What Big Change does

Big Change is a UK-registered charitable trust (Big Change Charitable Trust, Charity No. 1145224, Company No. 07679479) headquartered in London that operates as a catalyst foundation for systems change around young people. Founded in 2010 by a group of friends who ran the London Marathon tied together as a fundraising stunt, the organization has spent more than a decade finding, funding, and connecting an intergenerational community of changemakers tackling education, youth wellbeing, social work, climate education, mental health, and related issues. Its core activities are programmatic rather than commercial: the Big Education Challenge (a competition to surface and support bold leaders), Leaders for Big Change grants (early-stage funding of ~£50,000 per grantee), Spark Awards (recognition program), community retreats, and the Changemaker Community platform. The organization reports having supported 70+ leaders whose work has reached 8 million+ children and young people, with £200 million-plus in follow-on funding unlocked from an initial £5 million deployed (a claimed 12x leverage ratio).

The business model is trust-based philanthropy rather than a product sale. Revenue is sourced from individual donors, philanthropists, trusts, and foundations, with the Catalyst Circle (an intergenerational network of business founders, entrepreneurs, family offices, trusts, and foundations contributing a suggested £25,000 annual gift) as the primary funding backbone. Pooled, unrestricted donations are deployed as grants and wraparound support (coaching, peer networks, retreats). Additional revenue flows through endurance-based community fundraising (Strive Challenges, which have raised £12 million over the past decade) and partnerships with named entities such as Dalio Philanthropies, The Strive Collective, Forward Global, and Ashoka Young Changemakers.

Big Change has no proprietary technology product. Its technology footprint is limited to standard web operations: a public website, Google Analytics for site measurement, Virgin Money Giving for donation processing, and a social media presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Bluesky. Impact is delivered through human curation of grantees and convenings rather than through any platform or software layer. The organization is led by CEO Essie North (on sabbatical from 4 July 2025, with active CEO recruitment underway), a Head of Operations, and a small (11-50) specialist team. Operating geography is the United Kingdom.

Name

Big Change

Legal name

Big Change Charitable Trust

Website

https://big-change.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Change is a UK charitable trust that finds, funds, and connects an intergenerational community of changemakers reimagining systems around young people, deploying trust-based, unrestricted philanthropic capital via the Catalyst Circle and grant programs such as the Big Education Challenge and Leaders for Big Change.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Grantmaking and Youth Development

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Trust-based philanthropy
• Youth systems change
• Changemaker grant programs
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: Big Change operates as a charitable trust funded by donations from individuals, philanthropists, trusts, and foundations. The Catalyst Circle is their core donor network providing pooled, unrestricted funding. They also receive grants from organizational partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Big Change Charitable Trust finds, funds, and connects an intergenerational community of changemakers who are rethinking and reshaping the systems around young people. It provides early-stage unrestricted grants, coaching, peer networks, retreats, and continued support to leaders with bold ideas for systemic change, while operating a Catalyst Circle donor network that pools philanthropic contributions to provide trust-based funding.

Product overview

Big Change is a charitable trust that operates as a funding and support organization rather than a traditional software product company. Its core 'products' are grant programs (Leaders for Big Change grants, Big Education Challenge), award programs (Spark Awards), donor networks (Catalyst Circle), and community-building initiatives (retreats, changemaker community). These programs work together to identify, fund, and support intergenerational changemakers who are reimagining systems around young people. The organization also produces research publications on leadership and systems change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big Education Challenge A competition programme that identifies and supports bold leaders with innovative ideas to transform education for young people. Winners receive funding and tailored support to develop their ideas.
• Leaders for Big Change Grants Early-stage funding and support programme for changemakers with bold ideas that have high-impact potential for young people.
• Spark Awards Annual awards recognising outstanding changemakers and innovations in education and youth support.
• Catalyst Circle An intergenerational peer network of philanthropists (business founders, entrepreneurs, family offices, trusts and foundations) providing pooled, unrestricted funding through suggested £25,000 annual gifts.
• Community Retreats Intergenerational convenings that bring changemakers together to build relationships, share experiences, and spark collective action for systems change.
• Changemaker Community An intergenerational community of changemakers that Big Change supports through coaching, retreats, peer networks, workshops, mentoring, and advocacy grants to champion changes in systems around young people.
• Leadership for a Thriving Future Research A co-created research report exploring the type of leadership needed to shape a future where all young people thrive, developed with eight partner organisations and over 30 leaders from the Big Change community.
• Strive Challenges Endurance fundraising challenges that have raised over £12 million for Big Change over the past decade, combining physical challenges with community building.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 million+ children and young people engaged through Big Change funded projects
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Strive CollectivecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for epic annual fundraiser challenges including Iceland 2026 trip focused on grit and resilience.
• Forward GlobalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners at walking workshop in Kew Gardens to discuss modern philanthropy approaches.
• Ashoka Young ChangemakerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization that partnered with RECLAIM to recognize their impact supporting working-class youth voice.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Frontline: UK social work charity and one of Big Change's flagship portfolio investments (received £215k in 2013). Included as a portfolio reference rather than a direct peer — it illustrates the type of organisation Big Change catalyses and is a useful signal of Big Change's deal selection.

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Large, established UK youth charity that operates its own programmes rather than purely grantmaking. Comparable beneficiary group (disadvantaged young people) but at much greater scale and with direct service delivery rather than Big Change's catalysing/intermediary role.
• Nesta: UK innovation foundation working on social and systems-change challenges including education and youth. Comparable focus on systems change and innovation, but operates much more broadly across multiple sectors and runs its own ventures.

Direct peers

• Impetus: UK charity that combines grant funding with tailored non-financial support for charities and social enterprises working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Closest direct peer to Big Change in mission, target beneficiary group, and pooled-funding-plus-support model.
• Lloyds Bank Foundation: UK charity that supports small and medium-sized charities tackling disadvantage, including youth-focused organisations. Comparable in providing unrestricted funding plus development support to smaller charities.
• Youth Endowment Fund: UK grantmaking fund focused specifically on preventing youth violence and serious violence affecting children. Highly comparable mission (youth-focused grantmaking) with a similarly rigorous, evidence-driven approach to impact.
• Garfield Weston Foundation: Major UK family-funded grantmaking foundation supporting education, youth, and community causes. Comparable unrestricted-grant approach but with broader sector coverage and a much larger endowment.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: UK foundation funding social change across education, the arts, and the natural environment with a strong emphasis on long-term, flexible grantmaking. Comparable in its trust-based approach to funding and interest in systems change.
• The Dulverton Trust: UK grantmaking foundation focused on youth, education, conservation, and welfare. Comparable in grant size, beneficiary focus, and trust-based approach.
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation: One of the largest UK grantmaking foundations, with a strong focus on education, early years, and supporting young people. Comparable model of unrestricted grants combined with capacity-building support, and operates at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcphpJoxCWBbMkzbTLSrGbQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigchange
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-change-charitable-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigchangecharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Big Change