Family Holiday Charity

What Family Holiday Charity does

Family Holiday Charity is a UK-registered charity (England and Wales 800262; Scotland SC048203; Company Number 02301337), founded in 1975 and headquartered at Canopi, 82 Tanner Street, London SE1 3GN. Its mission is to provide funded UK holidays and day trips to families with dependent children under 18 who cannot afford a break together, targeting households earning under £24,000 with no holiday in the past four years and facing illness, disability, bereavement, abuse, isolation or complex care arrangements. Since founding, the charity reports supporting 58,650 families and 235,211 people against a stated UK market of 2.5 million families unable to afford a one-week holiday.

The core operating model is a referrer-gated distribution network: applications for holidays can only be submitted by registered referrers working for statutory services or registered charities (social workers, health visitors, teachers, family support workers, refuge support workers), not directly by families. Holiday delivery is executed primarily through Inspire Travel, providing self-catered UK accommodation for up to four nights, with contributions towards travel and food; reported outcome metrics include 92% of supported families noting a positive mental-health impact and 83% reporting increased optimism about the future, at an average programme cost of £767 per family of four.

The charity runs a diversified fundraising stack including individual donations (one-off, regular, text-to-donate to 70580, Gift a Holiday at £145 per family, workplace giving, Gift Aid), a regulated weekly lottery (via Unity Lottery / Sterling Management Centre, £1 per entry, 50% of proceeds to charity, top prize £25,000), event fundraising (notably TCS London Marathon places at £100 registration plus a £2,301 pledge), corporate partnerships (Airbnb committed £300,000 in 2026), gifts in kind (accommodation, transport, attractions), and integrations with JustGiving, Memory Giving, ShareGift, Facebook Fundraisers and Amazon Wishlist. Technology is standard web-based with third-party services for payments, lottery, text donations and consent management; no proprietary AI/ML or platform IP is disclosed. The charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, licensed by the Gambling Commission, and operates with a small team of 11–50 employees.

Name

Family Holiday Charity

Legal name

Family Holiday Charity

Website

https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family Holiday Charity is a UK-registered charity founded in 1975 that provides funded holidays and day trips to low-income families with dependent children facing illness, bereavement or hardship, distributed exclusively through a vetted network of social workers, health visitors, teachers and refuge workers, and funded by donations, a regulated weekly lottery, events and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Holiday Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Family holiday charity
• Funded family holidays
• Charity donations
• Low income family support
• Family wellbeing 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, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations (One-time and Regular): Individual donors can make one-off or regular donations through the website, text-to-donate, direct debit, or payroll giving. Companies can also donate directly or through matched funding schemes.
2. Weekly Lottery: Family Holiday Charity Weekly Lottery operated via Unity Lottery platform managed by Sterling Management Centre. Players pay £1 per week (or £4.34/month via Direct Debit) for up to 20 chances per weekly Friday draw with prizes up to £25,000. 50% of proceeds go to the charity.
3. Event Fundraising: Runners pay a registration fee (£100 for London Marathon) and pledge to raise minimum fundraising targets (£2,301 for London Marathon). Third-party event participants also fundraise for the charity.
4. Gift in Kind Donations: Corporate partners and individuals donate services, experiences, activities, accommodation, transport vouchers, attraction tickets, and other holiday-related contributions.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Companies like Airbnb make significant donations (£300,000 in 2026) and may provide holiday accommodations or funding for families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Family Holiday Charity is a UK-registered charity founded in 1975 that provides funded holidays for low-income families facing tough times such as illness, disability, bereavement, isolation, or financial hardship. Eligible families (household income under £24,000, no holiday in the past four years, at least one child under 18) receive self-catered UK accommodation for up to four nights with contributions towards travel and food, distributed exclusively through a network of registered professional referrers.

Product overview

Family Holiday Charity operates as a charitable organization offering a portfolio of holiday and fundraising products. The core offering consists of the Funded Holiday Programme, which provides UK-based holidays for families meeting specific eligibility criteria (income under £24,000, no holiday in 4 years, children under 18). This is supported by the Referrer Programme, which trains and manages a network of professionals who identify and support eligible families. Additional holiday products include the Gifted Breaks Programme (partner-donated holidays) and Day Trip Tickets (attraction donations). The organization also operates a Weekly Lottery (prizes up to £25,000) and manages fundraising events including the TCS London Marathon. Donation products include Gift a Holiday (£145 per family), In Memory Giving, Donate an Occasion, Gifts in Kind, and ShareGift. All products and services are coordinated through the organization's website at familyholidaycharity.org.uk.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Holiday Charity Weekly Lottery: A weekly charity lottery where players can win prizes up to £25,000 while supporting the charity's mission. Players pay £1 per week for a chance to win various prizes.
• Gift a Holiday

Products and services

• Funded Holiday Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of families said holiday had positive impact on mental health and wellbeing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Inspire TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspire Travel is the primary holiday provider for Family Holiday Charity's funded holiday programme. They offer a wide range of self-catered accommodations including caravans, lodges, and cottages across the UK. The partnership enables the charity to offer diverse holiday options to families.
• DonrsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDonr is the text-to-donate service provider enabling mobile phone donations to Family Holiday Charity. Supports both regular and single text donations.
• Donate (National Funding Scheme)supportingTechnology or IntegrationDonate (operating as DONATE) is the trading name of the National Funding Scheme, a charity providing text-to-donate services for other charities. Provides the technical infrastructure for text donation campaigns.
• Sterling Management Centre (Unity Lottery)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSterling Management Centre Limited acts as External Lottery Manager for Family Holiday Charity Weekly Lottery, licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission (account number 3137). They handle lottery operations, draws, prize payments, and member management under the Unity lottery system.
• JustGivingsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJustGiving platform is used for memorial donations and occasion-based fundraising pages, allowing supporters to create fundraising pages with donations going directly to Family Holiday Charity.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Children's Adventure Farm Trust: UK charity providing residential holidays and activity breaks for disadvantaged children referred by social services and schools. Directly comparable referral network, beneficiary focus on children facing hardship, and UK holiday delivery model.
• Family Lives: UK charity providing family support through helplines, online advice, and family programs. Comparable UK nonprofit profile supporting families under stress, with overlapping beneficiary audience.
• Family Fund: UK's largest charity providing grants to families raising disabled or seriously ill children, often used for holidays, days out, and short breaks. Highly comparable beneficiary profile (low-income families with children facing illness/disability) and similar grant/holiday distribution mechanism.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, supporting respite and short break provision. Overlapping beneficiary segment (families facing illness) and UK-wide short-break/respite focus.
• Winston's Wish: UK charity supporting bereaved children and families, including residential bereavement support and short breaks. Overlapping beneficiary profile (families facing bereavement is one of Family Holiday Charity's named segments).
• Family Action: Long-established UK family support charity providing grants, advice, and services to disadvantaged families. Operates Family Fund grants and Befriending schemes — directly comparable family-hardship mission and UK nonprofit delivery model.
• KidsOut: UK charity providing fun days out, toys, and holidays for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, often referred via social services. Closely aligned model combining day trips and longer holiday experiences for children in need across the UK.
• Buttle UK: UK charity providing financial grants for basic needs (beds, fridges, clothing) and positive experiences (days out, short breaks) to children and families in crisis. Comparable beneficiary profile (families facing hardship) with similar small-grant funding approach.
• Carers Trust: UK charity supporting unpaid carers, including young carers and family carers, with breaks, respite, and direct services. Comparable referral-based delivery, beneficiary overlap (families with caring responsibilities), and UK-only scope.
• Honeypot Children's Charity: UK charity providing respite breaks and holidays for young carers aged 5–12. Directly comparable mission (providing funded holidays to vulnerable UK children/families), referral-based distribution model, and small-team UK nonprofit operating structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/famholcharity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FamilyHolidayCharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/familyholidaycharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-holiday-charity
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyholidaycharity

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Family Holiday Charity