Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity
Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity is a registered UK charity that raises and distributes donations — totalling £9m annually — to fund equipment, research, environments, and patient experience programmes at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, serving 100,000+ sick children each year.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity does
Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity is a registered charity (1160875) and Company Limited by Guarantee (09404174) operating as the official fundraising vehicle for Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust. Founded in the modern corporate form in 2015 and tracing its hospital-supporting mission back over 160 years, the charity serves 100,000+ sick children treated annually at Birmingham Children's Hospital — the only major-trauma paediatric centre in the Midlands. Its sole beneficiary is the NHS Foundation Trust, to which it channels funds for life-saving equipment, hospital environments, paediatric research, and patient experience programmes.
The charity's product surface is a portfolio of capital appeals (Emergency Department £2m, It Starts Here £3m entrance transformation, iMRI £1.5m, Critical Journeys ambulances), recurring programmatic appeals (MediCinema, All About Play, Every Spirit Every Step chaplaincy, Research Learning and Innovation), donor programmes (Weekly Lottery, Regular Giving, Legacy Giving, Corporate Changemakers), and facilities it has funded (Magnolia House, Roald Dahl Windows, Hope Aquarium). Underlying technology is non-proprietary: standard payment rails (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay), text-giving via the National Funding Scheme (DONATE) and EasyDonate, age verification through AgeChecked, and web analytics through Google Analytics and Facebook Custom/Lookalike Audiences. The trading arm, Red Balloon Trading CIC, operates the online shop and on-site Fundraising Hub.
The business model is multi-channel donation-driven fundraising rather than commercial revenue. FY2024/25 total income of £9.031m comprised Donations and Legacies (£5.961m, 66%), Events (£2.044m, 23%), Investment income (£0.823m, 9%), and Trading (£0.203m, 2%). Distribution channels span direct-to-consumer (website, text codes GIVEBCH/DOMORE/LOVEBCH, lottery), event-driven (marathons, skydives, abseils, dragon boat races), and community/corporate-led (Changemakers tiers, payroll giving, school and football-team fundraisers). With 1–10 employees, a head office at 5 Rowchester Court and operational base at Birmingham Children's Hospital (Steelhouse Lane, B4 6NH), and a five-year cumulative income of £37.431m, the organisation channels approximately 66p of every £1 donated directly to the NHS Trust.
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity
- Legal name
- Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity
- Website
- https://bch.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity is a registered UK charity that raises and distributes donations — totalling £9m annually — to fund equipment, research, environments, and patient experience programmes at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, serving 100,000+ sick children each year.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Fundraising (Hospital Charity)
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Chronic Disease & Health Promotion Program Funding (HLAJALAJ), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)
Keywords
Where Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Donations and Legacies: Income from regular gifts, corporate partner donations, community fundraisers, trusts, major donors, and bequests left in wills. This is the largest revenue stream at £5.961m in 2024/25.
- Events: Money raised from event fees and sponsorship for events organized directly (abseils, challenges) and third-party events (marathons). Generated £2.044m in 2024/25.
- Investments: Income from interest on reserves and other investments. Generated £823,000 in 2024/25.
- Trading: Sales from online shop and Fundraising Hub at Birmingham Children's Hospital through trading entity Red Balloon Trading CIC. Generated £203,000 in 2024/25.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Donation/ grant-funded | Monthly | Suggested one-off donation amounts |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Weekly lottery participation |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One time | Text donation codes |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Raffle ticket |
| Other | One time | Tandem skydive registration |
| Other | One time | Sydney Marathon charity place |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The charity raises money to provide benefits for patients at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, funding life-saving equipment, child-friendly hospital environments, paediatric research, and patient welfare programmes that go beyond standard NHS provision. Its core products and services include a weekly lottery, regular (monthly) giving programme, legacy giving programme, a portfolio of major fundraising appeals, corporate partnership packages, and a merchandise online shop operated through its trading subsidiary Red Balloon Trading CIC.
Product overview
Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity operates a comprehensive charitable portfolio supporting the NHS Foundation Trust. The offering includes multiple fundraising appeals (Emergency Department Appeal, It Starts Here Appeal, MediCinema Appeal, All About Play, EnjoyArt, Every Spirit Every Step, Research Learning and Innovation, Critical Journeys, iMRI) targeting specific hospital improvements and patient services. Core fundraising products include a Weekly Lottery, Regular Giving Programme, Legacy Giving, and Corporate Partnership Programme. The charity funds major facilities such as Magnolia House palliative care, Roald Dahl Windows, and Hope Aquarium. Supporting infrastructure includes an online shop operated through Red Balloon Trading CIC, an accessibility interface powered by accessiBe, and integration with payment processors (Visa, Mastercard, Google Pay, Apple Pay) and donation platforms (DONATE, EasyDonate). Total income for 2024/25 was £9.031 million from donations, events, investments, and trading.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Weekly Lottery A weekly Society Lottery operated under the Gambling Act 2005 (Registration No. 1160875) that gives supporters the chance to win prizes while supporting Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital.
- Regular Giving Programme Monthly giving programme allowing supporters to make ongoing donations that fund care, comfort and hope for children treated at the hospital.
- Legacy Giving programme Gift in Will programme enabling supporters to leave a lasting legacy of care and support for children and families by including the charity in their will.
- Corporate Partnership Programme Corporate partnership offering including the Changemakers tiers (Associate, Partner, Pioneer), Corporate Gift in Kind, Corporate Sponsorship, Employee Fundraising and Payroll Giving.
- Online Shop and Fundraising Hub Merchandise shop operating at shopbwc.org and via the Fundraising Hub at Birmingham Children's Hospital, run through wholly-owned trading subsidiary Red Balloon Trading CIC.
- Emergency Department Appeal A £2m fundraising appeal to expand and transform the Emergency Department at Birmingham Children's Hospital, including new waiting areas, clinical spaces with child-friendly features, a sensory room, dedicated mental-health safe space, family room, Changing Places toilet, baby change/feeding room and new mobile x-ray equipment.
- It Starts Here Appeal A £3m appeal to transform the hospital's main entrance into a bright, child-friendly space including a 2,200-litre Hope Aquarium, with construction underway including installation of glulam beams and new roof structure.
- MediCinema Appeal Fundraising appeal requiring £100,000 annually to sustain a state-of-the-art MediCinema facility in the hospital with 84 purpose-made movie-style seats (including space for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment), delivering around 260 screenings per annum for roughly 5,000 attendees at no cost to patients, families or the NHS.
- Research Learning and Innovation Appeal Annual £1m commitment to support research across Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, funding studies into childhood diseases to develop better treatments and improve patient outcomes.
- iMRI Appeal £1.5m appeal to bring intraoperative MRI technology for brain tumour and epilepsy surgery, allowing surgeons to verify complete tumour removal during procedures.
- Critical Journeys Appeal Funding appeal for four critical care ambulances with life-saving medical equipment used by the KIDS/NTS service that transfers over 2,000 critically ill babies and children annually.
- Every Spirit Every Step Appeal £90,000 annual funding appeal for the Chaplaincy team providing spiritual, religious and pastoral support, bereavement support, multi-faith celebrations and a patient choir.
- All About Play Appeal Annual funding of over £400,000 supporting 15 Play and Recreation Facilitators providing play, arts, crafts and distraction activities for more than 250 children and families daily.
- EnjoyArt Programme Fully funded arts programme featuring professional artists, musicians and entertainers delivering interactive sessions including Singing Medicine, Rhythm Time and Let's Animate for patients and families.
Quantifiable outcome
- 67% more patients than designed capacity - over 67,000 children treated annually in Emergency Department designed for 40,000
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, supporting and flagship.
- MediCinemamajorPartnership to bring a state-of-the-art MediCinema to the hospital. The cinema features 84 purpose-made, movie-style seats with space for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment. Expected to provide 260 screenings per annum to approximately 5,000 attendees yearly at no cost to patients/families or the NHS. Charity needs to raise £100,000 annually to sustain the programme.
- BSN GroupcoreConstruction team undertaking the £3m It Starts Here Appeal transformation of the hospital's main entrance, including installation of glulam beams and new roof structure.
- St John AmbulancecoreRuns four critical care ambulances for the Kids Intensive Care and Decision Support Service (KIDS/NTS) that transfers over 2,000 babies and children annually. Critical Journeys Appeal funded new state-of-the-art equipment for each ambulance.
- National Funding Scheme (DONATE)supportingProcesses and administers text code donations (GIVEBCH, DOMORE, LOVEBCH) for the charity. Registered charity No. 1149800.
- Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation TrustflagshipThe primary beneficiary of all charitable donations. The charity exists to provide funding above and beyond what NHS alone can offer for equipment, research, environments, and patient welfare. Joint working on appeals and projects.
- Sir Quentin BlakemajorRenowned illustrator who generously donated original Roald Dahl character illustrations for stained-glass windows at Waterfall House entrance, creating a world of pure imagination for patients.
- Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's CharitysupportingCharity connected to the Roald Dahl windows project; HRM Queen Camilla (then The Duchess of Cornwall) is Royal Patron.
- BBC WMmajorRadio station partnered with the charity for the £1.5m Kidney Kids Appeal to create a world-class 12-bedded renal unit. Partnership helped hit target in just 16 months in October 2009.
- Red Balloon Trading CICsupportingWholly owned trading subsidiary (Community Interest Company, registered No. 05996296) that operates the online shop and trading activities generating £203,000 in 2024/25.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity: Fundraising arm of Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, a major UK paediatric teaching hospital. Directly comparable in supporting a large regional children's NHS Trust with similar donation, events, and lottery-based income streams.
- Evelina London Children's Charity: Charity supporting Evelina London Children's Hospital, part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Comparable as a specialist paediatric hospital charity with similar mix of appeals, regular giving, and capital project fundraising.
- Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity: Charity for Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, a specialist paediatric provider. Directly comparable in mission, NHS-hospital-affiliated charity model, and mid-sized regional fundraising scale.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity: The fundraising charity for Great Ormond Street Hospital, the UK's other flagship specialist children's hospital. Directly comparable in mission (funding paediatric hospital equipment, research, and family services), donation-driven revenue model, and appeal-based GTM.
- Alder Hey Children's Charity: Charitable arm of Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. Directly comparable as a regional specialist children's hospital charity with similar fundraising portfolio including appeals, lottery, regular giving, and corporate partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- Cancer Research UK: UK's largest health charity. Competes for the same discretionary donor pool and runs similar lottery, regular giving, and legacy programmes, but with a national research-funding mandate rather than a single hospital beneficiary.
- Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK health charity operating a national fundraising and volunteer infrastructure. Comparable in donation-led revenue model and multi-channel GTM, but focused on adult cancer support services rather than a single hospital.
Others
- NHS Charities Together: Umbrella membership organisation for NHS-affiliated charities. While not a direct fundraiser, it is the closest sector-level peer for governance, regulatory benchmarking, and collective fundraising initiatives such as the national COVID-19 appeal.
Emerging players
- Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity: UK children's health charity providing specialist nursing and other paediatric services. Connected to BWCHC via the Roald Dahl Windows partnership and HRH Queen Camilla patronage; comparable in mission (sick children) but operates a direct-service rather than hospital-funding model.
Regional players
- Bristol Children's Hospital Charity: South West-based hospital charity supporting Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Comparable in paediatric hospital fundraising but serves a different UK region; useful peer for benchmarking donor engagement in a distinct geographic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity 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 Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity
What does Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity do?
The charity raises money to provide benefits for patients at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, funding life-saving equipment, child-friendly hospital environments, paediatric research, and patient welfare programmes that go beyond standard NHS provision. Its core products and services include a weekly lottery, regular (monthly) giving programme, legacy giving programme, a portfolio of major fundraising appeals, corporate partnership packages, and a merchandise online shop operated through its trading subsidiary Red Balloon Trading CIC.
Is Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity a public or private company?
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity founded?
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity based?
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Legacies are the primary driver. The others are events, investments and trading.
Who are Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity, Evelina London Children's Charity, Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and Alder Hey Children's Charity. Broad incumbents are Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support. NHS Charities Together is listed as an others. Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity is listed as an emerging player. Bristol Children's Hospital Charity is listed as a regional player.
Does Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity have an API?
No public API is recorded for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity.
What industry is Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity in?
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity's product category is Healthcare Fundraising (Hospital Charity). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAB, Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers, with a secondary code of BPAGACAK, Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8300.