The Elfrida Society

What The Elfrida Society does

The Elfrida Society is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number: 282716) and company limited by guarantee (Company Number: 1559198) founded in 1919 by Elfrida Rathbone, headquartered at 34 Islington Park Street, London. It provides advocacy, community, and inclusive sports services to people with learning disabilities and/or autism or learning difficulties, with delivery currently spanning Islington, London, and other English counties. The service portfolio comprises core advocacy streams (Parental Advocacy, Care Act & Community Advocacy, Health Advocacy), an award-winning Inclusive Sports programme, and a community engagement layer including the Experts by Experience Community Monitors, Community Consultants Project, and Parental Research & Co-production initiatives. Supplementary offerings include Easy Read creation and checking, hate crime and personal safety awareness, learning disability awareness training, Community Living Magazine, podcast and workshop content, and venue room hire.

The business model is a non-profit donations-and-grants model: services are provided at no direct cost to beneficiaries, with revenue generated through charitable donations (collected via the CAF Donate platform), grants, and fundraising rather than service fees. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct advocacy staff, trained volunteers, partnerships with local authorities (e.g., Islington Learning Disability Partnership Board), and awareness campaigns such as Learning Disability Awareness Week. The customer base is a single beneficiary segment (people with learning disabilities and/or autism), reached primarily through referral networks, community presence, and co-production rather than paid acquisition.

There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning the offering; the organization explicitly states its core technology is not applicable as a service-delivery charity. Leadership comprises CEO Maria Dolly Galvis Zapata (appointed September 2019, previously senior management at Refugee Council, Toynbee Hall, and Age UK Bromley and Greenwich) and a Board of Trustees chaired by Patience Wilson, a retired senior civil servant with adult learning disability and autism policy expertise.

Name

The Elfrida Society

Legal name

The Elfrida Society

Website

https://elfrida.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Elfrida Society is a UK charity founded in 1919 that provides advocacy, inclusive sports, and community engagement services to people with learning disabilities and/or autism across Islington, London, and English counties, funded primarily through donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN), Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff) (EDAKABAL), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)

Keywords

• Learning disability support
• Disability advocacy services
• Inclusive sports programs
• Community engagement services
• Autism support 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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations through its website (CAF Donate platform) to support its charitable activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Elfrida Society provides advocacy, community engagement, and inclusive sports programmes for people with learning disabilities and/or autism or learning difficulties. Its core offerings include Parental Advocacy, Care Act and Community Advocacy, Health Advocacy, the award-winning Inclusive Sports programme, and Community Engagement activities. Supplementary paid/structured offerings include Easy Read Creation and Checking, LD Awareness Training, and Room Hire at its Islington premises.

Product overview

The Elfrida Society operates as a unified service portfolio providing advocacy, community support, and social inclusion programs for people with learning disabilities and/or autism or learning difficulties. The organization offers core services including Inclusive Sports, multiple advocacy streams (Parental, Care Act, Health), and community engagement programs. Supplementary offerings include Easy Read materials, awareness training, and informational resources such as Community Living Magazine and Podcasts. The organization also provides room hire services. All services are designed to promote inclusion, independence, and empowerment for beneficiaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inclusive Sports Award-winning sports programme providing inclusive sporting activities designed for people with learning disabilities and/or autism or learning difficulties.
• Parental Advocacy Advocacy service supporting parents of individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism in navigating services and asserting their rights.
• Care Act & Community Advocacy Statutory and community advocacy ensuring compliance with Care Act requirements and representing community interests for people with learning disabilities.
• Health Advocacy Advocacy service supporting health-related needs and access to healthcare for individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism.
• Community Engagement Programme Programme enabling community participation and social inclusion for people with learning disabilities and/or autism through user-led activities.
• Experts by Experience: Community Monitors Peer-led monitoring initiative in which people with lived experience of learning disability contribute to quality assurance and service development.
• Community Consultants Project Consultancy service in which community members with lived experience provide expertise and guidance to external organisations and projects.
• Parental Research & Co-production Research and collaborative development initiative involving parents in shaping services and policies for the learning disability community.
• Easy Read Creation & Checking Service Service creating and reviewing easy-to-read materials to ensure accessibility for people with learning disabilities.
• LD Awareness Training, Accessibility & Representation Training programmes raising awareness of learning disabilities and promoting accessibility and representation for organisations and community groups.
• Hate Crime & Keeping Safe Awareness Awareness programme focusing on hate crime prevention and personal safety for people with learning disabilities.
• Room Hire Rental of venue space at the Islington headquarters for community events and activities supporting the organisation's mission.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Islington Learning Disability Partnership BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive involvement in the Islington Learning Disability Partnership Board, contributing to strategic planning and service development for learning disability services in the local area.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dimensions UK: UK charity providing person-centered support for people with learning disabilities and autism, including advocacy and community engagement services. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary population to Elfrida.
• Choice Support: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs through advocacy and community-based services. Closely comparable service model and beneficiary population.
• Ambitious about Autism: UK charity focused on the autism community, providing education, advocacy, and community engagement. Overlaps with Elfrida's autism support and parental advocacy services.
• United Response: National UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs through advocacy, community engagement, and supported living. Comparable service portfolio and beneficiary population.
• MacIntyre (charity): UK charity providing education, support, and advocacy for people with learning disabilities and autism. Comparable operating model with a similar mix of community engagement, advocacy, and family-facing services.
• Hft (learning disability charity): A UK charity providing personalized support for people with learning disabilities, including advocacy, housing, and community engagement. Closely comparable operating model and beneficiary population to Elfrida, with similar advocacy and community-program offerings.
• Include.org: UK charity advocating for inclusion of people with learning disabilities, providing training, community programs, and awareness campaigns. Overlaps with Elfrida's LD Awareness Training and community engagement remit.

Broad incumbents

• National Autistic Society: The UK's leading charity for autistic people, offering advocacy, education, and community services. Overlaps with Elfrida's autism support and advocacy remit but at national scale and with broader service breadth.
• Mencap: The UK's largest learning disability charity, providing advocacy, housing, employment, and community services nationally. Directly comparable as a learning disability support and advocacy organization, but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic reach than Elfrida.
• Sense (for disabled people): UK charity supporting people with complex disabilities including learning disabilities and autism, offering advocacy, community programs, and specialist services. Comparable mission and population, broader scope (includes deafblindness).

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElfridaSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-elfrida-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Elfrida Society