Shakti Women's Aid

What Shakti Women's Aid does

Shakti Women's Aid is a registered Scottish charity (SC008837) and company limited by guarantee (SC273279), headquartered in Edinburgh, that provides specialist domestic abuse support services to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women, children, and young people across Scotland. The organization was founded in 1985/1986 and has been operating for nearly four decades, building deep community trust and cultural competency in serving BME survivors. Its service portfolio includes refuge accommodation, outreach support, advocacy, training, and consultancy, delivered across Edinburgh, Fife, Tayside, Falkirk, and the Lothians, with Scotland-wide telephone and email support.

The organization's product surface has expanded to include specialized projects addressing underserved populations within the BME survivor community. The MAITRI project, launched in 2020, established Scotland's first domestic abuse and sexual violence service for BME LGBTI individuals. The SMV (Safety for Migrant Victims) scheme extends provision to migrant women with no recourse to public funds. Shakti is a member of the Scottish Women's Aid federation, integrating it into the national referral and policy infrastructure.

Shakti's revenue model is grant-funded, with principal income sourced from the Scottish Government, the Big Lottery Fund, and the City of Edinburgh Council. Supplementary income is generated through training and consultancy services delivered to external agencies and professionals. The charity employs 11-50 staff and operates as a non-profit with no equity shareholders; surpluses are reinvested into service delivery.

Name

Shakti Women's Aid

Legal name

Shakti Women's Aid

Website

https://shaktiedinburgh.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shakti Women's Aid is an Edinburgh-based Scottish charity that provides specialist domestic abuse refuge, outreach, and advocacy services for Black and Minority Ethnic women, children, and young people across Scotland, including BME LGBTI and migrant NRPF survivors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Abuse Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse support
• BME women's services
• Refuge accommodation
• Migrant victim support
• Violence against women

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable funding and donations: Shakti Women's Aid is a registered Scottish charity (SC008837) that operates as a company limited by guarantee (SC273279). The organization relies on charitable funding from government bodies and lottery sources, as well as public donations, to fund its domestic abuse support services for BME women, children and young people.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shakti Women's Aid is a Scottish charity that provides free, specialized domestic abuse support services to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women, children and young people. Core offerings include individualized key-worker support, safety planning, refuge accommodation (four self-contained flats in Edinburgh), the Support to Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme for those with No Recourse to Public Funds, LGBTI-tailored services through the MAITRI project, multilingual support, and practice-based training and consultancy for partner agencies.

Product overview

Shakti Women's Aid offers a unified suite of domestic abuse support services specifically designed for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women, children, and young people. The core offering centers on Women's Services with dedicated key worker support, safety planning, and practical assistance, complemented by Children and Young People's Services for affected family members. Safe accommodation is provided through Refuge Accommodation (four self-contained flats in Edinburgh with UK-wide network access). A specialized Support to Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme addresses the needs of those with No Recourse to Public Funds. The organization also delivers Consultancy and Expertise for agencies and Training Services for practitioners, with specific LGBTI Services through the MAITRI project. Language accessibility is supported through multilingual staff and interpreter services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAITRI: A project launched in February 2020 to support individuals from the BME LGBT+ community.

Products and services

• Women's Services Individualised support for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women experiencing domestic abuse, including key-worker support, safety planning, advice on rights and options, and practical assistance with accommodation, legal protection, immigration matters and benefits access. Delivered in Edinburgh and the Lothians with outreach in Fife, Tayside and Falkirk.
• Children and Young People's Services Specialist support for children and young people (up to age 18) affected by domestic abuse, including age-appropriate counselling about abuse and safety, school liaison, advocacy with teachers and other services, and help with transitions such as changing schools or moving home.
• Refuge Accommodation Temporary safe accommodation consisting of four self-contained flats in Edinburgh for single women and women with children fleeing domestic abuse, with additional refuge placement arranged through Women's Aid networks across Fife, Falkirk, Tayside, the Lothians and the rest of the UK.
• Support to Migrant Victims (SMV) with NRPF Scheme supporting migrant victims of domestic and gender-related abuse who have No Recourse to Public Funds, providing up to 12 weeks of safe accommodation (extendable by 4 weeks in exceptional cases), weekly subsistence payments, Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) support, and signposting to immigration law practitioners.
• Consultancy and Expertise Policy and practice consultancy for local authorities and voluntary-sector organisations on improving responses to BME women and children experiencing domestic abuse, including practitioner guidance, campaign and advocacy support, and contribution to working groups on violence against women.
• Training Services Practice-based training on issues affecting BME women experiencing domestic abuse, including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, honour-based abuse and immigration-based abuse with No Recourse to Public Funds. Delivered as multi-agency training for practitioners and customised training for individual organisations.
• MAITRI Project Project launched in February 2020 in partnership with specialised LGBTI organisations to support individuals from the BME LGBT+ community experiencing domestic abuse, including women and young people under 18 who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex.
• Language Support Services Multilingual support offering in which Shakti staff speak many different community languages and access professional interpreters for any other languages required, complemented by translated information materials available in Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Swahili and Urdu.

Quantifiable outcome

• Support available 24 hours via Domestic Abuse Helpline (0800 027 1234) in addition to office hours (Mon 9:30am-4pm, Tue 1-4pm, Wed-Fri 9:30am-4pm)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Scottish Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated member organization of Scottish Women's Aid. Provides links to Women's Aid groups across Scotland and the UK, keeps organization up to date with research, and provides access to regular training opportunities.
• Scottish GovernmentcoreOthersPrimary government funder of Shakti Women's Aid services. Organization works closely with Scottish Government on policy development and responses to violence against women.
• The Big LotterycoreOthersMajor charitable funder providing funding to support Shakti Women's Aid operations and services.
• City of Edinburgh CouncilcoreOthersLocal government funder providing financial support to enable services in Edinburgh area.
• Police ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with Police Scotland to ensure women and children are as safe as possible. Participates in Police Scotland honour-based violence working group. Collaborates on joint events such as 'What Honour Means to Me' awareness-raising event.
• NHS ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with NHS Scotland as part of collaborative approach to supporting BME women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
• LGBT Youth ScotlandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist LGBTI organization providing services including the Domestic Abuse Project. Shakti works with LGBT Youth Scotland to provide appropriate support for BME women and young people who identify as LGBTI.
• LGBT Health and WellbeingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist health and wellbeing organization serving LGBT individuals. Shakti collaborates to ensure comprehensive support for BME women experiencing domestic abuse who identify as LGBT.
• NAZ ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing support to African, Asian and Caribbean communities on issues including sexual health and wellbeing. Shakti works with NAZ Project to support BME women and LGBT individuals from these communities.
• Rape Crisis ScotlandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist organization supporting survivors of sexual violence. Shakti refers to Rape Crisis for specialized support and collaborates on supporting LGBTI survivors of sexual violence.
• Women's Aid (UK-wide network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Scottish Women's Aid affiliation, Shakti has links with Women's Aid groups across the UK. Can help women relocate to Women's Aid refuges in other areas of the UK if needed for safety.
• No Recourse to Public Funds NetworksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign group working on NRPF issues. Shakti contributes expertise to this important initiative supporting migrants with no recourse to public funds.
• Scottish Government Forced Marriage NetworksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment network addressing forced marriage issues. Shakti participates in this network to contribute expertise and stay informed on policy developments.
• Violence Against Women Partnerships (Edinburgh and Fife)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerShakti participates in violence against women partnerships in Edinburgh and Fife to contribute expertise and collaborate on improving responses to BME women experiencing domestic abuse.
• Hemat Gryffe Women's AidsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Shakti and Scottish Women's Aid to deliver forced marriage training sessions across Scotland, building capacity among professionals to respond appropriately.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Rape Crisis Scotland: National specialist organization supporting survivors of sexual violence in Scotland. Comparable as a Scotland-based violence-against-women specialist that Shakti refers into and partners with for sexual violence cases.

Broad incumbents

• Refuge: UK's largest domestic abuse charity operating a national network of refuges, helplines and specialist services including for BME women. Comparable core service model (refuge, outreach, advocacy) at much greater scale.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation coordinating Women's Aid services across England. Comparable as a wider UK Women's Aid network umbrella with similar domestic abuse service philosophy and BME specialist member organizations.
• Scottish Women's Aid: National umbrella federation of Women's Aid groups across Scotland. Comparable as the coordinating body of which Shakti is an affiliated member, providing national policy voice and local service standards.

Direct peers

• Southall Black Sisters: Long-established specialist BME women's organization supporting women fleeing domestic and gender-based abuse, including immigration-related cases. Closely comparable mission, BME focus, and No Recourse to Public Funds advocacy.
• Hemat Gryffe Women's Aid: Glasgow-based specialist BME women's aid organization providing refuge and outreach support for minority ethnic women experiencing domestic abuse in Scotland. Closely comparable as a sister BME-focused Women's Aid affiliate and named training partner of Shakti.
• Amina - Muslim Women's Resource Centre: Scotland-wide Muslim women's organization providing helpline, advocacy and culturally specific support services including on domestic abuse. Comparable as a Scotland-based BME women's support charity with multilingual capability.
• Saheli Asian Women's Project: Specialist charity supporting Asian women and children experiencing domestic abuse in Glasgow and the west of Scotland. Comparable as a Scotland-based BME domestic abuse service with refuge and outreach delivery.

Emerging players

• Latin American Women's Rights Service: London-based specialist supporting Latin American migrant women facing domestic abuse, immigration issues and No Recourse to Public Funds. Comparable as a smaller specialist BME/migrant women's organization with multilingual advocacy capability.

Regional players

• Chinese Welfare Trust / Chinese Community Wellbeing Society: UK-wide Chinese community welfare organization providing domestic abuse support and culturally appropriate services. Comparable as a BME-focused service with multilingual capacity but broader geographic remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shaktiedinburgh
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShaktiWomensAid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Shakti Women's Aid