Mast Cell Action
Mast Cell Action is a Nottingham-based UK charity founded in 2016 that supports people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) through free educational resources, one-to-one peer support, virtual wellbeing events, and parliamentary advocacy, funded by donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNottingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mast Cell Action does
Mast Cell Action is a UK-registered charitable organisation (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity Number 1164917) founded in 2016 and headquartered in Nottingham, with a small operational team of 11-50 staff and trustees. Its mission is to promote progress in the awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), a complex multi-system condition that is frequently misdiagnosed or poorly understood within conventional healthcare. The organisation is founded and led by individuals with personal lived experience of MCAS, including CEO Joy Mason who has MCAS and cares for two children with the condition.
The charity's product portfolio is content- and service-led rather than technology-led. Core offerings include a free downloadable educational resource library (covering symptoms, triggers, testing, management, surgical/anaesthetic guidance, school and workplace adjustments), the Casper the Chameleon children's book, one-to-one peer and parent support from trained volunteers (approximately eight sessions per beneficiary via Zoom, phone, email or post), weekly virtual events (Qigong, Pilates, mindfulness), two UK Facebook support communities (adults and parents), the MCAS Voices youth group, and the Let's Talk MCAS podcast distributed on Spotify and Amazon. Resources are co-developed with Medical, Dietetic and Wellbeing Advisory Boards to ensure clinical credibility.
Mast Cell Action generates revenue entirely through charitable means: individual donations (with suggested tiers of £10, £25, £100 and the MCAS Heroes regular-giving programme), grant funding from bodies such as Postcode Places Trust (funded by People's Postcode Lottery players), match-funding campaigns including the Big Give Christmas Challenge, and a small affiliate donation stream from the Courier Pharmacy referral partnership. All services and resources are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The go-to-market motion is community-led, leveraging organic social media, content marketing, virtual events, peer support networks, and parliamentary advocacy through the co-founded Overlapping Illness Alliance to reach patients, parents, healthcare professionals, schools, and employers in the UK.
Mast Cell Action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mast Cell Action
- Legal name
- Mast Cell Action
- Website
- https://mastcellaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mast Cell Action is a Nottingham-based UK charity founded in 2016 that supports people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) through free educational resources, one-to-one peer support, virtual wellbeing events, and parliamentary advocacy, funded by donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mast Cell Action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Patient Advocacy and Rare Disease Support Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mast Cell Disorders Specialty Care (HLAKAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI)
Keywords
Where Mast Cell Action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nottingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mast Cell Action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual donations from the public, supporters, and beneficiaries. The charity appeals for donations with suggested amounts (e.g., £10, £25, £100) for specific purposes.
- Grants and Trust Funding: Funding from grant-giving charities such as Postcode Places Trust (funded by players of People's Postcode Lottery). The Big Give Christmas Challenge match funding campaign raised £16,030.
- Corporate Partnership Revenue Share: Partnership with Courier Pharmacy where the pharmacy makes a small donation to Mast Cell Action when community members use their referral link.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Mast Cell Action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mast Cell Action is a UK-registered charity that provides free educational resources, one-to-one peer and parent support, virtual wellbeing events, and advocacy services for people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and their families. Its core outputs include a downloadable resource library covering symptoms, triggers, testing, school and workplace adjustments, virtual community events, online peer support groups, and a children's book (Casper the Chameleon), all delivered free of charge.
Product overview
Mast Cell Action offers a comprehensive support ecosystem for people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, centred on educational resources, peer support services, and self-management tools. The charity provides free downloadable guides covering MCAS education, symptoms, triggers, testing, management, specialist diets, workplace adjustments, and school support. Its core services include one-to-one peer/parent support from trained volunteers with lived experience, virtual events programmes (Qigong, Pilates, mindfulness, yoga), and online Facebook support communities. Additional offerings include the Casper the Chameleon children's book, the Let's Talk MCAS podcast, self-management tools (symptom trackers, medication logs), and resources for healthcare professionals and schools. The charity functions primarily as an information and support organization rather than a software product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Peer / Parent Support Services
- Virtual Events Programme
- Educational Resource Library
- Casper the Chameleon Book
- Facebook Support Communities
- Let's Talk MCAS Podcast
- Anaesthetic and Surgical Guide
Companies that use Mast Cell Action
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Mast Cell Action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Mast Cell Action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Courier PharmacyminorPartnership offering 10% discount to Mast Cell Action community members on medication purchases. Courier Pharmacy also makes a small donation to Mast Cell Action when customers use the charity's referral link. Coupon code 'mastcell' available.
- CamRAREcoreCollaborated to create a Rare Disease Passport for people living with MCAS. The fillable, personalized health and care passport helps communicate key medical and care information in emergencies or when meeting new healthcare providers. Mast Cell Action branded passports are available through CamRARE's form.
- Overlapping Illness Alliance (OIA)coreMast Cell Action is a founding member of the Overlapping Illness Alliance, collaborating with other illness charities to push for meaningful, lasting change. The alliance held a parliamentary drop-in event attended by over 50 MPs, Peers, and colleagues to raise awareness of overlapping illnesses.
- Roseway LabsminorUK pharmacy that compounds medications free from excipients (additives/preservatives) that may trigger MCAS reactions. Recommended as an option for patients struggling with medication sensitivities.
- Genetic Alliance UKminorMast Cell Action is a member of Genetic Alliance UK, a charity making life better for people with genetic conditions. Provides networking and advocacy support for rare disease organizations.
- Purpose.co.ukminorWebsite design agency that provided generous pro-bono support in designing and building the Mast Cell Action website.
- Blinkio.co.ukminorWebsite design agency that provided generous pro-bono support in designing and building the Mast Cell Action website.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mast Cell Action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Anaphylaxis Campaign: UK charity providing support, information, and advocacy for people at risk of severe allergic reactions, with strong clinical and school-training programmes. Mast cell disorders are closely linked to anaphylaxis, making the audience and services substantially overlap.
- The Mastocytosis Society: US-based nonprofit dedicated to mast cell diseases including MCAS, mastocytosis, and hereditary alpha-tryptasaemia. Directly comparable mission and disease focus, though operating transatlantically and in a different regulatory environment.
- The Ehlers-Danlos Society: Global charity for Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders, which have a well-documented clinical overlap with MCAS. Runs very similar community education, HCP training, and research advocacy programmes.
- Allergy UK: UK national charity supporting people with allergies and intolerances, operating very similarly with helpline, peer communities, healthcare professional resources, and parliamentary advocacy. Highly comparable in mission, structure, and GTM.
Broad incumbents
- Asthma + Lung UK: Large UK respiratory charity with established helpline, peer support, and HCP resources. Larger and broader in scope but serves patients with overlapping symptom profiles and uses a comparable support-and-advocacy model.
- Genetic Alliance UK: Umbrella body of 200+ charities supporting those with genetic, rare and undiagnosed conditions, of which Mast Cell Action is itself a member. Comparable in advocacy function but operates as a federation rather than a single-disease charity.
- Rare Disease UK: UK campaign coalition for the rare disease community, focused on policy and NHS access. Comparable in parliamentary advocacy and stakeholder mobilisation, with overlapping concerns around diagnostic delay and specialist care.
Regional players
- National Eczema Society: UK charity providing information, support, and advocacy for people with eczema, a condition frequently co-occurring with MCAS. Comparable in mission and operating model, but disease-specific rather than MCAS-focused.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mast Cell Action social profiles
Digital presenceMast Cell Action compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Mast Cell Action financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mast Cell Action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Mast Cell Action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mast Cell Action 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 Mast Cell Action
What does Mast Cell Action do?
Mast Cell Action is a UK-registered charity that provides free educational resources, one-to-one peer and parent support, virtual wellbeing events, and advocacy services for people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and their families. Its core outputs include a downloadable resource library covering symptoms, triggers, testing, school and workplace adjustments, virtual community events, online peer support groups, and a children's book (Casper the Chameleon), all delivered free of charge.
Is Mast Cell Action a public or private company?
Mast Cell Action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mast Cell Action founded?
Mast Cell Action was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mast Cell Action based?
Mast Cell Action is headquartered in Nottingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Mast Cell Action make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are grants and Trust Funding and corporate Partnership Revenue Share.
Who are Mast Cell Action's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Anaphylaxis Campaign, The Mastocytosis Society, The Ehlers-Danlos Society and Allergy UK. Broad incumbents are Asthma + Lung UK, Genetic Alliance UK and Rare Disease UK. National Eczema Society is listed as a regional player.
Does Mast Cell Action have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mast Cell Action.
What industry is Mast Cell Action in?
Mast Cell Action's product category is Patient Advocacy and Rare Disease Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAAAH, Mast Cell Disorders Specialty Care, with a secondary code of BPAFADAK, Nonprofit & Cause Communications. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.