DIALOGUE SOCIETY

What DIALOGUE SOCIETY does

Dialogue Society is a UK-registered charity (Charity No: 1117039, Company No: 05385343) headquartered at 29 High Holborn, London, operating a distributed network of 22+ branches across England and Wales to advance social cohesion through interfaith dialogue and community engagement. Founded circa 2003, the organisation employs approximately 21 staff and delivers a portfolio of community programmes including Dialogue Iftars (community meals during Ramadan), Life of a Chickpea (a schools programme on British values and diversity), Talking Bubble (phone befriending for isolated individuals), Christmas Community Dinners, Open Doors, Youth Leaders in Dialogue, Scriptural Reasoning sessions, Noah's Pudding community initiative, IftarMe home gatherings, and the Journal of Dialogue Studies academic publication. In 2025 the Society reported 3,305 students reached through 56 Life of a Chickpea sessions in 14 cities, 6,000+ participants across 62 Dialogue Iftars in 30 cities, 34 Christmas dinners connecting 2,173 people, and 561 phone befriending sessions delivered by 57 volunteers.

The organisation's business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives from tiered individual giving via the Dialogue Circle (£10–£250/month plus a £5,000 Lifetime Companion gift), corporate and institutional grants (e.g., Community Foundation North East, AKA Foundation), Gift Aid recovery on eligible donations, and match-funded campaigns such as Big Give Christmas Challenge. All community programmes are free to participants and delivered in partnership with schools, universities (Oxford, Birmingham, Leicester, Leeds, De Montfort, City, Queen Mary, City St George's), faith institutions (Newcastle Cathedral and others), and local authorities (South Tyneside, Hartlepool, Warrington, Gateshead). Strategic emphasis in 2025–2026 has been on scaling Ramadan reach to 75 iftar events, expanding internationally through UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative and Guerrand-Hermès Foundation partnerships, and broadening programming into safeguarding-focused Hate Crime Conferences.

Name

DIALOGUE SOCIETY

Legal name

Dialogue Society

Website

https://dialoguesociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK-registered charity operating 22+ branches that delivers free interfaith dialogue, schools, and community engagement programmes — including Dialogue Iftars, Life of a Chickpea, Talking Bubble phone befriending, and Christmas Community Dinners — funded by individual donations, grants, and Gift Aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Dialogue and Social Cohesion Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), After-School Public Speaking & Debate Clubs (EDAMAOAB)

Keywords

• Interfaith dialogue programs
• Community cohesion services
• Social cohesion workshops
• Phone befriending service
• Schools diversity education

Headquarters

HQ city

London, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Regular monthly giving through Dialogue Circle program at tiered levels (£10-£250/month) plus one-time donations and Lifetime Companion gifts (£5,000). Also accepts donations for specific projects.
2. Corporate and Institutional Grants: Funding from trusts, foundations, and institutional partners including Community Foundation North East, as well as in-kind support from corporate sponsors.
3. Gift Aid: UK tax relief through Gift Aid scheme on eligible donations, increasing donation value by 25%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Dialogue Society is a UK charity that runs free community dialogue, interfaith, and social cohesion programmes across 22+ UK branches. Its core offerings include large-scale Dialogue Iftars and Christmas Community Dinners, the Life of a Chickpea schools workshop, the Talking Bubble phone befriending service for isolated people, the Open Doors neighbourhood welcome initiative, Youth Leaders in Dialogue, Scriptural Reasoning sessions, and the academic Journal of Dialogue Studies. These programmes are delivered to individuals, schools, universities, faith communities, and local councils free of charge, funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

The Dialogue Society operates a portfolio of community engagement and social cohesion programmes rather than a technology product. Its core offerings include dialogue-based initiatives such as Dialogue Iftars, Life of a Chickpea (schools programme), Talking Bubble (phone befriending), Open Doors, Christmas Community Dinners, Youth Leaders in Dialogue, and Sukkot Shalom gatherings. The organisation also publishes the Journal of Dialogue Studies and hosts Scriptural Reasoning sessions. These programmes work together to advance social cohesion by connecting people across differences and building community trust through shared meals, educational workshops, and interfaith dialogue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life of a Chickpea
• Dialogue Iftars
• Talking Bubble Phone Befriending Service
• Open Doors
• Christmas Community Dinners
• Youth Leaders in Dialogue
• Sukkot Shalom Gatherings
• Journal of Dialogue Studies
• Scriptural Reasoning Sessions
• Noah's Pudding Community initiative bringing neighbours together across the UK through shared meals centred on the Noah's Pudding tradition, featured on BBC One's Sunday Morning Live.
• IftarMe Community-led initiative helping people experience an iftar in a Muslim family home, with hosts opening their homes to guests during Ramadan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,305 students reached through 56 Life of a Chickpea sessions in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• The Big GivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 December 2025UK's largest match funding campaign platform hosting Dialogue Society's Christmas Challenge 2025, providing doubled donation matching for 7 days.
• South Tyneside CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Main partner in Hate Crime Conference 2025. Partnered for South Tyneside Community Corner series, Dialogue Champion Awards, and ongoing community cohesion programming.
• Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Co-organized international academic workshop on intergenerational dialogue with UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative at University of Oxford.
• UNESCO Collective Healing InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Partnered for international workshop linking to UN Pact for Future, advancing global dialogue on intergenerational well-being.
• Newcastle CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Iftar and Diversity Dinner venue partner. Hosted 5th Annual North East Dialogue Iftar with over 220 guests. Cathedral provides prestigious venue for interfaith dialogue events, demonstrating secular-religious institution collaboration for community trust-building.
• North East Diversity, Education and Solidarity (NEDES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing community partner for North East regional programming. Co-organized multiple Iftar events including 3rd Annual Blyth Community Dialogue Iftar and ongoing Diversity Dinners across the region.
• Hartlepool Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported 5th Annual Hartlepool Dialogue Iftar Dinner. Partnership enables local authority backing for community trust-building events in Hartlepool.
• Warrington Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Liverpool Branch for Warrington Annual Community Dialogue Iftar Dinner at Orford Community Hub, bringing together diverse community members.
• Asylum and Refugee Support WarringtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted Warrington Community Dialogue Iftar, providing support and voice for refugee and asylum seeker communities in the region.
• Community Foundation North EastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and supporter of Neighbours Are Connecting Project at Gateshead XP College. Provides grant funding for community cohesion initiatives.
• Gateshead CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Gateshead XP College Iftar and Neighbours Are Connecting Project, supporting youth-focused community dialogue initiatives.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Iftar at Mansfield College reaching 6M+ social media views. Partnered for academic workshop on Intergenerational Dialogue for Well-Being Futures at Mansfield College.
• University of Wales Trinity Saint DavidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Global Humanity for Peace Institute for Journal of Dialogue Studies special issue on intergenerational dialogue.
• University of LeicestersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Iftar host for campus-community dialogue during Ramadan 2024.
• University of LeedssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Iftar host for campus-community dialogue during Ramadan 2024.
• De Montfort UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Iftar host for campus-community dialogue during Ramadan 2024.
• City University of LondonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Iftar host for campus-community dialogue during Ramadan 2024.
• South Tyneside Safeguarding Adult BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized Hate Crime Conference 2025 addressing extremism and community cohesion with safeguarding focus.
• South Tyneside Safeguarding Children PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for Hate Crime Conference 2025 with focus on safeguarding children and community protection.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Near Neighbours: A Church of England–funded UK programme that supports interfaith and intercultural community projects at the local level, including community meals and dialogue events. Directly comparable as a UK-based interfaith community cohesion charity delivering free neighbourhood-level programmes.
• Religions for Peace UK: UK national chapter of Religions for Peace, a global multi-faith coalition for peacebuilding. Comparable as a UK interfaith organisation convening faith communities for dialogue and peace initiatives with academic and policy linkages.
• Inter Faith Network for the UK: UK umbrella body coordinating dialogue and cooperation between faith communities, linking interfaith organisations and running national programmes. Directly comparable as a UK interfaith coordination and dialogue body, though operating more as a network of members.
• Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ): UK charity promoting Christian–Jewish relations through dialogue, education and school resources. Comparable as a UK interfaith dialogue charity running educational and conversational programmes across religious divides, though narrower in faith scope than Dialogue Society.
• The Feast: UK charity (formerly Three Faiths Forum) focused on interfaith engagement among young people aged 14–24 across cities. Directly comparable as a youth-focused UK interfaith dialogue charity building bridges through meals and structured conversations.
• The Together Coalition: UK charity (formerly More in Common) promoting social connection across divisions through community events and campaigns (e.g., The Great Get Together). Closely comparable mission of bringing people together across differences via local events and donor-supported free programmes.
• St Philip's Centre Leicester: Leicester-based interfaith education and dialogue charity delivering school workshops, training and community dialogue in a multicultural city. Directly comparable as a smaller UK interfaith charity combining school-based education with community dialogue programming.
• Faith Matters UK: UK charity running programmes such as the Muslim Jewish Forum and Inspire (women's interfaith network) to build understanding between faith communities. Directly comparable as a UK interfaith dialogue charity with research, events, and grassroots engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens UK: Large UK community organising charity that builds local alliances across faith, civic and educational institutions for social action. Comparable in mobilising faith and community institutions for civic cohesion, but operates at greater scale with a broader political advocacy remit.

Emerging players

• Coexist House: UK-based interfaith and social cohesion organisation working to counter extremism through dialogue and education. Comparable as an emerging UK player in interfaith dialogue and extremism prevention with a community education focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DialogueSociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DialogueSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/DialogueSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dialogue-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/DialogueSociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about DIALOGUE SOCIETY