbread was founded in 1918. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gingerbread based?
Gingerbread is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Gingerbread make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships and trust and Foundation Grants.
Who are Gingerbread's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Family Action, Home-Start UK, Turn2us, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Women's Aid, Contact and Surviving Economic Abuse. Broad incumbents are Citizens Advice and Shelter. One Parent Families Scotland is listed as a regional player.
Does Gingerbread have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gingerbread.
What industry is Gingerbread in?
Gingerbread's product category is Single Parent Family Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services, with a secondary code of EDACALAI, Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.