What Lightyear Foundation does

Lightyear Foundation is a UK-registered charity (charity no. 1150231, company no. 08151118), founded in 2012 and headquartered in Bournemouth, that delivers accessible STEM programmes for disabled and neurodivergent children and young people aged 5–25 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its core programmes include Lightyear Labs (four-session hands-on workshops for 11–16 year olds), Lightning Labs (single-session variants), Work Inspiration Trips and Virtual Work Inspiration Trips to STEM workplaces, and Immersive Sensory Science pop-up planetarium experiences. Supporting programmes include STEM Futures (a special-school curriculum pilot in nine schools), the SEND in STEM Network (472+ sector members), Celebrating STEM Stories (role-model content), the Squar3roots podcast, the Lightyear Youth Group (ages 14–25), and free downloadable resources including co-developed Makaton and British Sign Language STEM vocabulary.

The organisation does not build proprietary technology products; its underlying assets are accessible STEM pedagogy, an inclusive curriculum co-designed with disabled young people, and a unique library of Makaton and BSL signs for STEM terminology developed in partnership with The Makaton Charity. Delivery is primarily direct, through trained Lab Leads, school partnerships and industry venue hosts (e.g., Malvern Panalytical, UWE DETI, Science Creates Outreach), with a self-serve layer of free downloadable resources and virtual workshops enabling reach beyond the UK.

Lightyear Foundation's revenue model is hybrid and typical of a UK charity: it is funded primarily through donations and grants from named foundations (Avantor Foundation for STEM Futures, PA Foundation for the STEM Inspiration Pack, National Grid Community Matters Fund for Squar3roots), supplemented by fee-based Training and Consultancy services (e.g., 'Making STEM Accessible' training for schools, universities and corporates such as Royal Society of Chemistry, Heathrow, Warner Music Group and STEM Learning). Pricing for fee-based services is not publicly disclosed; direct programmes (Lightyear Labs, Lightning Labs, Immersive Sensory Science) are free to participating schools, funded through grants and donations. The Foundation is proudly disabled-led, with strategy and programmes shaped by staff with lived experience of disability.

Name

Lightyear Foundation

Legal name

Lightyear Foundation

Website

https://lightyearfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lightyear Foundation is a UK charity founded in 2012 that delivers free accessible STEM programmes — workshops, workplace visits, sensory science experiences and a sector network — for disabled and neurodivergent children and young people across the four UK nations, funded by donations, foundation grants, and fee-based training and consultancy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Inclusion STEM Education

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE)

Keywords

• Inclusive STEM education
• Disability inclusion services
• SEND accessibility training
• Charitable STEM outreach
• Science engagement programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies on donations from individuals and organisations to fund programs. Regular monthly donations are encouraged through LocalGiving platform.
2. Grant Funding: Major programs are funded by specific foundations including Avantor Foundation (STEM Futures), National Grid Community Matters Fund (Squar3roots podcast), and PA Foundation (STEM Inspiration Pack).
3. Training and Consultancy Services: Fee-for-service training sessions and consultancy offered to organisations seeking to improve accessibility of their STEM engagement. Services include Making STEM Accessible training (90 mins, half-day, full-day formats) and bespoke consultancy projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lightyear Foundation delivers accessible STEM engagement programmes for disabled and neurodivergent children and young people in the UK. Its offerings include hands-on experimental workshops (Lightyear Labs, Lightning Labs), immersive sensory science dome experiences, in-person and virtual Work Inspiration Trips to STEM industry venues, a sector-wide SEND in STEM Network, role-model storytelling content, and fee-based training and consultancy services that help schools, universities and STEM organisations make their programmes accessible.

Product overview

Lightyear Foundation offers a comprehensive portfolio of STEM engagement programmes for disabled and neurodivergent children and young people. The core offering consists of Lightyear Labs and Lightning Labs (hands-on experimental workshops), Immersive Sensory Science (planetarium dome experiences), Work Inspiration Trips and Virtual Work Inspiration Trips (industry workplace visits). Supporting programmes include the SEND in STEM Network (professional community), Celebrating STEM Stories (role model profiles), Training and Consultancy services, STEM Futures (special school curriculum initiative), Lightyear Youth Group (youth advisory group), and Squar3roots Podcast. Supplementary resources include STEM Inspiration Packs, Makaton signs for STEM concepts, and British Sign Language learning materials. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem of accessible STEM opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEND in STEM Network: A network of over 500 people across the sector committed to improving opportunities and reducing barriers for disabled and neurodivergent young people in STEM.
• Lightyear Labs
• Lightning Labs
• STEM Futures
• Lightyear Youth Group
• Squar3roots Podcast
• Immersive Sensory Science
• Work Inspiration Trips

Products and services

• Lightyear Labs Four-session STEM workshops delivered weekly over a month to small groups of disabled and neurodivergent 11–16 year olds in schools, covering Astronomy, Engineering, Physics and Technology with hands-on experiments and critical-thinking activities. Materials and equipment are provided free of charge to participating schools.
• Lightning Labs One-hour condensed STEM workshop sessions for schools unable to commit to the full four-week Lightyear Labs, covering topics such as moon craters, chemistry, sound, dissolving, bubbles, astronaut obstacle course and code bracelets. Free of charge to participating schools.
• Immersive Sensory Science Pop-up planetarium dome experiences delivered with Immersive Experiences, bringing hands-on demonstrations, visuals, sounds, textures and multi-sensory activities to SEND schools nationwide in full-day school visits.
• Work Inspiration Trips Facilitated in-person school group visits to STEM industry partners (universities, science centres, hospitals, STEM businesses) where groups of up to ten disabled and neurodivergent students aged 14+ experience hands-on STEM activities and meet employees.
• Virtual Work Inspiration Trips Online virtual versions of Work Inspiration Trips enabling disabled and neurodivergent young people to explore STEM workplaces, activities and role models remotely from schools via online platforms.
• SEND in STEM Network Professional community of over 470 sector members — disabled people, teachers, parents, policy makers, academics and STEM engagement professionals — united by commitment to improving opportunities for disabled and neurodivergent young people in STEM. Includes regular online meetings, annual in-person gatherings, a LinkedIn group and a mailing list.
• Celebrating STEM Stories Programme of written and video profiles showcasing disabled and neurodivergent people who work in or study STEM subjects, providing role-model content and inspiration for young people.
• Training and Consultancy Disabled-led fee-based training sessions (Making STEM Accessible) delivered in 90-minute, half-day or full-day formats online or in-person, plus bespoke consultancy covering STEM engagement development, accessibility audits, audience development and bid-writing support.
• STEM Futures Pilot initiative, in partnership with nine special schools across the UK, designed to transform STEM education through inclusive curriculum approaches — embedding STEM Specialists, co-designed activities and teacher training to make STEM delivery sustainable.
• Lightyear Youth Group Group of disabled and neurodivergent young people aged 14–25 who meet regularly to share stories, experiences and ideas about STEM, guiding the work of the Foundation.
• Squar3roots Podcast Podcast hosted by young people about STEM, featuring inspirational conversations about science, technology, engineering and maths topics important to disabled and neurodivergent young people, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and major podcast platforms.
• STEM Resources (STEM Inspiration Pack, Makaton and BSL STEM signs) Practical free downloadable guides, toolkits and materials including STEM Inspiration Packs, Makaton signs for STEM concepts, British Sign Language STEM signs, curriculum guides, activity sheets and accessibility guides available via the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16,682 disabled children supported through all programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Immersive ExperiencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Immersive Sensory Science program featuring pop-up planetarium domes in SEND schools. Immersive Experiences provides the dome technology while Lightyear Foundation coordinates school engagement and ensures accessibility.
• Inclusive Change at Work CICstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Young Peoples' Podcast Project (Squar3roots). Inclusive Change at Work CIC led the co-production workshops with young people to design and deliver the podcast.
• The Makaton CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop 10 new Makaton signs for STEM concepts. The Makaton Charity collaborated with Lightyear Foundation to create accessible signing vocabulary for STEM terminology including Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, AI, Energy, and Climate Change.
• Lime Academy RavensbournestrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSTEM Futures pilot school partner and collaborator on inclusive STEM education approaches. Educators from Lime Academy Ravensbourne have spoken at SEND in STEM Network meetings about engaging students with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
• UWE DETIcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for Technology-themed Work Inspiration Trips. The Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI) initiative at University of the West of England opens its facilities to disabled young people for hands-on STEM experiences.
• Science Creates OutreachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for Chemistry-themed Work Inspiration Trips in Bristol. Science Creates Outreach provides laboratory facilities and industry connections for disabled young people's STEM engagement activities.
• Malvern PanalyticalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for Physics-themed Work Inspiration Trips. The scientific instruments company opens its facilities to disabled young people for hands-on physics experiences including laser maze activities and particle measurement experiments.
• Life Science CentreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtual Work Inspiration Trip venue. The International Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne provides virtual tours and STEM engagement content for disabled young people unable to visit in person.
• Natural History MuseumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtual Work Inspiration Trip venue. The Natural History Museum in London provides virtual tours and learning activities for disabled young people.
• Royal Astronomical SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtual Work Inspiration Trip venue. The RAS in London provides virtual tours and introduces young people to careers in astronomy and geophysics.
• Dr. Katherine DeaneminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert speaker at SEND in STEM Network meeting on Making Lab Environments Accessible. Provides specialist knowledge on accessibility in laboratory settings.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID): UK charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people including children and young people. Comparable as a disability-focused organisation addressing communication accessibility (BSL) — a key dimension of Lightyear's work.
• Ambitious about Autism: UK education charity focused on autistic children and young people, running schools and inclusion programmes. Comparable as a disability-focused education charity serving neurodivergent youth in educational settings.
• British Science Association: UK charity running the CREST Awards, British Science Week, and other STEM engagement programmes for young people. Comparable in delivering STEM engagement at national scale, though not disability-specific.
• Smallpeice Trust: UK charity inspiring young people into engineering through residential courses, workshops, and school engagement. Comparable in delivering hands-on STEM engagement to school-age children, though not disability-focused.
• EngineeringUK: UK organisation focused on inspiring young people into engineering and STEM careers. Comparable in delivering STEM engagement to schools, though Lightyear is differentiated by its disability-inclusion specialism.
• STEM Learning: UK STEM education charity delivering CPD, resources, and school engagement programmes. Directly comparable in STEM-education-for-young-people mission, though with broader (non-disability-specific) reach.
• Whizz-Kidz: UK charity providing mobility equipment and youth empowerment programmes for disabled children and young people. Comparable as a disability-youth charity, though focused on mobility rather than STEM specifically.

Broad incumbents

• Mencap: UK learning-disability charity supporting people of all ages. Overlaps in serving children and young people with learning disabilities in education contexts, but with a much broader disability-services mandate.
• National Autistic Society: Large UK charity for autistic people providing education, training, and advocacy. Overlaps on neurodivergent young-people engagement and educator training, but with a much broader autism-focused mandate.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: UK professional body advancing chemical sciences, including education and public engagement programmes. Comparable as both a Lightyear training client and a broader STEM-education-and-engagement provider with a wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lightyear-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Lightyear Foundation