Church Action on Poverty

What Church Action on Poverty does

Church Action on Poverty is a UK-registered charity (no. 1079986) and company limited by guarantee (no. 3780243), founded in 1982 and headquartered in Manchester, with approximately 21 employees and a secondary operational base in Salford. Its core mission is to mobilise UK churches and local community groups for collective action against poverty, running a coalition of programmes rather than a single product: Your Local Pantry (a UK-wide social-franchise food pantry network of 60+ locations serving approximately 60,000 members, co-developed with Stockport Homes Group), Speaking Truth to Power (an advocacy programme amplifying voices of people with direct experience of poverty, which met with minister Stephen Timms MP in 2025), Church on the Margins (research and resources for inclusive churches), Just Church, the Living Wage Church campaign (advocating the real Living Wage of at least £13.45/hour), and the Let's End Poverty movement. Supporting resources include the quarterly Spark magazine, Bible studies and liturgy materials, Sunday worship resources, and the '26 in 26' poster campaign produced with Christian Aid.

The organisation's technology stack is non-core and entirely composed of third-party SaaS rather than proprietary systems: Salesforce serves as the donations and subscriptions CRM, Engaging Networks handles email campaigning and fundraising appeals, Eventbrite manages event bookings, Google Analytics covers web analytics, and Net Donor/Givecloud processes online donations. Distribution runs through a hybrid model: a UK-wide church network for programme and resource dissemination, a network of local Church Action on Poverty groups for grassroots mobilisation, and the Local Pantry franchise for community food access. Marketing channels span the website, email, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky, the Spark magazine, and annual events such as Sheffield pilgrimages.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations and grants rather than commercial sales. The two primary income streams are individual donations and supporter fundraising (solicited through the website, email appeals, and Net Donor/Givecloud) and charitable grants, with named contributors including the South West Peninsula Methodist District and the Susanna Wesley Foundation. There are no priced products or services; all programme resources are provided free of charge to churches, communities, and beneficiaries. No commercial pricing, subscription, or fee-for-service model exists, consistent with charitable status.

Name

Church Action on Poverty

Legal name

Church Action on Poverty

Website

https://church-poverty.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Church Action on Poverty is a UK-registered charity (no. 1079986) founded in 1982 and headquartered in Manchester that mobilises churches and local groups to tackle poverty through the nationwide Your Local Pantry network serving 60,000 members across 60+ hubs, alongside advocacy programmes such as Speaking Truth to Power, Church on the Margins, and Living Wage Church.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy and Poverty Alleviation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations (BPAGAJAK), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Poverty advocacy
• Social justice charity
• Community food pantries
• Faith-based activism
• Grassroots community organising

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through individual donations, charitable appeals, and supporter fundraising. Donations are solicited through the website and email campaigns.
2. Charitable Grants: Funding from grants, including seed corn grants from Methodist District and Susanna Wesley Foundation mentioned for specific projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Church Action on Poverty is a UK-registered charity that delivers faith-based anti-poverty programmes through UK churches and community groups. Its flagship offering is the Your Local Pantry social franchise — a network of member-led neighbourhood food hubs providing dignified food access — alongside advocacy (Speaking Truth to Power), research (Church on the Margins), and campaigns (Living Wage Church, Let's End Poverty). It also publishes Spark magazine and provides free worship, liturgy, and campaign resources to churches.

Product overview

Church Action on Poverty is a UK-based registered charity (no. 1079986) that operates as a coalition of programmes and campaigns rather than a single product. The organisation's core offerings include: Your Local Pantry (a social franchise network of food pantries), Speaking Truth to Power (an advocacy programme amplifying voices of those with lived poverty experience), Church on the Margins (research and support for inclusive churches), and Living Wage Church (a wage equity campaign). Supporting resources include Spark magazine publications, Bible studies, worship materials, and campaign posters. The portfolio also includes Just Church for practical church engagement, and the Let's End Poverty movement for collective action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Your Local Pantry

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000 people served through Local Pantry network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Stockport Homes GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch Action on Poverty manages the Local Pantry network as a social franchise in partnership with Stockport Homes Group who developed the model. This is a core partnership for the organization's flagship program.
• Engaging NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party provider used for email bulletins, campaigns, appeals, and online campaign actions. Data stored in Canadian data centre.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationCRM database used to manage all data relating to donations and subscriptions.
• Church Mission SocietysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Faith In Public course combining theology and politics. Church Action on Poverty contributes speaker Jane Perry to discuss hearing from people with lived experience of poverty.
• Lived InsightssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Unheard York storytelling project, working with YorkMix and people with lived experience of complex poverty.
• YorkMixsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent media outlet collaborating on Unheard York series to tell stories of people experiencing poverty.
• Tyne and Wear Citizens OrganisationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organizing approach organization with which Church Action on Poverty North East members are actively involved.
• Christian AidsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint production of 26 in 26 poster with 26 justice ideas for churches throughout 2026.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Toynbee Hall: Historic London-based charity tackling poverty through research, service innovation, and social action; comparable faith-adjacent, evidence-driven anti-poverty model.
• Shelter: Major UK housing and homelessness charity, overlapping in the food-insecurity-to-housing-need pathway; comparable advocacy and policy engagement model and donor-funded structure.
• Independent Food Aid Network: UK umbrella for independent food aid providers including food banks and pantries; represents the same operational ecosystem as Your Local Pantry and supports shared advocacy.
• Trussell Trust: The UK's largest food-bank network operator, directly comparable to Church Action on Poverty's Local Pantry programme; both mobilise faith and community infrastructure to address food insecurity across the UK.
• Crisis UK: National charity focused on homelessness and poverty, overlapping in advocacy and direct service; comparable recipient base with people experiencing poverty in the UK.
• Citizens UK: Community-organising coalition that runs Tyne and Wear Citizens, a named partner of Church Action on Poverty North East; both employ faith-based community organising to influence policy on poverty and related issues.
• Church Urban Fund: Church of England's dedicated poverty-focused agency tackling deprivation through church networks; closely mirrors Church Action on Poverty's church-mobilisation model and UK-wide reach.

Emerging players

• Faith Action: Faith-based network working at the intersection of religion and social action, including health inequalities and poverty; smaller and more policy-focused but operating in the same ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Larger UK poverty-research and advocacy foundation; not a direct service provider but a major voice on UK poverty policy that overlaps with Church Action on Poverty's research and campaigning.

Regional players

• The Poverty Alliance: Scotland-based anti-poverty coalition with similar faith and civil-society membership model; comparable mission and campaigning approach, but regionally focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEqd08lwLLgmjD8xKdLj_RQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/churchpoverty
• Instagraminstagram.com/churchpoverty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/churchpoverty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Church Action on Poverty