The Advocacy Academy

What The Advocacy Academy does

The Advocacy Academy is a UK-registered youth organising charity (Charity No. 1161785), founded in February 2014, that trains and mobilises young people aged 14–30 with lived experience of injustice to drive systemic change. Its core offering is a portfolio of programmes rather than a technology product: the flagship Fellowship (reimagined in 2025 with new Ignite, Just-Us, and Let Me Land entry points), the HOST Programme (a campaign incubator launched in 2023 providing fiscal hosting and organising support), and Roots to Rise (a five-year national climate organising coalition funded by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund from 2025). The organisation operates The Liberation Centre, a physical community space in Brixton secured on a 10-year lease and opened in 2024, which houses programmes and is also rented out under a six-tier solidarity pricing model ranging from £40/day for grassroots groups to £2,000/day for larger companies.

The business model is a multi-stream charitable income model rather than a commercial one. Revenue is drawn from trust and foundation grants (Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Fondation Chanel, Impact on Urban Health, National Lottery Climate Action Fund), corporate partnerships, individual donations including a £5/month regular giver programme, fundraising events, and Liberation Centre space hire. Its customers and beneficiaries are diverse: young people aged 14–30 are the primary end users, with secondary segments including community members using the Liberation Centre, partner organisations (including the National Youth Agency and Amnesty International) receiving bespoke training, and emerging campaigns receiving HOST incubation. The organisation has incubated over 35 youth-led campaigns including Lost Lessons, Choked Up, The Halo Collective, Buy Back Brixton, and Tax the Super Rich, and operates within the Citizens UK community-organising alliance.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and explicitly not a technology company — it relies on a standard website, social media channels (Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn), email newsletter, and a third-party donation platform (Enthuse). Distribution is hybrid: direct programme delivery in South London through the Liberation Centre, plus a national coalition model for Roots to Rise delivered with Football Beyond Borders, Integrate UK, Friends of the Earth, and the National Youth Agency. The organisation reports outcome metrics including 15,000+ young people reached over 11 years, 250+ Fellowship-trained organisers, 94% of participants feeling driven to achieve change, and 100% reporting confidence discussing social issues after participation.

Name

The Advocacy Academy

Legal name

The Advocacy Academy

Website

https://theadvocacyacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Advocacy Academy is a UK youth organising charity, founded in 2014 in London, that trains and mobilises young people aged 14–30 with lived experience of injustice through fellowship programmes, campaign incubation, and the Liberation Centre community space in Brixton, delivering national coalition work on climate and social justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Community Organising and Development

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth organising programmes
• Community organising training
• Campaign incubation services
• Charity community space hire
• Youth leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trust and Foundation Grants: Significant gifts and grants from trusts and foundations enable long-term infrastructure building. Major funding received from National Lottery Climate Action Fund for Roots to Rise programme and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Purpose-driven partnerships with businesses focusing on sustainability, employment and skills, mental health and wellbeing, and national expansion. Includes employee volunteering, skills-based support, collaborative events, and workshops.
3. Individual Donations: Monthly giving programme starting from £5/month, one-time donations, and major donor contributions.
4. Space Rental - The Liberation Centre: Revenue from hiring out The Liberation Centre community space using a solidarity pricing model with tiered rates from £40-£2,000/day based on organisational size and funding capacity. Operating cost approximately £290/day.
5. Fundraising Events: Community fundraising events including markets, poetry nights, film screenings, workshops, and parties at The Liberation Centre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Advocacy Academy runs youth organising programmes (Ignite, Just-Us, Let Me Land, Roots to Rise, HOST Programme) for young people aged 14-30, incubates youth-led campaigns on issues such as climate, racial justice, education, and housing, and operates The Liberation Centre, a community space in Brixton hired out on a solidarity pricing model. It also delivers bespoke training to partner organisations and provides fiscal hosting through its HOST campaign accelerator.

Product overview

The Advocacy Academy is a UK-based youth organising movement that offers a portfolio of programmes and campaigns rather than a traditional tech product. Its core programmes include Roots to Rise (national climate organising), Just-Us (open-access youth space), Ignite (two-day introduction course), Let Me Land (healing space), and the HOST Programme (campaign incubator). The organisation also operates The Liberation Centre, a physical community space in Brixton. The Advocacy Academy incubates youth-led campaigns including Lost Lessons (anti-racist curriculum), Collective Punishment (parental imprisonment impact), Choked Up (air quality), The Halo Collective (hair discrimination), Buy Back Brixton (community ownership), My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar (Latinx visibility), and Tax the Super Rich (wealth inequality). The offering is a platform-plus-programmes model combining training, physical spaces, and campaign support for youth-led social justice work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Liberation Centre: The home for youth organising in Brixton - a vibrant, accessible, and values-led community space opened in 2024.
• HOST Programme
• The Fellowship
• Roots to Rise
• Just-Us
• Ignite
• Let Me Land

Products and services

• Roots to Rise A national youth organising programme for climate action delivered in partnership with Football Beyond Borders, Integrate UK, Friends of the Earth, and the National Youth Agency. 100 young people aged 15-30 from across the UK come together to learn community organising skills and co-create a youth-led national climate initiative over four years.
• Just-Us Open Access Youth Space is a free, open-access space for young people aged 14-24 in Brixton, South London, situated at The Liberation Centre. Designed by and for young people with lived experience of injustice to build community, turn anger into action, and gain the skills needed to lead meaningful change.
• Ignite A two-day crash course introducing young people who are angry about injustice and hungry for change into the movement for justice. Builds foundational leadership skills needed to make change in communities.
• Let Me Land
• HOST Programme Campaign incubator and accelerator supporting young organisers to start, grow, and sustain campaigns for justice. Provides wraparound support across organising, fundraising, strategy, and wellbeing, including fiscal hosting and legal expertise through partners such as Doughty Street Chambers.
• The Liberation Centre A vibrant, accessible, and values-led community space in Brixton serving as the home for youth organising. Features safe spaces for young people, meeting rooms, event spaces, therapy and healing spaces, kitchen facilities, a youth organising archive, and a film-screening auditorium. Available for hire on a six-tier solidarity pricing model from £40 to £2,000 per day.
• Lost Lessons Campaign focused on building an anti-racist curriculum. Responded to the government's Curriculum & Assessment Review to push for a shift to an anti-racist approach in all schools, securing a call from the Secretary of State for Education for anti-racist education.
• Choked Up Youth-led campaign fighting for the right of Black, Brown, low-income, and young communities to breathe clean, safe air. Partnered with Client Earth, Asthma UK, and the Mayor of London on ULEZ policy; secured London-wide ULEZ expansion and acceleration of zero-emission buses, reaching over 107 million people through media coverage.
• The Halo Collective Alliance of individuals and organisations working to create a future without hair discrimination, focused on adopting the Halo Code, fixing up the law, and slaying the stigma around Black hair. Has secured 1,000+ schools and workplaces signing up to the Halo Code and raised over £100,000.
• Buy Back Brixton Campaign working with the Brixton Traders Community Association to bring Brixton Village and Brixton Market Row into community ownership. Aims to prevent further rent increases, trader displacement, and erosion of community control by building a democratically-run market that works for traders and community.
• Collective Punishment Campaign addressing the impact of parental imprisonment on families across the UK. Led by individuals with personal experiences of parental imprisonment, the campaign raises awareness and advocates for policy and legislation change at national and local levels.
• My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar (LatinXcluded) Campaign created by LatinXcluded using the arts and organising as a vehicle to amplify and win campaigns for the rights of Latinx people. Focuses on visibility and representation for the 8th largest community in the UK.
• Tax the Super Rich

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of young people feel driven to achieve change after programme participation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Football Beyond BordersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National coalition partner for Roots to Rise programme - a five-year national youth organising programme for climate action. Partnership awarded funding from National Lottery Climate Action Fund.
• National Youth AgencyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National coalition partner for Roots to Rise programme delivering youth-led climate organising across the UK.
• Integrate UKflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National coalition partner for Roots to Rise programme - partnership to build one of the largest youth-led climate movements in the UK.
• Friends of the EarthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National coalition partner for Roots to Rise programme focused on youth-led climate action.
• Brixton Traders Community AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Advocacy Academy to bring Brixton Village and Brixton Market Row into community ownership through Buy Back Brixton campaign. Working together to build democratically-run market that works for traders and community.
• National Youth AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for bespoke training delivery on youth governance, youth leadership, and power and community organising.
• Amnesty InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organisation receiving bespoke training on youth governance, youth leadership, and community organising from The Advocacy Academy.
• Doughty Street ChambersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with barristers at Doughty Street Chambers to strengthen legal expertise and enable campaigners to scale their work through HOST programme.
• Client EarthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation working with Choked Up campaign on clean air legislation and advocacy.
• Asthma UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner collaborating with Choked Up campaign on air pollution advocacy.
• Citizens UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organising alliance that The Advocacy Academy emerged from and continues to work with. CEO Saba Shafi served as Treasurer of Citizens UK.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA England & Wales: Major national youth and community organisation providing housing, health, education and training services for young people. Operates at substantially larger scale and broader scope than TAA, but addresses overlapping youth-development mission and community-space delivery model.
• The Prince's Trust: One of the UK's largest youth charities, supporting 13-30 year olds through education, training, and employment programmes. Operates at much larger scale and across broader remit than TAA but addresses overlapping beneficiary age range and similar skills-development outcomes.

Direct peers

• Citizens UK: UK-wide community organising alliance from which TAA emerged. Citizens UK trains local leaders in community organising and runs broad-based campaigns on housing, wages, and migration - directly overlapping with TAA's organising methodology and member-led governance model. CEO Saba Shafi served as Treasurer.
• UK Youth: National umbrella for youth work in the UK, advocating for young people and supporting a network of youth organisations. Comparable to TAA in mission (youth empowerment, advocacy, leadership development) and in operating model (charity, foundation-funded, training delivery).
• British Youth Council: National youth-led charity amplifying young people's voices in UK democracy. Highly comparable to TAA's mission of building political identity and civic participation among 14-30 year olds, though BYC focuses more on formal democratic processes versus TAA's community organising approach.
• National Youth Agency: Principal national body for youth work in England, providing training, qualifications, and policy advocacy. Direct coalition partner with TAA on Roots to Rise and bespoke training programmes, with highly overlapping focus on youth leadership and governance training.

Others

• Friends of the Earth: Major UK environmental campaigning organisation. Coalition partner with TAA on Roots to Rise climate programme; while not a direct youth-organising peer, comparable in advocacy/campaign methodology and overlaps with TAA's Choked Up clean air work.

Emerging players

• Involve UK: UK charity working on democratic participation and public engagement. Strongly comparable given Calum (TAA Director of Organising & Campaigns) was previously Director of Advocacy and Communications at Involve; both work on political voice and democratic engagement among UK audiences.
• Football Beyond Borders: Youth charity using football to engage young people in education and personal development. Coalition partner on TAA's Roots to Rise national climate programme and serves a similar demographic of marginalised young people in London, though using sport rather than organising as the primary engagement vehicle.
• Integrate UK: Charity focused on integration of marginalised communities through sport, education, and leadership programmes. Coalition partner with TAA on Roots to Rise and overlaps in mission around youth-led community change, though FBB and Integrate UK centre on sport rather than organising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AdvocacyAcademy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@theadvocacyacademy8826
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-advocacy-academy-uk/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/advocacyacademy
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAdvocacyAcademy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Advocacy Academy