What DreamArts does

DreamArts is a UK registered charity (Charity Registration 1162525) headquartered at 18 Buckingham Palace Road, London, that delivers arts-based programmes fused with therapeutic support to children and young people aged 6-25 across the borough of Westminster. The organisation operates three interconnected core programmes: Experiment (weekend creative labs covering dance, acting, singing and devised performance work with professional theatre companies), Expand (youth leadership schemes including Foundation and Advanced Step Up programmes training 14-25 year-olds to run their own creative projects), and Express (a therapeutic offering comprising Express Plus 1-to-1 creative therapy delivered by HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapists, Express Collective group work for young carers and unaccompanied refugees, and Family Express parent-child sessions). Clinical underpinning is provided by the proprietary PACE (Playful, Accepting, Curious, Empathetic) framework, and Express Plus is positioned as the only therapy service of its kind in Westminster.

The organisation is run by a small team of 11-50 staff led by co-founder and Chief Executive Graham Whitlock, supported by Artistic Director Catherine Palmer and Therapeutic Director Fariha Rashid, with delivery spread across community venues including The Abbey Centre, City of Westminster College, and The Cockpit Theatre. Notable operational partners include Les Enfants Terribles as theatre-company-in-residence, Westminster Early Help Service as a Core Partner, Westminster City Council's City Lions initiative, Christie's (Charity of the Year 2018), and William Jackson Food Group. Impact metrics cited include 500+ young people reached annually, 98% reporting improved teamwork, 100% reporting feeling welcome, and 80% retention after three sessions in Express Plus.

The business model is non-commercial: revenue is derived primarily from trust and foundation grants (Arts Council England, Young Westminster Foundation), local authority commissioning (Westminster City Council), corporate partnerships, and a tiered individual donor programme ranging from £5/month (Applause) to £100/month (Chorus of Angels) with gift aid. A small fee-based stream exists via the Experiment programme at £3 per day with the first session free and concessions available; Express Plus is delivered free of charge. There is no software product, no API, no mobile app, and no use of AI/ML in delivery. The 'All Together Now' impact study was conducted by The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and launched at GLA City Hall.

Name

DreamArts

Legal name

DreamArts

Website

https://dreamarts.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DreamArts is a Westminster-based UK registered charity delivering arts-based creative and therapeutic programmes for 500+ children and young people aged 6-25 annually, funded by grants, corporate partnerships, and individual donations rather than commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts and Therapy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Youth arts programs
• Arts therapy services
• Creative therapy workshops
• Youth leadership training
• Therapeutic youth services

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Relies on donations from individuals, corporate partners, and trust/foundation grants. Multiple donation tiers available for monthly recurring support.
2. Participant Contributions: Small daily fees for Experiment program (£3 per day) with first session free for new members. Discounts available for siblings, concessions and bursary places on case-by-case basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DreamArts is a Westminster-based registered charity that delivers arts and therapeutic programmes to young people aged 6-25. Its core offering comprises three interconnected programmes — Experiment (weekend creative labs in dance, acting, singing and devised performance), Expand (youth leadership and project-running schemes), and Express (therapeutic services including 1-to-1 therapy, group projects for young carers and unaccompanied refugees, and parent-child sessions). Services are delivered in person at community venues and through partner schools and agencies across Westminster.

Product overview

DreamArts is a youth arts charity offering a portfolio of creative and therapeutic programmes for young people aged 6-25 in Westminster, London. The core offering comprises three interconnected programmes: Experiment (weekend creative labs for ages 6-19 covering dance, acting, singing, and devised performance work), Expand (youth leadership schemes including the Foundation and Advanced Step Up programmes for ages 14-25 to run their own creative projects), and Express (a therapeutic programme with Express Plus 1-to-1 therapy, Express Collective group work for young carers and refugees, and Family Express parent-child sessions). The organisation also facilitates DreamArts Rep, a performance company producing original theatre, and partners on City Lions for cultural access. Funding is supported through a donation tiers programme. These programmes collectively enable young people to develop creative skills, leadership abilities, and emotional wellbeing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experiment Weekend creative labs for ages 6-19 enabling young people to develop dance, acting, and singing skills while devising their own work such as new musicals, short films, and immersive theatre shows with professional theatre companies. Participants attend at a cost of £3 per day with first session free.
• Expand Youth leadership development scheme for ages 14-25 providing training and support for young people to devise and run their own creative projects. Includes the Foundation Step Up scheme (2-day hands-on training) and the Advanced Step Up scheme (3-day programme with project management skills, budget, venue slot, and mentor support).
• Express Pioneering creative and therapeutic programme that combines arts practice with therapy, comprising Express Plus (1-to-1 arts therapy), Express Collective (group projects for young carers and unaccompanied refugees), and Family Express (parent-child creative sessions). Uses the PACE Approach (Playful, Accepting, Curious, Empathetic).
• Express Plus Free 1-to-1 or parent-child creative therapeutic support service for young people aged 7-18 (up to 25 with additional needs) in Westminster, offering up to 18 weekly sessions delivered by qualified therapists and HCPC-registered art psychotherapists.
• Express Collective Group creative projects including Carers Express (supporting young carers) and Friends From Afar (for unaccompanied asylum seekers), empowering young people to explore issues through creative mediums.
• Family Express Parent-and-child creative workshops that strengthen family relationships through play and creativity, empowering families to communicate and connect.
• DreamArts Rep Performance company for young people creating and performing original theatre productions, including work with theatre companies such as Les Enfants Terribles, and producing interactive immersive online films such as Stained Glass.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ young people impacted annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Christie'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Christie's global art business chose DreamArts as its Charity of the Year in 2018. Partnership includes hosting DreamArts projects as well as Christie's staff raising funds to support the charity's work. Christie's wants to have a local impact on the lives of children and young people living in Westminster where their London auction house is based.
• Westminster Early Help ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDreamArts is a Core Partner working closely with Early Help Service locality teams to support young people at risk of entering care and/or the youth justice system, and supporting those at risk of school exclusion.
• Queen's Park Primary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Westminster primary school that places wellbeing at the heart of all it does. They lead the Westminster Children's University initiative which encourages and accredits children with getting involved in positive activities.
• William Jackson Food GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSixth-generation family business whose brands include Abel and Cole. They have chosen DreamArts to support over 3 years.
• City LionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Lions is an initiative by Westminster City Council to empower 13-16 year olds to access the wealth of creative opportunities on their doorstep. DreamArts helped develop City Lions and supports aspects of its delivery.
• Les Enfants TerriblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning internationally acclaimed theatre company that has been DreamArts theatre-company-in-residence, empowering young people to develop original immersive theatre pieces and exploring puppetry.
• The Cockpit Theatre / City of Westminster CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue and partner for DreamArts ongoing provision for children and young people in Church Street.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clean Break Theatre Company: UK theatre charity working with women and non-binary people affected by the criminal justice system, with established education and participation programmes for young women at risk. Comparable therapeutic-arts hybrid model serving vulnerable young Londoners.
• The Roundhouse: Camden-based charitable trust running creative programmes and projects for 11–25 year-olds in London. Direct comparison: same beneficiary age band, same arts-led youth-development proposition, similar partnership-driven funding model with Arts Council England.
• Graeae Theatre Company: London-based charity producing inclusive theatre with and for disabled people, running participation programmes for young disabled artists. Comparable operating profile (small team, arts-and-access mission, Creative Case for Diversity funder base) and strong narrative overlap with DreamArts' Express Plus work with marginalised youth.
• Talawa Theatre Company: Black-led London theatre charity producing and touring work while running talent and participation programmes for Black young people. Comparable on London base, charitable structure, youth-talent development, and partnerships with mainstream arts venues.
• Chickenshed Theatre Company: UK youth theatre charity in North London delivering inclusive participatory theatre and outreach programmes for children and young people. Most comparable to DreamArts in mission (access through creative practice), operating model (charity delivering arts programmes for under-served youth), and age range served.
• Tender Education and Arts: UK arts-education charity using drama and discussion to prevent abuse and promote healthy relationships, working primarily with young people in schools and youth settings. Directly comparable charitable structure, beneficiary population, and creative-intervention methodology.
• Battersea Arts Centre: South London arts charity programming participatory and emerging-artist work, including youth-focused festivals and creative development programmes. Comparable as a London-based charitable arts venue with strong youth/community programming and Arts Council England ties.

Broad incumbents

• The BRIT School: Large free performing-arts school for 14–19 year-olds in Croydon/SEL. Comparable as an arts-education pipeline for young Londoners but at much greater scale, established statutory funding model, and selection-driven intake — distinct in scale and structure from DreamArts' open-access community model.
• National Youth Theatre: Large-scale UK charity developing young people's skills through theatre, with national reach and a far higher operating budget. Comparable on youth theatre and creative-leadership proposition but operates at materially greater scale and brand recognition.

Others

• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama: London HE institution that produced the published impact study of DreamArts. Comparable as a stakeholder/evaluator in the youth-arts evidence ecosystem rather than a direct competitor; academic-research linkage and shared domain (applied theatre with young people).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dreamartslndn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DreamArtsLondon
• Facebookfacebook.com/DreamArtsLondonWestminster
• Instagraminstagram.com/dreamartslndn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dreamarts-charity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 DreamArts