Close the Gap

What Close the Gap does

Close the Gap is a Scottish policy advocacy organization and registered charity (SCIO, registration SC046842) founded in 2001 and headquartered in Glasgow, focused exclusively on women's labour market participation in Scotland. The organization works with four primary audiences — policymakers, employers (public, private, and third sector), trade union representatives, and individual employees — to influence legislation, support employer action on gender pay gaps, and provide guidance on equal pay rights. Its core service offerings are the "Close Your Pay Gap" online tool (enabling employers to generate pay gap data and bespoke action plans), the "Think Business, Think Equality" self-assessment tool for SMEs, the "Equally Safe at Work" employer accreditation programme, the "Fair Work for Young Mothers" research project, and the "Be What You Want" anti-stereotyping campaign. It produces an extensive library of research publications, consultation responses, and parliamentary briefings, and partners with peer organizations including Engender, Scottish Women's Aid, and the WiSE Research Centre on joint advocacy.

Close the Gap has no proprietary technology platform in the conventional sense; its "products" are free online tools, accreditation frameworks, research outputs, and policy advocacy services. The business model is grant-funded: the organization is funded by the Scottish Government (primary funder), the Equality and Human Rights Fund administered by Inspiring Scotland, the Delivering Equally Safe fund, and The Robertson Trust. All services and resources are provided free of charge — there is no commercial revenue, no pricing model, and no fee-based customer relationship. The organization is governed by a board of trustees, operates a hybrid working model from its Glasgow office, and holds Living Wage and Living Hours employer accreditation.

The organization's go-to-market is policy-led and stakeholder-engagement driven rather than commercial. It distributes its tools and publications via its website, social media (LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube), webinars and events, direct employer engagement (particularly through the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme), trade union partnerships, and parliamentary engagement. Its geographic scope is explicitly restricted to Scotland, and it operates within a 11-person team of policy specialists, employer engagement leads, and a communications function.

Name

Close the Gap

Legal name

Close the Gap SCIO

Website

https://closethegap.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Close the Gap is a Scottish policy advocacy charity that works with policymakers, employers, trade unions, and individuals to address women's labour market inequality in Scotland through online pay gap tools, employer accreditation, research, and direct policy engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender Equality Policy Advocacy and Workplace Equality Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Gender pay gap policy
• Workplace equality advocacy
• Employer accreditation services
• Pay gap reporting tools
• Women's economic participation

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable grants and funding: Close the Gap is a Scottish charity (SC046842) funded by the Scottish Government, Equality and Human Rights Fund (via Inspiring Scotland), Delivering Equally Safe fund, and The Robertson Trust. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Close the Gap is a Scottish charity that works on women's labour market participation by providing policy advocacy, confidential employer support, and free online tools to help employers measure and address gender pay gaps. It also runs the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme, produces research, consultation responses and parliamentary briefings, and delivers projects such as the Fair Work for Young Mothers initiative and the Be What You Want campaign. All services and resources are provided free of charge.

Product overview

Close the Gap is a policy advocacy organization that offers a portfolio of online tools, accreditation programmes, and research projects aimed at addressing gender inequality in Scotland's labour market. Its core offerings include the Close Your Pay Gap online tool for employers to generate pay gap reports and action plans, the Think Business, Think Equality self-assessment tool for SMEs, the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme, and the Fair Work for Young Mothers project. The organization also produces research publications, consultation responses, parliamentary briefings, and guidance tools for employers, trade unions, and individuals. These products and services work together to provide a comprehensive ecosystem supporting gender pay gap analysis, reporting, and resolution across Scotland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Close Your Pay Gap A free online tool that enables employers to generate their pay gap information, identify priority areas by answering a short series of questions, and receive a bespoke report and action plan for addressing the pay gap in their organisation. Targeted at employers and HR/equality decision-makers.
• Think Business, Think Equality A free online self-assessment tool designed specifically for smaller employers (SMEs) to assess their employment practices and receive tailored advice and guidance on how small changes can make a big difference.
• Equally Safe at Work An employer accreditation programme that works with public and third sector employers to develop gender-sensitive employment practice, strategically linking work on violence against women to addressing women's labour market and economic inequality.
• Be What You Want A campaign and materials aimed at addressing gender stereotyping and occupational segregation by supporting young people to make non-traditional subject choices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Closing the gender gap in employment is worth up to £17bn to Scotland's economy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• Scotland's CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Scotland's Colleges to produce guidance on Equal Pay Reviews and Job Evaluation specific to the college sector.
• Mòr DiversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-racism consultancy engaged to develop Close the Gap's systematic approach for embedding anti-racist practice. This included policy audits, staff training, board training, and collaborative insight from externally gathered input.
• Women in Scotland's Economy (WiSE) Research CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for gender budget analysis tools and projects exploring women's economic participation.
• EngendermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint responses on consultations including Gender Recognition Act, social security, COVID-19 impact, and women's equality. Collaboration on policy advocacy for gender equality.
• Scottish Women's AidmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint responses on issues including social security, violence against women, and women's sector policy positions.
• Zero ToleranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint consultation responses and collaborative advocacy on gender equality issues.
• Equate ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint responses on gender pay gap inquiries and women's labour market issues.
• Rape Crisis ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint consultation responses on gender recognition and women's sector positions.
• Equality and Human Rights CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReference organization for pregnancy/maternity resources, equal pay guidance, and pay gap regulations. Close the Gap provides guidance aligned with EHRC frameworks.
• STUC Women's CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative on employment data collection in Scottish local government to assess impact of public spending cuts on women's employment.
• Living Wage FoundationminorOthersClose the Gap is a Living Wage and Living Hours accredited employer, demonstrating commitment to fair pay practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Engender: Scottish feminist policy and advocacy organization working on gender equality. Direct peer — Close the Gap lists Engender as a strategic partner for joint consultation responses on gender recognition, social security, and women's equality policy.
• Scottish Women's Aid: Scottish federation coordinating local Women's Aid groups and advocating on violence against women. Direct peer — Close the Gap partners with Scottish Women's Aid on joint consultation responses on social security and violence against women, and both organisations link workplace inequality to VAW through Equally Safe.
• Equate Scotland: Scottish organization advancing gender equality in science, technology, engineering and the built environment. Direct peer — Close the Gap lists Equate Scotland as a partner on joint responses to gender pay gap inquiries and women's labour market issues.
• Zero Tolerance: Scottish charity working to prevent and address violence against women. Direct peer — Close the Gap partners with Zero Tolerance on joint consultation responses and collaborative advocacy on gender equality issues.
• Rape Crisis Scotland: National coordination body for specialist support services for survivors of sexual violence in Scotland. Direct peer — Close the Gap partners with Rape Crisis Scotland on joint consultation responses on gender recognition and women's sector positions.
• STUC Women's Committee: Scottish Trades Union Congress committee advancing women's workplace interests in Scotland. Direct peer — Close the Gap runs a joint initiative with STUC Women's Committee on employment data collection in Scottish local government.

Broad incumbents

• Fawcett Society: UK-wide charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights, with a strong focus on the gender pay gap. Broad incumbent — operates pan-UK rather than Scotland-only, and covers a wider policy remit, but directly competes for employer and policymaker attention on pay gap and equal pay issues.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission: Statutory body responsible for promoting and enforcing equality in Great Britain. Broad incumbent — Close the Gap uses EHRC frameworks and guidance as a reference and the two align on pay gap regulation, but EHRC operates UK-wide with statutory powers.

Others

• Inspiring Scotland: Scottish charity that designs and manages impact-focused funds on behalf of public and private funders. Adjacent — Close the Gap receives funding from Inspiring Scotland's Equality and Human Rights Fund and Delivering Equally Safe fund, making it a key funder/intermediary rather than a direct competitor.
• Living Wage Foundation: UK organization campaigning for pay and hours standards for workers. Adjacent — Close the Gap is a Living Wage and Living Hours accredited employer, positioning it within the foundation's employer network and reinforcing its fair work narrative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/closethepaygap
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkQshrax6xSAvdTp_yZx-3g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/close-the-pay-gap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Close the Gap