A New Direction
A New Direction is a London-based charity delivering free cultural education programmes to schools, the creative sector, and young East Londoners aged 18-30, including Primary Arts, the I Am disability-arts programme, and the Good Growth Hub.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What A New Direction does
A New Direction is a London-based registered charity (Charity Number 1126216; Company Number 06627531; legal entity A New Direction London Ltd) founded in 2008 that delivers cultural education programmes to three primary constituencies: London primary schools and SEND settings, the creative and cultural sector, and young East Londoners aged 18-30 seeking creative careers. Core programmes include Primary Arts (free In-Schools Touring, Go & See visits, Masterclasses, and Come & Try sessions for London state primary schools), the I Am disability-arts and inclusion programme (with the I Am Festival celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025 in partnership with Tate Modern and Young V&A), Employment & Skills programmes (STEP 12-month paid traineeships, Creative Connect, Freelance Exchange, and the Create Jobs platform), and the Good Growth Hub — a physical creative careers hub in East London serving Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest. The technology footprint is non-commercial: the charity operates consumer-facing platforms (LookUp for school/cultural-organisation discovery, Create Jobs for creative opportunities) and an online booking system for Primary Arts, but its underlying technology is enabling infrastructure rather than a productised offering. There is no proprietary AI/ML capability; an AI and Safeguarding Working Group focuses on governance rather than AI product development.
The business model is grant-funded and contracted-delivery rather than commercial. Revenue streams consist of charitable grants (likely from Arts Council England, local authorities, and private foundations) and contracted programme delivery for partner organisations. Pricing is overwhelmingly free at the point of use: Primary Arts is explicitly free for London state primary schools and SEND settings; STEP, Creative Connect, Freelance Exchange, and Good Growth Hub services are free for young East Londoners aged 18-30. The charity operates a community-led and event-driven go-to-market approach through multiple professional networks (Best Practice Network, I Am Network, Creative Teaching Community, Local Partnerships Forum, Mentoring, AI and Safeguarding Working Group), annual events (I Am Festival, Primary Arts Masterclasses), and a multi-channel digital presence (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, segmented newsletters). Strategic positioning is reinforced by high-tier cultural partnerships (BBC, V&A, Sadler's Wells, Aardman, Into Film, Young V&A, Tate Modern, London College of Fashion, Bow Arts) and CEO Steve Moffitt's 2024 MBE for services to arts and culture.
A New Direction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- A New Direction
- Legal name
- A New Direction London Ltd
- Website
- https://anewdirection.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- A New Direction is a London-based charity delivering free cultural education programmes to schools, the creative sector, and young East Londoners aged 18-30, including Primary Arts, the I Am disability-arts programme, and the Good Growth Hub.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
A New Direction industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts & Music Lessons (Dance, Drumming, Instrument Lessons, Theater) (THAJAKAC)
Keywords
Where A New Direction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
A New Direction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Grants and Funding: Primary revenue stream from charitable grants, likely from Arts Council England, local government, and private foundations supporting cultural education initiatives in London.
- Programme Delivery Contracts: Contracted delivery of cultural education programmes on behalf of partner organisations including schools, museums, and cultural institutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free programmes for young people aged 18-30 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
A New Direction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A New Direction is a London-based charity that delivers free cultural education programmes for state primary schools and SEND settings, creative careers and employment support for young East Londoners aged 18-30, and professional development training and peer networks for cultural sector professionals. Core programmes include Primary Arts, Good Growth Hub, STEP paid traineeships, Creative Connect, Freelance Exchange, Create Jobs platform, LookUp platform, I Am disability arts programme, Cultural Sector Masterclasses, and Space for Exchange. All programmes are provided free at the point of use, with revenue generated through charitable grants and contracted programme delivery.
Product overview
A New Direction operates as a portfolio of interconnected programmes and resources focused on cultural education and creative skills development in London. The core offerings include Primary Arts (providing free creative programmes for primary schools through touring, visits, masterclasses and twilight sessions), the Good Growth Hub (employment and skills hub for 18-30 year olds in East London), and Create Jobs (career platform connecting young creatives with opportunities). Supporting programmes include I Am (disability arts), STEP Placements (traineeships), Creative Connect (career support), Freelance Exchange, Cultural Sector Masterclasses, Space for Exchange, Teaching for Creativity, and Dreamachine. The organisation also provides extensive resources including Inclusive Progression Routes toolkits, Reset Digital Facilitation Toolkit, Radical Self Care Journal, and Doing It Justice resource. These offerings serve schools, teachers, young people (18-30), and the creative/cultural sector through a combination of direct programme delivery, online platforms, and professional networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Good Growth Hub: Creative hub in East London connecting local businesses with new, diverse talent, operated by A New Direction for 18-30 year olds
- Create Jobs
- LookUp
- Creative Connect
- STEP 13
- Primary Arts
- I Am
- Cultural Sector Masterclasses
- Space for Exchange
- Freelance Exchange
Companies that use A New Direction
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
A New Direction technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
A New Direction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.
- AardmanmajorOscar-winning animation studio partnered with A New Direction and Into Film for Primary Arts Go & See programme, offering Aardman exhibition and stop motion animation experiences at Young V&A.
- Into FilmmajorLeading educational film charity partnered with A New Direction and Aardman for Primary Arts Go & See programme.
- Good Growth HubcoreA New Direction operates the Good Growth Hub in East London, a creative hub connecting local businesses with diverse talent aged 18-30, offering career opportunities, training, and skills development across Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.
- Tate ModerncoreLong-standing partnership with Tate Modern for I Am Festival delivery at Tate Exchange space. Partnership celebrating 10th anniversary in 2025.
- Young V&AcorePartnership with Young V&A (formerly V&A Museum of Childhood) for I Am Festival 2025 and cultural programmes.
- AFKmajorAFK (A New Direction's partner) collaborated on I Am Festival 2025 celebrating 10th anniversary.
- Graeae Theatre CompanysupportingDisability-led theatre company delivering workshops for I Am Festival 2022, supporting inclusive practice.
- Corali DancesupportingDance company delivering workshops as part of I Am Festival 2022 school activities.
- Digit MusicsupportingMusic organisation delivering digital music workshops for I Am Festival 2022.
- BBCmajorMajor creative employer offering up to 30 STEP placement positions as part of programme providing traineeships for young East Londoners.
- V&AmajorVictoria and Albert Museum offering STEP placement opportunities for young East Londoners.
- Sadler's WellsmajorLeading dance organisation offering STEP placement opportunities in theatre and performance sector.
- London College of FashionmajorFashion education institution offering STEP placement opportunities in fashion and design sector.
- Bow ArtsmajorArts charity offering STEP placement opportunities in East London arts sector.
- Primary Arts Touring PartnersmajorCultural organisations delivering Primary Arts In-Schools Touring programme for 2026/27 including Arvon, Clowns Without Borders, LAStheatre, Mbilla Arts, Emergency Exit Arts, Groundswell Arts, London Mozart Players, and SLiDE.
- B&G PartnerssupportingLead Researcher partnership for Cultural Leadership Action Research Programme 2022-2023, working with place-based partnerships on monitoring and evaluation.
- CLPEsupportingCentre for Literacy in Primary Education partnered for National Year of Reading blog series celebrating Primary Arts Masterclasses 2026.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
A New Direction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Into Film: UK-wide educational film charity partnered with A New Direction for Primary Arts Go & See; directly comparable as a free cultural/creative education provider delivering into schools.
- Roundhouse: London-based charity providing creative programmes and training for young people aged 11–30, with direct overlap to A New Direction's young-people segment, creative-career pathways, and free cultural education offering.
- Create (London): UK charity focused on creative learning for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantage; directly comparable in mission, school-facing programmes, and youth creative-skills delivery model.
- Eastside Educational Trust: East London charity delivering cultural education programmes in schools and community settings; directly comparable by geography, target schools, and creative-curriculum delivery model.
- Ministry of Stories: London charity supporting young people's creative writing and arts engagement through workshops and mentoring; comparable in free programming for under-served young people and creative-sector skills development.
- Apples and Snakes: England's leading performance poetry and creative-spoken-word education charity working with schools and young people; overlaps with A New Direction on cultural education delivery, teacher CPD, and youth creative engagement.
- Children & the Arts: UK charity bridging schools and professional arts venues to widen cultural access for children; comparable mission and school-facing cultural education programme model.
Broad incumbents
- Sadler's Wells: Major dance venue and STEP placement partner; overlaps with A New Direction on inclusive dance education (Making Dance Possible for All) and on pathways into creative careers for East Londoners.
- National Youth Theatre: Established UK-wide charity developing young people's skills in theatre and performance; broader national reach than A New Direction but operates comparable creative-skills training and pathways for young people into the creative industries.
- Tate (Tate Modern / Tate Exchange): Major cultural institution and current A New Direction partner for I Am Festival; overlaps as a cultural-education delivery partner to schools and young people but operates a broader portfolio beyond youth-facing programming.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
A New Direction social profiles
Digital presenceA New Direction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
A New Direction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
A New Direction subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
A New Direction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
A New Direction 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 A New Direction
What does A New Direction do?
A New Direction is a London-based charity that delivers free cultural education programmes for state primary schools and SEND settings, creative careers and employment support for young East Londoners aged 18-30, and professional development training and peer networks for cultural sector professionals. Core programmes include Primary Arts, Good Growth Hub, STEP paid traineeships, Creative Connect, Freelance Exchange, Create Jobs platform, LookUp platform, I Am disability arts programme, Cultural Sector Masterclasses, and Space for Exchange. All programmes are provided free at the point of use, with revenue generated through charitable grants and contracted programme delivery.
Is A New Direction a public or private company?
A New Direction is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was A New Direction founded?
A New Direction was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is A New Direction based?
A New Direction is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does A New Direction make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are programme Delivery Contracts.
Who are A New Direction's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Into Film, Roundhouse, Create (London), Eastside Educational Trust, Ministry of Stories, Apples and Snakes and Children & the Arts. Broad incumbents are Sadler's Wells, National Youth Theatre and Tate (Tate Modern / Tate Exchange).
Does A New Direction have an API?
No public API is recorded for A New Direction.
What industry is A New Direction in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills), with a secondary code of THAJAKAC, Performing Arts & Music Lessons (Dance, Drumming, Instrument Lessons, Theater). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.