Birmingham Irish Association

What Birmingham Irish Association does

Birmingham Irish Association (BIA) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (charity number 1072258) founded in June 1957 as the Irish Welfare & Information Centre to support Irish immigrants arriving in Birmingham during the post-war migration period. Following the 2010 merger of IWIC and Birmingham Irish Community Forum and subsequent rebranding (first to Irish in Birmingham in 2011, then to Birmingham Irish Association in 2014), the organisation now operates as the Midlands' leading charity providing free, non-judgemental and culturally sensitive services to the Irish community. Its operational footprint centres on the new Irish Centre in Kings Heath, opened November 2025, with outreach to 14 named Birmingham localities including dementia support centres, befriending services, family support, housing and benefits advice, passport assistance, and a children's emotional support project funded by Children in Need.

The organisation runs 18 distinct projects (as of July 2023) supporting approximately 12,000 people annually, spanning welfare advice, dementia care, elders healthcare, social inclusion, youth services, Gypsy and Traveller community support, and cultural heritage programming. It also operates St Anne's Club (a 300-capacity function venue in Digbeth), manages the Birmingham St Patrick's Day Parade (pre-pandemic attendance approximately 80,000), and runs an online shop ("A Taste of Ireland") with click-and-collect plus a new on-site retail outlet, Fitzgerald's Irish Shop, launched in November 2025. The technology stack is minimal and explicitly non-applicable as a service charity; integrations are limited to MailChimp for the monthly e-newsletter, Givey for donations, and Photo-Me for passport photos.

BIA's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Core funding comes from the Irish Government Emigrant Support Programme, Birmingham City Council, the National Lottery Community Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Birmingham & Solihull CCG, The Ireland Funds, The Clothworkers Foundation, and the Heart of England Community Foundation, supplemented by individual donations and targeted fundraising events (e.g., Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal raised £30,000 for dementia services). All services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. The organisation is led by Chief Executive Maurice Malone, governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Joan Downton, and supported by a paid staff of approximately 22 named individuals plus a broader volunteer network.

Name

Birmingham Irish Association

Legal name

Birmingham Irish Association

Website

https://birish.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birmingham Irish Association is a registered charity founded in 1957 that delivers free, culturally sensitive welfare, dementia, family, and cultural heritage services to the Irish community in Birmingham and the West Midlands, operating from its new Irish Centre in Kings Heath across 18 projects supporting approximately 12,000 people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Community Welfare Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Community welfare services
• Dementia care support
• Cultural heritage programs
• Welfare advice charity
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

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 Services: Provides free, non-judgemental and confidential support services to the Irish community including welfare advice, dementia care, family support, housing and benefits help, befriending services, emotional support for youth, and cultural heritage programs. All core services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.
2. Fundraising and Donations: Organization relies on funding from various sources including government bodies, lottery funds, charitable foundations, and individual donations. Also accepts donations through Givey platform and the on-site Irish shop (Fitzgerald's Irish Shop).
3. Online Shop (Taste of Ireland): Online shop offering Irish food essentials, currently suspended for orders. Click and collect service from Irish Centre. Shop reopens for St Patrick's Day events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Birmingham Irish Association is a registered charity providing free, non-judgemental and confidential welfare, cultural and community support services to the Irish community in Birmingham. Its offering spans dementia care, family and youth support, housing and benefits advice, passport assistance, befriending, social inclusion activities, cultural heritage programmes and Irish language classes, delivered from The Irish Centre in Kings Heath with outreach across the city.

Product overview

Birmingham Irish Association is a community charity organization operating as a single integrated service provider rather than a platform architecture. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of community support services centered around its hub at The Irish Centre in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Core services include welfare and advice (housing, benefits, debt advice, passport assistance), healthcare support (dementia care, elders healthcare, befriending), family and youth services (family support, emotional support, children's support), cultural heritage (Irish language classes, culture and heritage events), and social activities. The organization also operates St Anne's Club venue, manages the annual St Patrick's Day Parade, and provides an online shop. All services are provided free of charge and aim to be the service of choice for Irish people seeking advice, support and information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gypsy & Traveller Support Project promoting equality, inclusion and awareness of issues affecting Gypsy and Traveller Communities in the West Midlands region.
• Social Inclusion
• Elders Healthcare
• Dementia Care Services
• Young People & Dementia
• Emotional Support Project
• Culture & Heritage
• All Things Irish
• St Anne's Club
• Family Support
• Passport Help
• Housing & Benefits Help
• Befriending Services
• Bereavement Support
• Online Shop (A Taste of Ireland)
• Irish Language Classes
• St Patrick's Day Parade Annual Birmingham St Patrick's Day Parade celebrating Irish culture and heritage, under Birmingham Irish Association's custodianship since 2023.
• Fitzgerald's Irish Shop On-site retail shop at The Irish Centre, Kings Heath offering Irish food essentials, confectionery, dance shoes, GAA merchandise, O'Neills sportswear, jewellery and gifts.
• Silver Surfers Club

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000 people supported annually across 18 projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Tourism IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing partner promoting Irish tourism. Supports Irish culture and heritage events organized by Birmingham Irish Association.
• Court CollaborationminorOthersSpecialist residential developer based in Birmingham. Supports Birmingham Irish Association as a friend of the organization.
• M. Lambe ConstructionminorOthersCivil engineering company since 1983. Supports Birmingham Irish Association as a friend of the organization.
• Friels (Homes & Construction)minorOthersFamily-run Walsall-based house builder. Supports Birmingham Irish Association as a friend of the organization.
• KIELY BrosminorOthersSurface treatments company with large fleet. Supports Birmingham Irish Association as a friend of the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• London Irish Centre: The London Irish Centre is the most direct peer - a long-standing charity (founded 1955) delivering welfare, cultural, health and community services to the Irish diaspora in London, operating a similar hub-and-spoke model with comparable service lines (advice, dementia, culture, St Patrick's events).
• Friends, Families and Travellers: UK charity supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities on health, housing and inclusion - directly comparable to BIA's Gypsy & Traveller Support project and the broader equality/inclusion agenda.
• London Gypsies and Travellers: A London-based charity advocating for and supporting Gypsy and Traveller communities on equality, inclusion and health - functional peer for BIA's West Midlands Traveller support work.
• Brent Irish Advisory Service: A London-based charity offering welfare advice, housing support, cultural activities and outreach for the Irish community - a clear functional peer for BIA's welfare and advice services.
• Irish Community Services (Manchester): Manchester-based charity providing advice, welfare and cultural services to the Irish community in Greater Manchester, directly comparable in mission and service mix to Birmingham Irish Association.
• Leeds Irish Health and Homes: A registered charity providing welfare, housing, health and cultural support specifically to the Irish community in Leeds and Yorkshire - same diaspora-tribe mission and similar mix of advice, health enablement and heritage activities.

Regional players

• Birmingham Settlement: A long-established Birmingham community charity delivering family support, older people's services, mental health and community development - comparable in geography and multi-purpose community model, but not Irish-specific.

Others

• Irish in Britain: Umbrella network representing Irish community organisations across Britain; runs the Irish in Britain Volunteer Awards that have recognised BIA volunteers, making it an ecosystem peer and coordinating body rather than direct service competitor.
• Irish Youth Foundation: UK-based funder supporting Irish-related youth work; listed as a financial partner of BIA and a comparable thematically connected organisation working with the Irish diaspora youth population across Britain.

Broad incumbents

• Alzheimer's Society: National UK charity providing dementia information, support and services - a broad incumbent whose dementia support centres, advice line and local services overlap with BIA's dementia care programme but at much greater scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brumirish
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrumIrish
• Instagraminstagram.com/birminghamirish

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Birmingham Irish Association