The Ben Kinsella Trust

What The Ben Kinsella Trust does

The Ben Kinsella Trust is a UK-registered charity (number 1126612) founded in 2008 following the murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella in Islington, London. It delivers knife crime prevention education to young people, parents, teachers, and youth workers through immersive, trauma-informed programmes anchored at three physical exhibition sites in Islington, Barking & Dagenham, and Nottingham.

Its core offering is the Choices and Consequences Exhibition and Workshop, a two-hour, multi-room experience built around themed spaces (comic room, Ben's Room, cinema, prison cell theatre, community room) and supported by a one-hour introductory school-based workshop. Adjacent products include the six-month Youth Ambassador Programme (ages 14-18, with a £500 project budget per participant), tiered training for parents/carers, teachers, and youth workers, bespoke organisational training, free downloadable lesson plans, an award-winning podcast (Real Stories, Real People), and the annual Knife Crime Awareness Week. The Choices & Consequences programme is being independently evaluated by the Youth Endowment Fund and Cordis Bright through a randomised controlled trial of more than 1,000 Year 6 pupils, running into 2028.

The Trust's revenue model blends fee-for-service workshops (£260 per session, subsidised by ~50% from core funding, free for Islington and Barking & Dagenham borough schools), individual donations and regular giving (£2/month), challenge-event fundraising (Brighton, Manchester, Royal Parks, Paris, Milan, Hackney marathons), corporate partnerships (notably a multi-year Arsenal/Adidas No More Red collaboration and Idris Elba's Don't Stop Your Future campaign), and grant funding (Youth Endowment Fund, trusts and foundations). Customers span B2B (schools, local authorities, corporates, emergency services) and B2C (parents, young people) segments. Outreach is amplified through the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, which advises government on the Plan to Halve Knife Crime.

Name

The Ben Kinsella Trust

Legal name

The Ben Kinsella Trust

Website

https://benkinsella.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ben Kinsella Trust is a UK charity that delivers trauma-informed, evidence-based knife crime prevention education to young people, parents, teachers, and youth workers, primarily through immersive Choices and Consequences exhibitions in London and Nottingham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Safety Education

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safeguarding, Child Protection & Reporting Services (EDAJAIAD), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Knife crime prevention
• Youth safety education
• Trauma informed training
• School workshop programmes
• Youth violence prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workshop Fees: Choices & Consequences workshops are subsidised by almost 50%, costing £260 per workshop (£8.66 per child based on 30 students). Free for organisations in Islington and Barking & Dagenham boroughs. Funding available to most schools/youth organisations.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through website, regular giving programme (£2/month), Small Charity Week fundraising (achieved £10,000 goal with matched funding). Challenge events raise funds through participant fundraising commitments.
3. Grant Funding: Youth Endowment Fund providing two-year investment to evaluate the Choices & Consequences programme. Trust and foundation grants support operations and specific programmes.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations for sponsorship, cause marketing, and employee engagement programmes.
5. Bespoke Training: Custom training programmes designed and delivered for specific organisations, priced based on estimated design time plus delivery and travel costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ben Kinsella Trust is a UK knife crime prevention charity that delivers trauma-informed educational programmes to young people aged 10-18 through immersive exhibition-based workshops, complemented by training programmes for parents, teachers, and youth workers. Core offerings include the Choices and Consequences Exhibition and Workshop, the Youth Ambassador leadership programme, bespoke training for organisations, free educational resources, advocacy campaigns, and an award-winning podcast centred on voices affected by knife crime.

Product overview

The Ben Kinsella Trust is a knife crime prevention charity that operates a platform of educational products and services. The core offering consists of the Choices and Consequences Exhibition and Workshop, an immersive two-hour experience at exhibition spaces in Islington and Barking & Dagenham, augmented by supplementary workshop offerings. The organization provides a portfolio of training programmes including sessions for Parents & Carers, Teachers & Schools, and Youth Workers & Practitioners, plus Bespoke Training for custom organizational needs. Additional offerings include the Youth Ambassador Programme (a six-month leadership initiative), free educational Resources for young people, teachers, and parents, the Real Stories, Real People Podcast, annual Knife Crime Awareness Week, and various advocacy campaigns including the No More Red partnership with Arsenal FC. The portfolio is unified by a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach to knife crime prevention education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Choices and Consequences Exhibition An immersive anti-knife crime exhibition with themed rooms (comic room, Ben's Room, cinema room, Choices and Consequences room, immersive theatre prison cell, and community room) that delivers the Trust's flagship educational experience to visiting groups of young people aged 10-18.
• Choices and Consequences Workshop A two-hour evidence-based workshop delivered at the exhibition that empowers young people aged 10-18 to make positive choices to stay safe, combining role play, video testimony, quizzes, immersive theatre, and surveys; evaluated by the Youth Endowment Fund via randomised controlled trial.
• Introduction to Knife Crime Workshop A 45-minute to one-hour preparatory session delivered at schools or youth centres before exhibition visits, providing a trauma-informed introduction to knife crime topics.
• Youth Ambassador Programme A six-month leadership programme for young people aged 14-18 providing free training in media skills, public speaking, and leadership; participants receive a £500 budget to design and run their own knife crime prevention campaigns.
• Knife Crime Training for Parents & Carers Online and in-person training workshops including Knife Crime Awareness Essentials (1 hour, free) and Helping Our Children Stay Safe (2 hours), empowering parents and carers to discuss knife crime and recognise signs of exploitation with their children.
• Knife Crime Training for Teachers & Schools Training programmes for teachers and school staff covering half-day (3 hours) and full-day (6 hours) sessions on exploitation, gangs, knife crime and trauma-informed approaches, including the Behind the behaviour – Ellie's Story workshop.
• Knife Crime Training for Youth Workers & Practitioners Training programmes for youth workers, practitioners, and community leaders covering 1-hour, half-day, and full-day sessions on serious youth violence, exploitation, gangs, and knife crime prevention.
• Bespoke Knife Crime Training Tailored trauma-informed knife crime awareness and prevention training designed and delivered to meet specific organisational needs across topics including exploitation, gang awareness, safeguarding, and meaningful conversations about safety.
• Resources for Teachers and Practitioners Free knife crime lesson plans, presentations, and the Knife Crime Prevention Guide for Teachers and Schools designed for Key Stage 2-4 to educate young people about consequences and safety.
• Resources for Young People Online lessons and guidance for young people exploring themes surrounding knife crime, including information about support organisations and helplines.
• Resources for Parents and Carers Resources including the Parent and Carer Guide to help parents discuss knife crime risks and safety with their children.
• Real Stories, Real People Podcast Award-winning podcast featuring voices of people affected by knife crime, with episodes including Brooke Kinsella MBE, Hannah, Amanda, Tyler West, and Yannick Buditu sharing their experiences.
• Knife Crime Awareness Week Annual advocacy week held in May to raise awareness, educate, and take action to prevent knife crime, involving schools, businesses, organisations, and the public.
• Knife Crime Campaigns Advocacy campaigns including the No More Red partnership with Arsenal FC, Idris Elba's Don't Stop Your Future campaign, the Mother's Day Shout out to your son AI-based campaign, and the Father's Day Knife crime destroys lives campaign.

Quantifiable outcome

• Young people who thought carrying a knife would protect them dropped from 24% to 5% after workshop attendance
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Cordis BrightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch consultancy conducting independent evaluation of the Choices & Consequences programme on behalf of Youth Endowment Fund. Carrying out randomised controlled trial using highest standards of evidence quality.
• Arsenal Football ClubflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNo More Red campaign partnership - Arsenal replaces iconic red home shirt with white kit for cup matches, awarded to individuals making positive community impact. Youth Ambassadors receive No More Red shirts and visit Emirates Stadium. Partnership spanning 5 years to tackle root causes of youth violence.
• AdidasflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-partner with Arsenal on No More Red campaign, creating special edition white shirts not available for commercial sale. Supports community initiatives and youth empowerment programmes.
• National Justice MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint production of free knife crime lesson plans for primary schools with Nottingham-based museum. Four lesson plans created for school years 5 and 6 (Key Stage 2) focusing on video content from people with lived experience.
• Justice for Ronan KandaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, working together to drive real and lasting change. Both organisations shaped by tragic loss - Ben Kinsella Trust from Ben's murder in 2008, Justice for Ronan Kanda from Ronan's murder in 2022. Joint advocacy and policy influence.
• Coalition to Tackle Knife CrimeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-sector coalition including Ben Kinsella Trust and Justice for Ronan Kanda, advising Government on policy and holding it to account for delivering on the Plan to Halve Knife Crime. Ensures victims' families' voices are heard and acted upon.
• Highbury RoundhouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organisation partnership for Islington Youth Ambassador Programme events. Hosted 'Voices Not Violence' open mic night created and led by youth ambassadors.
• Music Education IslingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Islington Youth Ambassador Programme and Voices Not Violence event, providing musical elements for youth-led community event.
• Islington CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Islington Council for Youth Ambassador Programme and No Knife Shop Campaign. Council members sign pledges and support youth-led initiatives. Free workshops for Islington schools.
• Barking & Dagenham CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Barking & Dagenham Council supporting Youth Ambassador Programme. Leader of Council (Cllr Darren Rodwell) attended Youth Ambassador knife crime awareness event. Free workshops for Barking & Dagenham schools.
• Idris ElbaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDon't Stop Your Future campaign partnership with actor and activist Idris Elba. Campaign demands government action on knife crime, calls for ban on zombie knives and machetes, and formation of Coalition to End Knife Crime. CEO Patrick Green participated in Parliament Square event.
• M&C Saatchi LondonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency partnership for Mother's Day 'Shout out to your son' AI-based campaign with Clear Channel UK, featuring messages from mothers about knife crime dangers.
• Clear Channel UKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for AI-based Mother's Day campaign displaying outdoor advertising with mother's messages about knife crime prevention.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Large UK social business delivering a wide range of young people and social exclusion services, including violence prevention, exploitation support and youth justice programmes. Broader portfolio than the Ben Kinsella Trust but with overlapping knife crime and youth violence work.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, running safeguarding, exploitation, and child protection services including knife crime prevention programmes nationally. Significantly larger scale and broader remit but operates in the same safeguarding and youth violence space.
• NSPCC: UK-wide child protection charity delivering safeguarding training, child protection services, and policy advocacy. Comparable safeguarding training and child protection remit, though much larger and broader in scope than the Ben Kinsella Trust's knife crime focus.

Direct peers

• MAC-UK: UK charity delivering mental health and gang-involved youth programmes using co-produced, culturally competent approaches with young people affected by serious youth violence. Comparable trauma-informed, young-person-led delivery model.
• St Giles Trust: Long-established UK charity supporting ex-offenders and at-risk young people, including those involved in knife crime and gang activity, through resettlement, mentoring and prevention services. Operates comparable prevention and reintegration programmes in London and across the UK.
• Safer London Foundation: London-focused charity tackling youth violence including knife crime through youth engagement, training, and community programmes. Direct peer in both geography and mission focus on knife crime prevention among young Londoners.
• Leap Confronting Conflict: UK charity delivering conflict resolution and violence prevention programmes for young people in schools and communities, including knife crime and gang-related violence themes. Directly comparable training and youth intervention portfolio.
• XLP: London-based charity working with disadvantaged and at-risk young people in schools and communities, including programmes addressing violence, exploitation and safeguarding. Comparable at-risk youth focus and London borough partnerships.
• Redthread: UK charity running youth violence intervention programmes, particularly in hospital A&E settings with young people affected by knife crime and gang involvement. Directly comparable mission of preventing serious youth violence through targeted youth engagement in London.

Emerging players

• StreetDoctors: UK charity training young people affected by violence in life-saving first aid for stabbings and bleeding, with volunteer-led programmes in youth settings. Comparable mission of reducing knife crime impact through young-person education, though narrower first-aid focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kinsellatrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/benkinsellatrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/benkinsellatrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/benkinsellatrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ben Kinsella Trust