Gingerbread

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.

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

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

• Single parent support
• Family welfare charity
• Community support services
• Policy advocacy
• Benefits guidance

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Gingerbread relies on public donations, fundraising activities, and legacies to fund its charitable work supporting single parent families.
2. Corporate Partnerships: The charity engages corporate partners to support its work through the Partnerships / Corporate Support programme.
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Home-Start LambethcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread 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 AbusecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread 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 AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint 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.
• HimmahsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread 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)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread 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)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread collaborated with CPAG as part of a coalition of charities on the joint briefing on child poverty strategy.
• Z2K (Zacchaeus 2000 Trust)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread partnered with Z2K as part of a multi-charity coalition on a joint briefing for the Child Poverty Strategy.
• The Runnymede TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread partnered with The Runnymede Trust as part of a multi-charity coalition on the joint briefing on child poverty.
• The Baby Bank AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGingerbread 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/Gingerbread
• Facebookfacebook.com/gingerbread
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gingerbread

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 Gingerbread