What MediaTrust does

Media Trust is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1042733), founded in 1994 and headquartered in London, that operates as an intermediary between the media industry and the third sector. Its core functional purpose is two-sided matching: it connects charities and under-represented talent with media organisations willing to donate skills, time, and funding, in order to improve media representation and strengthen charity communications. The organisation's product surface comprises (i) a Volunteer Platform that places media professionals with charities, (ii) Media Trust Films, an in-house production arm producing charitable and representational content, (iii) a portfolio of structured training programmes including Communicating Climate, Stronger Voices, the AI Charity Academy, the AI Essentials Bootcamp for Talent, and the TikTok Charity Academy, and (iv) mentoring programmes including the Reframing Disability Mentoring Programme and the Women's Voices programme with UN Women UK.

The underlying technology is a relatively light digital layer — a volunteer-matching platform and content-distribution channels — rather than a deep proprietary stack. Media Trust operates entirely within the UK, has a stated headcount band of 101-250 employees, and sustains operations through a mix of individual donations, corporate partnerships (with media owners and agencies including PA Media Group, Meta, BBC, Google, TikTok, Netflix, Sky, Publicis Groupe, Kinesso, Vidsy, The Trade Desk, Leo Burnett, and News UK), and the value-in-kind of skills-based volunteering channelled through its programmes. Its go-to-market is partnership-led rather than commercial: charities access services free of charge while corporate partners receive programme branding, employee-engagement opportunities, and reputational association with the charity's mission.

Name

MediaTrust

Legal name

Media Trust

Website

https://mediatrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UK-registered charity founded in 1994 that connects media organisations with charities and under-represented talent through volunteer matching, training programmes, in-house film production, and mentoring initiatives aimed at strengthening charity communications and media representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Communications Support Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Communications Services, Nec (4899), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI), PR, Reputation Management & Earned Media Platforms (BPAMALAO)

Keywords

• Charity communications support
• Volunteer matching platform
• Media industry partnerships
• Communications training programmes
• Talent mentorship programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Media Trust receives donations from individuals and charitable foundations to support its operations and programmes.
2. Corporate Partnerships: The organization partners with media and creative industry companies who provide financial support, skilled volunteers, and resources in exchange for employee engagement, CSR benefits, and access to diverse talent pipelines.
3. Skills-Based Volunteering Programmes: Media Trust facilitates skills-based volunteering where corporate employees donate their professional expertise to support charity communications, providing value to both charities and corporate partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Media Trust is a UK charity that connects media organisations with charities and under-represented talent. It operates an online Volunteer Platform that matches charities with skilled media professionals, runs Media Trust Films to produce award-winning short films for charities, and delivers a portfolio of communications training courses (Communicating Climate, AI Charity Academy, Stronger Voices, TikTok Charity Academy) alongside mentoring and career development programmes for under-represented talent.

Product overview

MediaTrust operates as a charity connecting media organisations with charities and under-represented talent to empower the third sector and advance media representation. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes centered around three pillars: Empowering Charities (training courses, Volunteer Platform, Media Trust Films), Advancing Representation (mentoring programmes, talent bootcamps, career programmes), and Building Partnerships (corporate volunteering initiatives). The core offerings include the Volunteer Platform for matching media professionals with charities, Media Trust Films for producing award-winning short films, and various training programmes including Communicating Climate, AI Charity Academy, Stronger Voices, and TikTok Charity Academy. Supporting infrastructure includes the Resource Hub for free materials, bespoke training services, and advisory groups for each signature programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Media Trust Films: Award-winning film programme that pairs charities with volunteer filmmakers to create powerful short films that amplify underrepresented voices and raise awareness for social causes.

Products and services

• Volunteer Platform Self-serve online platform that connects UK charities with skilled media and creative professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to support communications needs.
• Media Trust Films Award-winning film programme that pairs charities with volunteer filmmakers to create short films that amplify under-represented voices and raise awareness for social causes.
• Communicating Climate training course Training programme that helps charities effectively communicate climate-related issues and environmental messaging to their audiences.
• AI Charity Academy training course Training programme designed to help charities understand and adopt AI tools for communications and operations.
• Stronger Voices training course Strategic communications programme that helps charities develop effective campaigns and storytelling strategies.
• TikTok Charity Academy training course Training programme that helps charities leverage TikTok for social media engagement and awareness.
• Women's Voices event programme Annual event in partnership with UN Women UK that brings together charities and media professionals to develop strategic plans for promoting charity films.
• Media Trust & Leo Burnett Reframing Disability Mentoring Programme Mentoring programme designed to break down barriers for disabled talent in the media and creative industry.
• Amazon Ads Access All Areas work experience programme Paid work experience opportunity with Amazon Ads for young people from under-represented backgrounds.
• Bespoke Communications Training Customised training programmes created for specific charity needs and requirements.
• Resource Hub Online repository of free resources, guides, and tools for charity communications.
• Havas Boost: Talent programme Programme connecting Havas employees with under-represented talent and charity opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 award-winning films at Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon AdscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Ads provides paid work experience opportunities through Media Trust programmes including Amazon Ads Access All Areas. Supports youth talent development in the creative and media industries.
• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC provides trustees including Dawn Beresford (Director of Talent and Skills, BBC Commissioning) and advisory group members. Partners on mentoring programmes and talent development initiatives.
• PA Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPA Media Group partnership announced in February 2026 to mobilise hundreds of journalists, editors and media professionals in a year-long skills-based volunteering programme supporting charities across the UK.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTikTok provides TikTok Charity Academy training programme. Trustee Kris Boger serves as General Manager, UK, Ireland & BeNeLux. Supports digital skills training for charities.
• MetacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeta provides trustees including Ian Edwards (UK Head of Agencies + Global Connection Planning Director). Supports Facebook advertising grants and platform support for charity communications.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle provides trustees including David Black (Senior Director, Google UK) and advisory group member Bobby Gould. Supports digital skills programmes and charity communications training.
• NetflixcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetflix provides trustees including Ed Couchman (Head of Advertising, Netflix UK). Supports industry partnerships and ad sales training opportunities.
• SkycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSky provides trustees including Claudia Osei-Nsafoah (Chief People Officer, UK&I). Advisory group includes Fiona Ball (Group Director of the Bigger Picture). Supports climate communications training.
• ITVcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerITV provides trustees and advisory group members. Supports broadcasting partnerships and content development through the creative network.
• EdelmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdelman provides trustees including Satyen Dayal (Managing Director, Technology & UK DEI Champion) and advisory group members. Offers drop-in clinics for charities and supports training programmes.
• Publicis GroupecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublicis Groupe provides trustees including Ete Davies (Global COO, LePub). Supports creative industry partnerships and talent development initiatives.
• DentsuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDentsu supports Media Trust as a corporate partner, providing skilled volunteers and industry expertise for charity communications programmes.
• HavasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHavas supports Media Trust through Havas Boost: Talent programme, providing mentorship and career development opportunities for under-represented talent.
• Leo BurnettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeo Burnett partners with Media Trust on the Reframing Disability Mentoring Programme, supporting career development for disabled talent in the creative industry.
• News UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNews UK partners with Media Trust on the Reframing Disability Mentoring Programme, supporting disabled talent in broadcast journalism careers.
• WPPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWPP supports Media Trust as a corporate partner, providing industry expertise and volunteer resources.
• LIONSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLIONS provides trustees including Paul Coxhill (COO and President). Supports industry events and recognition programmes.
• BloombergminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBloomberg supports Media Trust as a corporate partner, providing industry expertise and volunteer resources.
• BBHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty) supports Media Trust as a corporate partner and provides trustees.
• UN Women UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women UK partners with Media Trust on the Women's Voices programme, now in its 10th year, helping charities tell powerful stories about women and girls.
• InitiativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative supports Media Trust as a corporate partner in the media and advertising industry.
• MiQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMiQ supports Media Trust as a corporate partner, providing programmatic advertising expertise.
• The Trade DeskminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Trade Desk supports Media Trust as a corporate partner in digital advertising.
• VidsyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVidsy supports Media Trust as a corporate partner, providing mobile video expertise.
• Be Green AIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBe Green AI supports Media Trust as a corporate partner focused on environmental sustainability.
• Warner Bros. DiscoveryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWarner Bros. Discovery supports Media Trust as a corporate partner in the media and entertainment industry.
• Guardian Media GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuardian Media Group provides trustees including Ete Davies as Non-Executive Director.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CharityComms: The UK membership body for charity communicators, running training, resources, and awards specifically for the third-sector communications function — the same core audience Media Trust serves.
• FSI (Foundation for Social Improvement): UK charity providing training, resources, and consultancy to small charities, with significant overlap on the charity-capacity-building function Media Trust serves through its training academies.
• On Purpose: UK social-impact organisation placing experienced professionals into charity leadership roles — a comparable model that channels private-sector talent into the third sector, with overlap on the talent-pipeline theme.
• Reach Volunteering: UK volunteer-matching platform connecting skilled professionals (including from media/creative industries) with charities for board and project roles — directly overlapping with Media Trust's Volunteer Platform offering.
• Pilotlight: UK charity matching senior business volunteers with small charities for strategic support — directly comparable skills-based-volunteering model aimed at the same charity audience as Media Trust.
• Pro Bono Economics: UK charity connecting volunteer economists and business professionals with charities for pro bono advice — same volunteer-to-charity bridge model as Media Trust, in a different professional discipline.

Emerging players

• CAST (Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology): UK charity focused on helping third-sector organisations adopt digital and social technology — an emerging peer with partial overlap on the digital-skills and AI-adoption themes Media Trust's academies address.
• Mediareach: UK-based charity using media and communications to support social causes, with thematic overlap on the media-for-good proposition that underpins Media Trust's mission.

Broad incumbents

• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): The umbrella infrastructure body for the UK voluntary sector, providing broader support, policy, and resources to charities — a wider incumbent that overlaps with Media Trust's empowerment mandate.

Regional players

• SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations): Scotland's equivalent voluntary-sector umbrella body — geographically distinct from Media Trust's UK-wide scope but with a near-identical mission supporting charities with skills, resources, and training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/media_trust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MediaTrustUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/MediaTrustCharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/media_trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 MediaTrust