Creative Opps
Creative Opps CIO is a UK charity providing disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 with paid work placements, mentorship, and a youth membership programme to access creative industry careers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersRemote/Online, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Creative Opps does
Creative Opps CIO is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number CIO registered in England and Wales) that provides disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 with access to careers in the creative industries. It was established as a charity in 2020, building on the work of Creative Opportunities CIC (founded 2014, dissolved 2024). Its core programmes are: a Youth Membership Programme (free to join, with paid skill-building opportunities), a six-month Mentorship Programme pairing young creatives with industry professionals, and paid Creative Industry Work Placements hosted at partner organisations. Supporting programmes include small-grant initiatives (Islington Ignite, Young Catalyst Grants) and collaborative film/video production services for nonprofits.
Creative Opps firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Creative Opps
- Legal name
- Creative Opps CIO
- Website
- https://creativeopps.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Creative Opps CIO is a UK charity providing disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 with paid work placements, mentorship, and a youth membership programme to access creative industry careers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Creative Opps industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Arts and Creative Industries Access Programmes
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs (EDAMAIAC)
Keywords
Where Creative Opps is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Remote/Online
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Creative Opps business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: Primary revenue from grants and charitable funding from organisations including National Lottery Community Fund, The Blagrave Trust, Islington Giving, and other trust/foundation partners
- Donations: Accepts donations through KindLink platform and other fundraising activities
- Programme Participation: Provides paid opportunities for youth members including Learning Development Sessions (£100 per session) and work placement stipends
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Youth Membership with paid opportunities |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Work Placement - London Living Wage |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Podcast Studio Engineer Placement |
| Subscription | Monthly | Executive Assistant - Part-time |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Creative Opps product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creative Opps is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) that runs a free Youth Membership, a one-to-one Mentorship Programme, and paid Creative Industry Work Placements for disadvantaged young people aged 18–30, alongside targeted grant programmes such as Islington Ignite and Young Catalyst Grants. Its work is funded by charitable grants (e.g., The National Lottery Community Fund, Blagrave Trust, City Bridge Trust) and donations, with the small in-house team also producing in-house film and video content for partner organisations.
Product overview
Creative Opps is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) that provides user-led programmes for disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 to access the creative industries. The core offerings consist of three interconnected programmes: the Youth Membership Programme (providing skill-building, paid projects, Circles, and peer networking), the Mentorship Programme (pairing young creatives with industry professionals), and Creative Industry Work Placements (paid internships with partner organisations). Supporting offerings include grant programmes such as Islington Ignite and Young Catalyst Grants. The organization builds upon the work of Creative Opportunities CIC, founded in 2014, and consolidates over a decade of youth arts support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Youth Membership
- Mentorship Programme
- Creative Industry Work Placements
- Islington Ignite
- Young Catalyst Grants
- Film & Video Production Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% of mentees improve communication skills
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Creative Opps
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Creative Opps technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Creative Opps partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
54 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Box to Box FilmscoreAward-winning documentary production company (Drive to Survive, Senna, Maradona). Provides paid work placements for disadvantaged young people.
- The WinchcoreCharity helping young people in Camden since 1973. Partner on Take Back the Power community organising project.
- Art Against KnivesminorEarly intervention charity embedding creative spaces in London's most isolated communities. Co-host of Co:Lab exhibition.
- FORWARDminorWomen-led organisation working to end violence against women and girls. Multiple collaborations on filmmaking and digital campaigning.
- Little Angel TheatreminorAward-winning puppetry theatre (Fringe Theatre of the Year 2024). Provides work placement opportunities.
- Off the Kerb ProductionsminorUK comedy agency offering work placements for emerging talent.
- Voices RadiocoreCommunity radio station in King's Cross. Provides podcast studio engineer and festival assistant placements.
- Sounds Like These / Strongroom StudioscoreMusic production company at Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch. Provides studio assistant placement.
- Drift StudiominorCreative production company spanning music, advertising, documentary, commercial, corporate and fashion.
- Woodburner MusicminorLive music events company providing placement opportunities.
- Orbital SoundminorLeading audio equipment supplier for theatre and West End, offering placements.
- Poet in the CityminorLeading poetry producer with young producers programme.
- Whitefox PublishingminorCreative publishing company in London and Los Angeles.
- Sound Without SightminorPlatform for blind and partially sighted musicians, providing placement opportunities.
- studio ATARAminorInterior design practice with sustainable design focus, offering work placements.
- Act Build ChangeminorA learning community for change makers.
- The Advocacy AcademyminorAn activist youth movement of leaders fighting for justice and equality.
- Hatch EnterpriseminorSupporting underrepresented entrepreneurs to imagine, launch and grow sustainable businesses.
- Media TrustminorWorking in partnership with media and creative industry to give marginalised groups and young people a stronger voice.
- Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)minorArtistic and cultural centre in London.
- Positive MoneyminorOrganisation campaigning for reforms to money and banking system. Collaborated on film projects.
- MedactminorSupporting health professionals to work towards health rights. Collaborated on Healthy Planet Better World conference video.
- Random Acts, Channel 4minorCreative films platform from Channel 4.
- ShelterminorCharity campaigning to end homelessness. Collaborated on City Leaders project.
- Sound ConnectionsminorWorks to strengthen the music sector and bridge gaps in provision.
- UK YouthminorLeading charity working across UK with influence as sector-supporting infrastructure body.
- London YouthminorCharity improving lives of young people in London.
- City and Islington CollegeminorFurther education college in Islington.
- Community Organisers LimitedminorNational charity and membership body for community organising in England.
- Cooperate IslingtonminorConsortium of local cooperatives working in partnership with Islington Council.
- Soapbox IslingtonminorIslington Council funded youth provision for those aged 13 upwards.
- SPACE4minorCommunity of technology activists and social innovators.
- The School for Social EntrepreneursminorRuns courses equipping people to start and scale organisations that make a positive difference.
- Wired4MusicminorNetwork of Londoners aged 16-25 interested in music.
- Angel ShedcoreCharity in Islington specialising in inclusive performing arts for children and young people. Provides podcast studio engineer placement.
- Finsbury Park TrustminorCharity supporting community need in Finsbury Park area.
- Mildmay Community CentreminorMulti-functional facility bringing community together to reduce social isolation.
- MAC UKminorTransforming health, social and economic inequalities of excluded groups.
- Pupil PowerminorStudent-led movement on educational policy.
- New Economy Organisers Network (NEON)minorHands-on support and training for campaigners and organisers.
- Coalition of Anti-Racist EducatorsminorCalling for educators to transform places and processes of learning.
- Active Youth (Lithuania)minorLithuania-based for-purpose organisation uniting young leaders.
- Asociación Mojo de Caña (Spain)minorSpanish national non-profit managing social, cultural, training and European mobility projects.
- Gaziantep Local Youth Group (Turkey)minorTurkish youth group delivering Erasmus projects for young people across Europe.
- MENCAPminorCharity working with young disabled people. Co-created Working With Disability documentary.
- Flow ConceptionsminorOrganised Torus project - audio-visual work of art toured at UK festivals. Provided work experience placements.
- Cool GlobesminorPublic art exhibition about climate change from US. Adapted for classroom setting.
- International Primary Curriculum (IPC)minorPartnered on International Mindedness project at Grazebrook Primary School.
- Grazebrook Primary SchoolminorHackney primary school that was venue for multiple creative projects including International Mindedness, Cool Globes.
- St John and St James Primary SchoolminorHackney school where The Bold and the Boulder animation was created.
- Ed FairburnminorArtist whose Human Geography series inspired International Mindedness project.
- The Hive (Dalston)minorVenue for Torus project exhibition in Dalston, London.
- CanDo PartnershipminorYouth board that collaborated on Working With Disability documentary.
- KualominorWeb hosting provider donating their web hosting plan to Creative Opps.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Creative Opps competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Hatch Enterprise: UK organisation supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs to launch and grow businesses, including in creative sectors. Existing Creative Opps partner; comparable DEI focus with a more enterprise-oriented angle.
Broad incumbents
- UK Youth: UK-wide sector-supporting infrastructure body for youth organisations with influence over national youth policy and funding. Existing Creative Opps partner; much larger scale and broader remit.
- London Youth: Larger London-wide umbrella charity improving lives of young people across multiple sectors. Existing partner of Creative Opps; broader in scope but overlapping beneficiary population and funder relationships.
- Prince's Trust: Major UK charity supporting disadvantaged young people into education, training, and employment across sectors including creative industries. Far larger scale with overlapping beneficiary group and placement/mentoring programmes.
Direct peers
- Roundhouse: London-based charity giving young people aged 11–25 creative opportunities through music, media, and performing arts programmes including mentoring and work placements. Direct overlap with Creative Opps on youth creative access, London geography, and placement/mentoring model.
- Media Trust: UK charity partnering media and creative industries with marginalised groups and young people to amplify their voices. Comparable mission around creative-industry access for disadvantaged youth and existing strategic partner of Creative Opps.
- Creative Access: UK charity focused on supporting under-represented talent into careers across the creative industries through mentorship, training, and job placements. Highly comparable mission and beneficiary population to Creative Opps, with broader national scope.
- Talentino: UK charity helping disadvantaged young people access creative careers through skills development and employer engagement. Closely aligned focus on creative-industry access for socio-economically disadvantaged youth.
- Sound Connections: UK charity strengthening the music sector and bridging gaps in provision for young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Directly comparable music-sector youth development focus and existing partner of Creative Opps.
- Brixton Reel: London-based youth media charity providing film and creative-media training and placements to disadvantaged young people. Directly comparable target audience, creative-media focus, and work-placement delivery model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Creative Opps social profiles
Digital presenceCreative Opps financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Creative Opps leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Creative Opps funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Creative Opps 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 Creative Opps
What does Creative Opps do?
Creative Opps is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) that runs a free Youth Membership, a one-to-one Mentorship Programme, and paid Creative Industry Work Placements for disadvantaged young people aged 18–30, alongside targeted grant programmes such as Islington Ignite and Young Catalyst Grants. Its work is funded by charitable grants (e.g., The National Lottery Community Fund, Blagrave Trust, City Bridge Trust) and donations, with the small in-house team also producing in-house film and video content for partner organisations.
Is Creative Opps a public or private company?
Creative Opps is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Creative Opps founded?
Creative Opps was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Creative Opps based?
Creative Opps is headquartered in Remote/Online, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Creative Opps make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and programme Participation.
Who are Creative Opps's main competitors?
Hatch Enterprise is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are UK Youth, London Youth and Prince's Trust. Direct peers are Roundhouse, Media Trust, Creative Access, Talentino, Sound Connections and Brixton Reel.
Does Creative Opps have an API?
No public API is recorded for Creative Opps.
What industry is Creative Opps in?
Creative Opps's product category is Youth Arts and Creative Industries Access Programmes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills), with a secondary code of EDAMAIAC, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8300.