The Amber Trust
The Amber Trust is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1995 and headquartered in London, that delivers music education services, funding, and home-based sessions to 700+ blind and partially sighted children annually across programmes including Amber Music Awards, Little Amber, AmberPlus, and With Music in Mind.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Amber Trust does
The Amber Trust is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1050503, Company No. 03117803) founded in 1995 and headquartered in London, dedicated to providing musical opportunities for blind and partially sighted children aged 0–18, including those with additional complex needs such as cerebral palsy and neurodegenerative conditions. The organisation operates a portfolio of five core programmes: Amber Music Awards (grant funding for lessons and instruments), Little Amber (0–5 family service), AmberPlus (5–18 complex needs service), With Music in Mind (neurodegenerative disease service), and Sound Touch, a proprietary online teaching resource comprising 13 instructional videos and written guides developed in partnership with the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Supporting infrastructure includes a Music Teacher Directory and Training programmes for practitioners working with visually impaired students.
The technology stack is modest and operationally focused: a Salesforce-based CRM for beneficiary and supporter management, a WordPress CMS for the main website (ambertrust.org), and a separately hosted Sound Touch web platform built by commissioned vendor Max Interactive. The charity is patronised by Her Majesty Queen Camilla (President since 2012) and chaired by Professor Adam Ockelford (University of Roehampton), the charity's founder. Service delivery is executed by a small staff (1–10 employees, with named roles including CEO Sophie Amstell, Finance Officer, Music Services Manager, Music Awards Manager, Communications Officer, Communications Assistant, and Administrator) supported by a network of freelance music practitioners providing home-based sessions across the UK. Partners include RSBC, ABRSM, the Royal College of Music, Tri-borough Music Hub, and the University of Roehampton.
The business model is entirely donation and philanthropy-based, with no fees charged to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate supporters, community fundraising concerts (including a "30 concerts for 30 years" 30th-anniversary campaign), grants from charitable trusts such as the Powell Family Foundation and Rockspring Charitable Trust, BBC Radio 4 Appeals, and legacy giving. The beneficiary footprint is approximately 700+ children annually across all programmes, with services distributed primarily through direct field delivery (home-based sessions) supplemented by online self-serve resources (Sound Touch), partnerships with schools and music hubs, and showcase events such as the Annual Concert at Wathen Hall, St Paul's School.
The Amber Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Amber Trust
- Legal name
- The Amber Trust
- Website
- https://ambertrust.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Amber Trust is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1995 and headquartered in London, that delivers music education services, funding, and home-based sessions to 700+ blind and partially sighted children annually across programmes including Amber Music Awards, Little Amber, AmberPlus, and With Music in Mind.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Amber Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessible Music Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Child and Youth Services (62411), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)
Keywords
Where The Amber Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Amber Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: The Amber Trust is a charitable organization that relies entirely on donations, grants, and fundraising activities. Individual donors, corporate supporters, and community fundraising events (such as concerts) generate the primary funding needed to provide music services to beneficiaries.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Amber Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Amber Trust is a UK charity that funds music lessons and instruments for blind and partially sighted children and delivers family music services tailored by age and need. AmberPlus supports children aged 5-18 with complex needs, With Music in Mind supports children with neurodegenerative disease, and Sound Touch provides online teaching materials comprising 13 videos and a written guide.
Product overview
The Amber Trust is a UK-based charity providing a portfolio of music education services for blind and partially sighted children, including those with additional disabilities. The core offerings include: Amber Music Awards (funding for lessons and instruments), Little Amber (0-5 years family service), AmberPlus (5-18 years for complex needs), and With Music in Mind (for neurodegenerative conditions). Supporting these are Sound Touch (online teaching resource), the Music Teacher Directory, and Training programmes. The organization also hosts an Annual Concert showcasing beneficiary achievements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Amber Music Awards: Funding for music lessons, instrument purchase, and other musical support for vision impaired children.
- Little Amber
- AmberPlus
- With Music in Mind
- Sound Touch
Products and services
- Amber Music Awards Provides funding for music lessons, instrument purchases, and other musical support to blind and partially sighted children; the service is provided free to beneficiaries.
- Little Amber Family music service for vision-impaired children aged 0-5, including home visits from music practitioners, percussion instruments, and activity cards.
- AmberPlus Family music service for vision-impaired children aged 5-18 with complex needs, providing personalized music sessions at home with involvement of the whole family.
- With Music in Mind Family music service for vision-impaired children with neurodegenerative disease, providing tailored musical engagement and support.
- Sound Touch Freely available online teaching resource for instructing music to blind children, comprising 13 videos and a comprehensive written guide covering learning by ear, touch technique, notation, improvising, practice, and performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- 700+ children supported annually across all programs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Amber Trust
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Amber Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Amber Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM)corePartnership with ISM for Sound Touch online teaching resource. ISM Trust collaborates on launching teaching resources through promotion to ISM membership and hosting online webinars with Professor Adam Ockelford.
- University of RoehamptoncoreAdam Ockelford, Professor of Music at University of Roehampton, is Chair of The Amber Trust. Partnership supports research and knowledge sharing about music education for visually impaired children.
- RSBC (Royal Society for Blind Children)corePartnership for joint online music sessions and community events. RSBC refers families to The Amber Trust services.
- Tri-borough Music HubsecondaryCo-presented Musical Senses Round Table events with ABRSM at Royal College of Music, bringing together organizations involved in musical education of Deaf/HoH and Blind/VI young people.
- Jessica Kingsley PublisherssecondaryPublished resources for AmberPlus service, including books and materials sent directly to special schools and institutions.
- ABRSMsecondarySponsored Musical Senses Round Table events. Partnership for music examination access for beneficiaries.
- Royal College of MusicsecondaryHost venue for Musical Senses Round Table events. Partnership for knowledge exchange on music education for visually impaired students.
- Sounds of IntentsecondaryCharity partner organization focused on music education for learners with complex needs.
- Batten Disease Family AssociationminorCharity partner organization for families affected by Batten disease.
- TIME - Technology in Music Education UKminorCharity partner organization focused on technology in music education.
- St Paul's SchoolcoreProvides Wathen Hall venue for Annual Concerts. Partnership enables high-profile concert events showcasing beneficiary musicians.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Amber Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC): UK charity supporting blind and partially sighted children and young people. Directly comparable as a referral partner and co-delivery partner with The Amber Trust, serving overlapping beneficiary populations with complementary services.
- Nordoff Robbins: UK music therapy charity delivering music therapy services for children and adults with disabilities and complex needs. Closely comparable mission of using music to support children with additional needs, with overlap in therapeutic music delivery.
- Look UK: UK charity for visually impaired children and young people. Direct peer in the vision-impairment-children segment, providing complementary services (mentoring, families, education) to Amber's musical niche.
- OHMI Trust (One-Handed Musical Instrument Trust): UK charity focused on enabling music-making for people with physical disabilities. Comparable as a small specialist UK charity combining disability focus with musical instrument access and adaptive approaches.
Broad incumbents
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): UK's largest charity for blind and partially sighted people. Comparable beneficiary population but operates at much greater scale across the full vision-impairment spectrum, including guidance and referrals to specialist charities like Amber.
- Sense: UK charity supporting people with complex disabilities including those with sensory impairments. Comparable for the complex-needs segment (AmberPlus, With Music in Mind) but operates across a wider disability landscape.
- Youth Music: UK national charity funding music education projects for children and young people facing barriers. Comparable as a music-education funding charity, though broader in scope and substantially larger than the Amber Trust.
- Music for All: UK charity providing instruments, lessons, and funding to make music accessible. Comparable in funding music access (similar to Amber Music Awards), though serving a broader demographic beyond disability.
Emerging players
- Singing for the Brain (Alzheimer's Society): Music-based program for people with dementia. Thematically comparable to Amber's With Music in Mind program (neurodegenerative), though serving adults rather than children and embedded within a larger charity.
- Drake Music: UK charity pioneering music, disability, and technology. Comparable in combining disability focus with music access, with similar emphasis on assistive approaches and innovative teaching methods.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Amber Trust social profiles
Digital presenceThe Amber Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Amber Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Amber Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Amber Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Amber Trust
What does The Amber Trust do?
The Amber Trust is a UK charity that funds music lessons and instruments for blind and partially sighted children and delivers family music services tailored by age and need. AmberPlus supports children aged 5-18 with complex needs, With Music in Mind supports children with neurodegenerative disease, and Sound Touch provides online teaching materials comprising 13 videos and a written guide.
Is The Amber Trust a public or private company?
The Amber Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Amber Trust founded?
The Amber Trust was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Amber Trust based?
The Amber Trust is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Amber Trust make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Fundraising.
Who are The Amber Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), Nordoff Robbins, Look UK and OHMI Trust (One-Handed Musical Instrument Trust). Broad incumbents are Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Sense, Youth Music and Music for All. Emerging players are Singing for the Brain (Alzheimer's Society) and Drake Music.
Does The Amber Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Amber Trust.
What industry is The Amber Trust in?
The Amber Trust's product category is Accessible Music Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAK, Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs), with a secondary code of EDAJAKAI, Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8300.