Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

What Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund does

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) is the official overseas aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Glasgow. It operates as a registered Scottish charity (SC012302) under the oversight of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, with a Board of Trustees and a staff complement of 11-50. SCIAF delivers humanitarian assistance, long-term development programmes, and policy advocacy across 27 countries — with operational hubs including Malawi, Gaza and the West Bank, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Rwanda, DRC, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bangladesh — through a partner-led model that channels funds via the global Caritas network (Caritas Jerusalem, Catholic Relief Services, CCJP Malawi) and other local implementing partners. Programme focus areas are hunger, water access, emergencies, gender equality, and climate justice, delivered through cash assistance, vocational training, agroecological projects, and disability inclusion initiatives.

The organisation's core products are fundraising vehicles rather than technology platforms: an online donations portal (one-off and recurring monthly giving), the annual WEE BOX Lent appeal, the Real Gifts online shop, themed emergency appeals (Malawi, Gaza, Venezuela), the Big Lent Walk for Water challenge, and advocacy campaigns such as Cancel Debt. It also produces educational resources including the Christlit-award-winning children's book 'The Wisdom of the River' and the Agroecological Toolkit for schools and parishes. The underlying technology stack is a standard web platform (sciaf.org.uk supporter portal and shop.sciaf.org.uk e-commerce storefront) with no proprietary technology, AI, or API offerings disclosed.

SCIAF's business model is donation-funded, with no commercial pricing. Revenue streams comprise individual donations (one-off and recurring subscriptions), themed fundraising appeals, retail sales through the Real Gifts shop, and institutional grants from the Scottish Government Humanitarian Emergency Fund, UK aid matching programmes, the Big Lottery Fund, and the European Union. Distribution is hybrid: digital channels (website, social media, email newsletter) for Scottish supporter acquisition, parish and school engagement for grassroots mobilisation, and Caritas partner organisations for in-country programme delivery.

Name

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

Legal name

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

Website

https://sciaf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) is the official international aid agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland, delivering humanitarian assistance, development programmes, and climate advocacy across 27 countries through Caritas partner organisations, funded by individual donations, fundraising appeals, and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Emergency Preparedness & Response Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAL), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• International humanitarian aid
• Emergency relief programmes
• Charitable fundraising campaigns
• Faith-based development
• Community education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters in Scotland and beyond. Monthly giving programme enables sustained donor relationships.
2. Fundraising Appeals: Themed fundraising campaigns including Emergency Hunger Appeal, WEE BOX Lent Appeal, Holy Land Crisis Appeal, Venezuela Earthquake Appeal, and Malawi Appeal. These generate targeted donations for specific humanitarian crises and development programmes.
3. Retail Sales (Real Gifts): SCIAF operates an online shop selling items like The Wisdom of the River children's book and Real Gifts that allow donors to purchase specific items for communities in need.
4. Institutional Funding: Grants from Scottish Government Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF), UK government aid matching programmes, EU funding, and Big Lottery Fund. Examples include £400,000 from Scottish Government HEF for Malawi crisis response.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCIAF raises funds from individual supporters, Catholic parishes, schools, and institutional funders to deliver humanitarian aid and long-term development programmes to vulnerable communities across 27 countries. Core supporter-facing products include online one-off and monthly donations, the annual WEE BOX Lent Appeal, the Real Gifts online gift shop, time-bound Emergency Appeals, the Big Lent Walk for Water challenge, and development education resources such as the Wisdom of the River children's book. Programme delivery is executed through partners including Caritas member agencies in beneficiary countries.

Product overview

SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) is a humanitarian charity that offers a portfolio of fundraising products and educational resources. The core offerings include an online donations platform supporting one-off and monthly giving, the annual WEE BOX Lent appeal, the Real Gifts catalog shop, and emergency appeals for humanitarian crises. Additional products include advocacy campaigns (Cancel Debt, Loss and Damage), educational resources (The Wisdom of the River book, Agroecological Toolkit, school/parish materials), and the Big Lent Walk for Water fundraising challenge. The organization operates primarily through its website and shop platform to engage supporters in tackling hunger, poverty, climate change, and injustice worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEE BOX: SCIAF's major Lent appeal campaign where supporters give up treats during Lent and donate the money saved to support vulnerable communities worldwide.
• Real Gifts
• Big Lent Walk for Water

Products and services

• SCIAF Online Donations Platform Online donation platform enabling supporters to make one-off or recurring monthly donations to SCIAF, donate to specific emergency appeals, and contribute to parish collections. The platform serves individual Scottish supporters and donors as the primary way to financially back the charity's humanitarian and development programmes.
• WEE BOX Lent Appeal Annual Lenten fundraising campaign in which supporters give up treats during Lent and donate the money saved to provide support to vulnerable communities worldwide. WEE BOX is SCIAF's flagship annual appeal, raising millions of pounds each year across Scottish Catholic parishes, schools, and households.
• Real Gifts Online Shop Online gift catalog at shop.sciaf.org.uk where supporters purchase symbolic gifts such as goats, seeds, water access, and training that fund real items and services for people in need. Retail-priced items include children's books and merchandise, with all proceeds supporting SCIAF's overseas programmes.
• The Wisdom of the River (children's book) Interactive children's book written by SCIAF Development Education Officer Elaine McGinlay, exploring themes of faith, sustainable development, and human flourishing through a choose-your-own-adventure format. Available in English and Gaelic, distributed to all Catholic primary schools in Scotland and sold via the SCIAF shop; winner of the Christlit Book Award.
• Emergency Humanitarian Appeals Time-limited fundraising appeals responding to specific humanitarian crises, including the Emergency Hunger Appeal (Malawi), Holy Land Crisis Appeal (Gaza/West Bank), Venezuela Earthquake Appeal, Ebola outbreak response, and Malawi flood response. Each appeal directs donations to SCIAF's Caritas network partners for immediate on-the-ground delivery.
• Big Lent Walk for Water Annual fundraising challenge during Lent in which participants walk 6 kilometers to raise awareness and funds for communities without access to clean water. Engages individual supporters, schools, and parish groups across Scotland.
• Development Education Resources Freely available educational materials including the Agroecological Toolkit, school resources, parish resources, and learning packs for teaching about global justice, climate change, and Catholic Social Teaching. Targeted at teachers, parish leaders, and group facilitators across Scotland.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,100 families reached with emergency assistance in Malawi (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TearfundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026SCIAF and Tearfund received £400,000 from Scottish Government's Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to support Malawi families affected by floods and food insecurity. Both charities distribute cash assistance and provide cholera prevention training through the partnership.
• Caritas JerusalemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCIAF supports Caritas Jerusalem's work providing primary health care, food and non-food items to people in need in Gaza and West Bank. Caritas Jerusalem aims to assist over 220,000 people in 2026.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCIAF works with CRS to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and West Bank. Together they have assisted over 1.7 million people.
• SEM (Sudan Evangelical Mission)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner providing support for people with disabilities in South Sudan, including facilitating life-changing surgery for individuals like Malia.
• Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in Malawi working on justice, peace, and development issues at community level.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Christian Aid: UK ecumenical international development agency focused on poverty and justice, with similar parish/church supporter mobilisation and emergency appeal operations. Comparable donor base and programme mix.
• Tearfund: UK-based Christian relief and development agency that co-receives Scottish Government HEF grants with SCIAF and operates a similar parish-and-supporter fundraising model. Most direct operational peer given the joint Malawi emergency response partnership.
• CAFOD (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development): The official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales, operating under the Bishops' Conference. Closely comparable Catholic identity, parish engagement model, and Caritas network integration.
• Islamic Relief Worldwide: Faith-based international relief and development NGO headquartered in the UK with a faith-driven donor mobilisation model paralleling SCIAF's Catholic parish/school approach, and similar humanitarian programming footprint.
• ActionAid UK: UK-based international development charity focused on women's rights, food security, and emergency response in Africa and Asia with a comparable programme portfolio to SCIAF.
• Trocaire: Irish Catholic aid agency with a near-identical Catholic identity, parish engagement, Lenten appeal (Trócaire Box), and Caritas-style partner delivery model. Highly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International UK: Major UK children's and girls' rights NGO with overlapping geographic and thematic programming, particularly around gender, education, and emergencies in countries where SCIAF works.
• World Vision UK: Large Christian child-focused humanitarian organisation with similar parish-and-sponsor fundraising mechanics and comparable programmes in Malawi, DRC, and Central America.
• Oxfam GB: One of the largest UK-based humanitarian and development NGOs with much broader scale but overlapping programme focus on food insecurity, gender, climate adaptation, and emergency response in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Save the Children UK: Major UK children's rights and humanitarian NGO with overlapping emergency response and long-term development programmes, including food security and education programming in countries where SCIAF operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sciaf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SCIAFTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCIAF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-scotland-sciaf-
• Instagraminstagram.com/sciaf_insta/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund