Centre for Thriving Places

What Centre for Thriving Places does

Centre for Thriving Places (CTP) is a UK-registered charity and not-for-profit place-based consultancy founded in 2011 and headquartered in Bristol. It sells strategic support, applied research, training, and measurement tools to local authorities, combined authorities, NHS bodies, and community organisations that want to shift economic policy away from GDP-centric metrics toward wellbeing outcomes for people and planet. The organisation's core product suite comprises the Thriving Places Index (a benchmarking analysis of wellbeing drivers across English and Welsh local authorities), the Thriving Places Framework (an evidence-based indicator map), the Thriving Places Database (curated wellbeing indicator data), the Thriving Places Survey Builder (customisable community survey instrument), and the Happiness Pulse (a short individual wellbeing survey). These products are delivered alongside two service lines: Place-Based Consultancy (policy and programme design, partnership development, leadership training) and Research and Insight (applied research and evidence-building).

CTP generates revenue from three streams: fee-based consultancy engagements with public-sector and community clients, recurring revenue from Data and Support Packages around the Index and Database, and grant funding from charitable foundations and lottery funds tied to specific programmes. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, anchored by multi-year partnership programmes such as the five-year RORE partnership with NEF, CLES and Co-operativesUK across the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, and North East, and a sub-participation in a £8m University of Bath research programme on the commercial determinants of health. Marketing and demand generation are content-led, supported by thought-leadership publications, conference participation (Festival of Debate, Labour Party Conference fringes), and earned media in outlets including The Guardian and BBC. The organisation operates with a small core team supplemented by associates, and is actively hiring and recruiting board members to scale delivery.

Name

Centre for Thriving Places

Legal name

Centre for Thriving Places

Website

https://centreforthrivingplaces.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre for Thriving Places is a UK not-for-profit consultancy that provides wellbeing measurement tools, research, and strategic support to local authorities, combined authorities, NHS bodies, and community organisations seeking to shift policy from GDP toward people-and-planet wellbeing outcomes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellbeing Economics Consulting

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local & Neighborhood Communities (BPAMABAG)

Keywords

• Wellbeing consultancy services
• Place-based research
• Wellbeing measurement tools
• Local government advisory
• Community policy support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Place-based consultancy services including policy and programme design, applied research, partnership development, and leadership training. Sold directly to local authorities, combined authorities, NHS, and community organizations.
2. Data and Support Packages: Access to Thriving Places Database, Index subscriptions, and support packages for organizations seeking to implement wellbeing frameworks.
3. Grant Funding: Major grant funding from charitable foundations and lottery funds for specific programs such as the RORE five-year partnership.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centre for Thriving Places is a not-for-profit place-based consultancy that provides strategic support, applied research, training, and measurement tools to help local places shift from GDP-focused metrics toward wellbeing economies. Its core offer combines direct consultancy and research services with a proprietary toolkit comprising the Thriving Places Index, Thriving Places Framework, Thriving Places Database, Thriving Places Survey Builder, and the Happiness Pulse survey tool.

Product overview

Centre for Thriving Places offers a suite of place-based consultancy services and measurement tools designed to help places shift towards a wellbeing economy. The core product portfolio consists of the Thriving Places Index (CTP's flagship analysis platform), the Happiness Pulse (a wellbeing survey tool), and the Thriving Places Toolkit (comprising the Framework, Database, and Survey Builder). These are complemented by consulting services including Place-based Consultancy and Research and Insight. Together, these products enable local governments, communities, and organizations to measure, understand, and improve wellbeing outcomes for people and planet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thriving Places Index: CTP's flagship analysis of how places across the country perform against key drivers of wellbeing of people and planet
• Happiness Pulse
• Thriving Places Framework
• Thriving Places Database

Products and services

• Thriving Places Index CTP's flagship analysis platform providing wellbeing indicator data and benchmarking for local authorities across England and Wales, measuring how places perform against key drivers of wellbeing for people and planet.
• Thriving Places Framework Evidence-based map of the key interconnected conditions a place needs to thrive with guidance on indicators to measure.
• Thriving Places Database Database of wellbeing indicator data for local authorities across England and Wales from reputable official and expert sources.
• Thriving Places Survey Builder Flexible survey tool to understand the lived experience in places and of specific groups.
• Happiness Pulse A short survey combining various academic measures of wellbeing into a simple five minute survey with optional additional questions, measuring individual wellbeing.
• Place-based Consultancy Strategic support services including policy and programme design, applied research, partnership development, and leadership training to help places build fairer, more sustainable and resilient policies and practices.
• Research and Insight Research services that help measure, understand and grow the things that really matter to all lives, such as good health, secure livelihoods, decent housing, opportunities for learning, social connections and support, and green spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• £0.25M of UK Levelling Up funding leveraged by Hotspots Network using CTP's framework
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reclaiming Our Regional Economies (RORE) PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Five-year partnership with New Economics Foundation (NEF), Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), and Co-operativesUK to help rewire local and regional economies to deliver more equitable and sustainable outcomes. Funded by National Lottery Community Fund, Friends Provident Foundation, and Barrow Cadbury Trust. Working in West Midlands, South Yorkshire, and North East Combined Authority areas.
• University of BathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution in £8m four-year research programme on commercial determinants of health. Partnership includes Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Action on Smoking and Health, Obesity Health Alliance, Alcohol Health AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGOs collaborating in the £8m research programme on commercial determinants of health
• Association of Directors of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health professional body partner in the commercial determinants of health research programme
• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with SYMCA to explore collaboratively approaches to retrofit in the region. CTP facilitating co-development workshops on retrofit pillars including employment, skills, health, and community engagement
• SY EcofitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 2025 Festival of Debate workshop on collaborative policy making. SY Ecofit delivers decarbonisation projects across community energy and retrofit in South Yorkshire
• Hotspots Network (Gloucestershire)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year evaluation partnership with network of six community organisations in Gloucestershire, using Thriving Places Framework and Happiness Pulse tool
• Carnegie UK TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported publication of 'Shared Ingredients for a Wellbeing Economy' discussion paper
• What Works Centre for WellbeingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a partner organization in examples of work
• Power to ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a partner organization in examples of work

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New Local: UK think tank and membership network focused on community-led local government and place-based public service reform. Highly comparable to CTP in customer base (local authorities) and policy positioning.
• Carnegie UK Trust: UK charitable trust working on wellbeing economy frameworks and place-based policy. Co-author with CTP of 'Shared Ingredients for a Wellbeing Economy', making it a closely comparable UK wellbeing-policy peer.
• Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll): Global collaboration of organisations advancing wellbeing economy approaches. WEAll operates as a network with overlapping subject matter, members, and policy advocacy channels to CTP.
• New Economics Foundation (NEF): UK think tank focused on economic wellbeing and place-based economic reform. NEF is both a RORE partner and the closest direct comparable to CTP in mission, methodology, and UK policy audience.
• Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES): UK-based organisation focused on local economic strategy and inclusive growth, working with local and combined authorities. CLES is also a RORE partner and is highly comparable in client base and policy positioning.
• Power to Change: UK charitable trust supporting community businesses and local economies. Listed as a CTP partner and operates in an overlapping place-based economic-development space.
• Co-operatives UK: UK membership body for co-operative enterprises, focused on democratic ownership and community wealth building. RORE partner and shares CTP's inclusive-economy and place-based agenda.
• What Works Centre for Wellbeing: UK evidence centre producing wellbeing evidence and guidance for policymakers and practitioners. Overlaps with CTP in wellbeing measurement, research dissemination, and public-sector audience.

Broad incumbents

• Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Large UK charitable foundation producing research and advocacy on poverty and place-based disadvantage. JRF is a broader incumbent working on overlapping themes (UK poverty, housing, place) with significantly greater scale and resources.

Emerging players

• Social Value UK: UK membership organisation promoting social value measurement and impact frameworks. Adjacent to CTP's measurement and reporting offerings, though its framework (SROI) is more procurement-oriented than CTP's wellbeing-economy focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/centreforthrivingplaces
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentreforThrivingPlaces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-thriving-places

Compliance2 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 Centre for Thriving Places