Stonewall

What Stonewall does

Stonewall Equality Limited is a UK-registered charity (Charity Nos. 1101255 and SC039681) founded in 1989 and headquartered in London, operating as the country's principal LGBTQ+ rights advocacy organisation with regional offices in Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and Belfast (Northern Ireland, in partnership with The Rainbow Project). The organisation employs 51-100 staff and runs campaigns, policy work, research and direct services across all four UK nations, with a 35+ year track record credited to landmark wins including Section 28 repeal, equal age of consent, lifting the military ban, adoption rights and marriage equality. In 2015 it broadened its remit to formally include trans communities, and in 2025 it acquired Diversity Role Models to extend work into schools and young people.

The core commercial offering is the Proud Employers membership programme, sold on an annual subscription basis to UK employers ranging from small teams to FTSE 100 companies, with hundreds of members across the public, private and third sectors. The membership bundles an evidence-based accreditation framework (four tiers: Accomplished, Champion, Leader, Trailblazer) covering eight areas of employment policy and practice, up to 8 hours of in-house consultancy, training materials, monthly webinars, networking events and a multi-login online hub. Adjacent revenue streams include bespoke workplace training and consultancy (online and in-person), individual donations and challenge event fundraising, legacy giving, corporate partnerships, Pride/Rainbow Laces merchandise, and ticketed events such as the Summer Pride Party at Ministry of Sound. There is no proprietary technology platform; the differentiation is the brand, the accreditation methodology, the four-nation advocacy reach, and the human-delivered consultancy and training.

Commercially, Stonewall is a sales-led B2B charity with a tiered/quote-based subscription pricing model that scales with employer size, complemented by professional services (training, consultancy), donation-driven income, and smaller retail/event streams. Customer concentration is spread across many employer members, but membership and donations represent the strategic core; political and regulatory risk (notably the April 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act definition of 'woman') is material given the mission's dependence on policy advocacy and employer willingness to publicly associate with the brand.

Name

Stonewall

Legal name

Stonewall Equality Limited

Website

https://stonewall.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stonewall Equality Limited is the UK's leading LGBTQ+ rights charity, founded in 1989, running the Proud Employers membership and accreditation programme, workplace training and consultancy, advocacy, and research for employers and LGBTQ+ communities across the four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion Services

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion
• DEI training services
• Equality accreditation programmes
• Inclusion consultancy services
• Advocacy and policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Proud Employers Membership Programme: Membership fees from organisations joining the Proud Employers programme for workplace inclusion training, consultancy, and resources. Income is reinvested into campaigns, research and work that challenges discrimination and improves lives of LGBTQ+ communities.
2. Training and Consultancy Services: Expert-led inclusion training available online or in-person, for individuals or teams. Bespoke training tailored specifically to organisations. 20% discount on training for Proud Employers members.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, challenge events, fundraising activities, and leaving gifts in wills. As a charity, much of the work is supported by the generosity of individuals who believe in the vision of equal rights.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Organisations can partner with Stonewall for corporate partnerships, providing additional revenue streams.
5. Merchandise Sales: Shop selling Pride merchandise, Rainbow Laces, and branded items including the San Junipero hardback comic.
6. Event Tickets: Pride Party ticket sales for events like the Summer Pride Party at Ministry of Sound.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stonewall sells LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion services to employers through its Proud Employers membership programme, which bundles consultancy hours, training materials, webinars, networking events, and a four-tier Accreditation pathway. It also delivers standalone expert-led training (online and in-person) and bespoke inclusion consultancy. Supporting revenue comes from individual donations, corporate partnerships, merchandise sales, and ticketed Pride events.

Product overview

Stonewall is a UK-based LGBTQ+ rights charity that operates as a single integrated advocacy and programme organisation rather than a technology platform. Its core offerings consist of the Proud Employers Programme (a membership-based workplace inclusion service), supported by three main programme components: Proud Employers Accreditation (the benchmarking and kitemark framework), LGBTQ+ Workplace Training and Workshops (expert-led learning), and Inclusion Consultancy Services (in-house specialist advisory). Additional products include the LGBTQ+ Leadership Programme, Research Reports including the annual Trends Report, the Rainbow Laces Campaign, and the Stonewall Shop. These offerings are bundled as benefits within the membership programme or sold as standalone services to employers seeking to improve LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Proud Employers: Stonewall's sector leading membership programme designed to support organisations in creating truly LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces, providing expert consultancy, evidence-based training materials, accreditation tools and peer networking.
• Rainbow Laces
• LGBTQ+ Young Futures

Products and services

• Proud Employers Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies with diverse leadership teams outperform their competitors by 36%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Diversity Role ModelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Diversity Role Models has joined the Stonewall family to expand support for schools and young people across the UK. This acquisition/merger strengthens Stonewall's work in education and with young people, extending their programmes into schools to prevent bullying and support LGBTQ+ students.
• The Rainbow ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStonewall operates in Northern Ireland in partnership with The Rainbow Project, a local LGBTQ+ organisation. This partnership extends Stonewall's reach and influence across all four nations of the United Kingdom, ensuring coverage and localised support for LGBTQ+ communities in Northern Ireland.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• ILGA-Europe: European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, based in Brussels. Comparable as a pan-European LGBTQ+ rights advocacy umbrella, but operates as a federation of national organisations rather than a direct-membership charity, and does not run a workplace-inclusion commercial programme.
• Outright International: Global LGBTQ+ human rights organisation. Comparable as an international LGBTQ+ rights advocacy and research charity, with overlapping research-report portfolio, though Outright operates a global remit rather than a single-country workplace-inclusion programme.

Emerging players

• myGwork: UK-based LGBTQ+ business community and inclusive employer platform. Comparable as a for-profit player in the same LGBTQ+ workplace-inclusion niche, particularly around inclusive employer branding and job-seeking — directly competitive with Stonewall's Proud Employers Job Platform.
• The Trevor Project: US-based LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention charity. Overlaps with Stonewall's expanded youth mission post-Diversity Role Models acquisition; comparable as a digital-native LGBTQ+ charity combining crisis services, advocacy, and research, though operates in the US market.

Direct peers

• PFLAG: US-based charity building a network of LGBTQ+ family and ally support groups, with chapters across the country. Comparable as a community-rooted LGBTQ+ charity using a chapter-and-membership model, with similar donation-driven funding and overlapping mission on inclusion and family engagement.
• Kaleidoscope Trust: UK-based LGBTQ+ rights charity focused on international advocacy and supporting LGBT+ activists globally. Directly comparable as a UK-registered charity operating in the same LGBTQ+ rights advocacy category, though more focused on international LGBT+ human rights than domestic workplace inclusion.
• Switchboard LGBT+: UK LGBTQ+ helpline charity providing information, support and referral services. Comparable as a UK LGBTQ+ charity with similar funding model (donations, partnerships) and overlapping community-facing mission, though Switchboard is primarily a listening service rather than advocacy or workplace programmes.
• Mermaids: UK charity supporting transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families. Closely comparable audience overlap (LGBTQ+ young people and families) and similar UK charity funding model, with comparable exposure to the post-Supreme-Court trans rights environment.

Broad incumbents

• GLAAD: US LGBTQ+ media advocacy organisation. Comparable as an established LGBTQ+ advocacy non-profit operating a similar mix of policy work, research publishing, and corporate engagement programmes, with overlapping cultural-influence positioning.
• Human Rights Campaign: Largest US LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organisation. Comparable as the dominant national LGBTQ+ rights charity in its market, with workplace-equality programmes (Corporate Equality Index) that map directly to Stonewall's Proud Employers Accreditation, though HRC operates at substantially greater scale in the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stonewalluk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stonewall_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/stonewalluk
• Xx.com/stonewalluk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 Stonewall