What Only Connect does

Only Connect is a London-based creative criminal justice charity founded in 2006 by Danny and Emma Kruger, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Catch22 (acquired October 2015) while retaining its independent brand, board of trustees, and registered charity number (1116147). The charity works with adults and young people aged 16+ who have experience of the justice system, including ex-offenders, prisoners, and gang-involved or gang-affiliated youth, delivering innovative rehabilitation projects across prisons, youth justice settings, schools, and two physical Member Centres — OC Central in King's Cross and OC West on the White City estate.

The core operating model is a Membership structure that provides a single, seamless relationship from custody to community, grounded in a "Handshake not Handout" philosophy in which members actively design and deliver solutions rather than passively receive services. Programme offerings include resettlement and training delivered within HMPPS prisons (notably HMP/YOI Feltham and HMP Pentonville) as a Tier two provider under the Shaw Trust CFO3 contract, the London Gang Exit service for 16-24 year-olds in partnership with Safer London and Redthread, and a portfolio of skills and creative programmes (Music, OC Kitchen catering, ETE One to One, Entourage mentoring, OC Impact school presentations, and OC Inspire prison presentation training). The charity also operates venue hire at its Cubitt Street theatre as a social enterprise.

Revenue is drawn from five streams: private donations (87% of funding), government contracts with HMPPS, Shaw Trust and London Community Rehabilitation Company, corporate partnerships offering CSR and volunteering opportunities, individual challenge events fundraising, and venue hire income. GTM is hybrid — referrals flow through statutory organisations (probation, councils, Youth Offending Teams) and community partners, complemented by direct outreach to corporate partners and individual donors. With 11-50 employees and a stated impact of supporting over 200 adults and 11,000 young people annually, Only Connect is a small-to-mid-sized charity whose growth is contract-driven and partnership-led rather than commercially scaled.

Name

Only Connect

Legal name

Only Connect

Website

https://onlyconnect.london

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Only Connect is a London-based creative criminal justice charity delivering rehabilitation, resettlement, and gang-exit programmes for adults and young people aged 16+ with experience of the justice system, operating two Member Centres and justice contracts across London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Child and Youth Services (62411), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Criminal justice charity
• Offender rehabilitation services
• Youth justice programmes
• Gang exit intervention
• Prison resettlement support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private donations: The majority of funding comes from private donations. 87% of their funding comes from private donations according to their donate page.
2. Government contracts: Only Connect delivers services under contract for Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), Shaw Trust, and is a delivery partner for the Mayor's London Gang Exit Programme funded by MOPAC and London Community Rehabilitation Company.
3. Corporate partnerships: Companies provide specialist expertise, direct funding, equipment donations, event sponsorship, and participate in fundraising challenges. Partnerships offer CSR opportunities, community engagement, and staff volunteering.
4. Challenge events and fundraising: Individual challenge events including runs, cycles, sky dives, and other activities where participants raise funds for the charity.
5. Venue hire: The Only Connect theatre and spaces at Cubitt Street are available for hire for rehearsals, auditions, recitals, film shoots and private parties, generating revenue through their social enterprise arm.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Only Connect is a London-based creative criminal justice charity that delivers rehabilitation and resettlement services to adults and young people aged 16+ with experience of the justice system. Its core offering is the Membership model run through two physical Member Centres (OC Central in King's Cross and OC West in White City), which give Members access to creative programmes (music, theatre, kitchen), education, training, employment support, and mentoring. This is complemented by targeted services including the London Gang Exit programme for gang-involved 16-24 year-olds, in-prison resettlement contracts delivered via Shaw Trust CFO3, school-based intervention sessions, and a social-enterprise venue at Cubitt Street.

Product overview

Only Connect is a creative criminal justice charity operating a portfolio of rehabilitation and community programmes. The core offering consists of two Member Centres (OC Central in King's Cross and OC West in White City) that provide a single seamless relationship from custody to community. Supporting services include the London Gang Exit programme (gang exit support for 16-24 year olds), justice contract delivery (resettlement and training within prisons through Shaw Trust CFO3), and various skills programmes (Music, OC Kitchen catering, ETE One to One, Entourage mentoring, OC Impact school tours, and OC Inspire prison presentations). The organisation also operates venue hire as a social enterprise. The Membership model unifies all these services, enabling ex-offenders and at-risk youth to access support across the full custody-to-community continuum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OC Central (Member Centre, King's Cross) First and original Member Centre of Only Connect, based in a former Baptist chapel at 32 Cubitt Street, London WC1X 0LR. Provides life skills, education, employment training, and self-development opportunities to ex-offenders and at-risk youth aged 16+, alongside a theatre space, recording studio, hot-desking facilities, kitchen, and sports equipment.
• OC West (Member Centre, White City) Member Centre on the White City estate in west London, supporting Members aged 16+ into employment including self-employment through enterprise skills development. Includes a music studio and operates as a partner of local organisations supporting young people.
• London Gang Exit Service Pan-London intensive one-to-one intervention service for individuals aged 16-24 who are gang-involved or gang-affiliated, delivered by Only Connect as part of a Safer London-led consortium alongside Redthread, with funding from MOPAC and the London Community Rehabilitation Company. Provides mental health support, employment support, housing assistance, mentoring, and casework, with about 300 young people able to access the programme each year and a £1.5 million total programme value.
• Justice Contract Delivery (Shaw Trust CFO3) Resettlement, training, and rehabilitation services delivered inside prisons, pupil referral units, youth offending teams, and youth offending institutions across London. Delivered as a Tier 2 provider under the Shaw Trust Co-Financing Organisation Round 3 (CFO3) European Social Fund contract, supporting participants aged 18-24 primarily from HMP/YOI Feltham and HMP Pentonville, with over 18,000 offenders planned to be supported across the 5.75-year contract covering London, East of England, and South West.
• Entourage Mentoring Programme Mentoring programme that matches Only Connect Members with volunteers (Supporters) in the community to share experiences and swap skills on a one-off or ongoing basis, providing peer-led, community-based support outside the formal rehabilitation pathway.
• OC Impact (School Intervention Programme) School presentations and tours delivering engaging intervention sessions to young people in London schools, with evaluations showing positive attitudinal change: 58% of Entourage Tour participants showed small improvements in attitudes toward offending, with 10% showing considerable improvement.
• Venue Hire at Cubitt Street Social enterprise venue hire of the Only Connect theatre and event space at 32 Cubitt Street, a former Baptist chapel with seating for 80 in the main hall (13m x 11.5m), upright piano, Bose audio system, sound desk, adaptable stage, wooden floors, and wall mirrors. Available for rehearsals, auditions, recitals, film shoots, and private parties, generating revenue to support charitable work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 65% of Members progressed into education or employment or training in 2014/15
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 core and minor.

• Safer LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016Safer London leads the consortium for London Gang Exit, a £1.5m pan-London programme launched February 2016. The service is jointly commissioned by MOPAC and MTCnovo and works with the London Community Rehabilitation Company's Referral Centre.
• RedthreadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016Key delivery partner in the London Gang Exit consortium alongside Only Connect and Safer London. Redthread provides specialist youth intervention services within the consortium.
• Catch22coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Catch22 acquired Only Connect in October 2015. Only Connect continues to operate independently, retaining its brand, board of trustees, premises and charity number. It operates as a wholly owned distinct business 'unit' within Catch22's group structure. This demonstrates a new type of relationship where smaller organisations maintain identity and autonomy while operating at scale through larger partners. Catch22 provides strategic support and scale benefits.
• Shaw TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShaw Trust is the prime contractor for Co-Financing Organisation Round 3 (CFO3) funded by European Social Fund. Only Connect delivers as a Tier two provider, progressing and resettling participants aged 18-24 from HMP/YOI Feltham and HMP Pentonville in London. Over 18,000 offenders planned to be supported during the 5.75 year contracts.
• York House GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of criminal justice charities that Only Connect works with alongside.
• W12 Youth ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership based in west London supporting young people and families.
• UnitasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partnership for collaborative working.
• British LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership project delivery for programmes engaging young people through the British Library.
• Bush TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership project delivery through arts and theatre programmes.
• Triple PointminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner that participated in activities with Members including treasure hunt around London.
• EquifaxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing money advice workshops to Members as part of CSR activities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Parent organisation of Only Connect since October 2015; operates a much broader portfolio across justice, education, employability and social care. Functions as both parent and broader incumbent in shared markets including prison rehabilitation and gang exit.

Direct peers

• Nacro: Long-established UK criminal justice charity delivering resettlement, education, and housing services to ex-offenders. Operates in the same reentry and justice-involved support space as Only Connect, often competing for the same government contracts.
• Shaw Trust: UK's largest community rehabilitation and employment charity; Only Connect currently operates as a Tier-two provider under Shaw Trust's CFO3 contract. Shaw Trust directly competes for the same offender rehabilitation and employment-skills contracts.
• Redthread: Youth charity delivering specialist intervention services in hospitals and communities for young people affected by violence. Consortium partner with Only Connect on London Gang Exit, operating adjacent model for violence-affected youth.
• St Giles Trust (now St Giles): UK charity supporting people facing severe disadvantage including ex-offenders, using a peer-mentor model with lived-experience caseworkers. Highly comparable to Only Connect in client base, peer-led approach, and resettlement focus.
• User Voice: User-led charity bringing lived experience of the criminal justice system into policy and service design. Highly comparable lived-experience philosophy and criminal justice focus, though operates more in policy advocacy than direct service delivery.
• Switchback: London-based charity mentoring young men in prison and after release into sustained employment. Operates as a direct comparable peer given overlapping beneficiary base, mentoring model, and London's geographic focus.
• Safer London: Pan-London charity working with young people affected by violence, exploitation and gangs. Leads the London Gang Exit consortium alongside Only Connect; directly comparable beneficiary base and service model for gang-affected youth.

Emerging players

• West London Zone: Charity supporting children and young people in West London to overcome barriers to education and employment. Closely connected through co-founder Danny Kruger, who now leads West London Zone as CEO.
• Khulisa UK: UK charity delivering therapeutic and behavioural intervention programmes to disadvantaged and at-risk young people, including in schools and the justice system. Only Connect's Executive Director Mat Ilic serves as its Chairman.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OnlyConnectUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/only-connect-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Only Connect