What Equality Network does

Equality Network is a Scottish-registered charity (SC037852) and company limited by guarantee (SC220213), founded circa 1996 and headquartered at 30 Bernard Street, Edinburgh. It operates as Scotland's national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights organization, employing 17 staff. Its work spans policy advocacy at the Scottish Parliament and UK Government, human rights reporting (including submissions to UN committees such as ICESCR), and direct support to LGBTI communities across Scotland. The organization also houses Scottish Trans, a specialized sub-project focused on transgender rights.

The organization's commercial offerings are structured as charitable services rather than paid products. Core programs include online LGBTI+ awareness training delivered to public service providers and employers in Scotland (pricing not publicly disclosed), the Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark — a visible certification launched in June 2022 in partnership with Dumfries & Galloway LGBT Plus, Highland Pride, and Somewhere, with signatories in all 32 Scottish council areas — and a publications library covering conversion practices, hate crime, mental health, kinship, and reproductive rights. Fundraising is supported through JustGiving donations, payroll giving, and merchandise (Ally Packs, stickers) sold via BigCartel. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying delivery model is human-led advocacy, training, and community engagement.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Primary funding comes from the Scottish Government, with supplementary income from individual donations, payroll giving, and small-scale merchandise sales. The organization is accredited as a Living Wage Employer and is governed as an independent charity with no parent company or external equity holders. Forward activity through 2025-2026 has been dominated by policy positioning around the UK Supreme Court's April 2025 biological sex ruling, the 2026 Scottish Parliament election manifesto, and advocacy for a standalone Scottish Conversion Practices Bill.

Name

Equality Network

Legal name

Equality Network

Website

https://equality-network.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Equality Network is Scotland's national LGBTI equality and human rights charity, employing 17 staff in Edinburgh to deliver policy advocacy, training, and the Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark certification, primarily funded by the Scottish Government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTI+ Equality Advocacy and Inclusion Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Inclusive Education (Disability, Gender Equity, Marginalized Learners) (BPADAKAI)

Keywords

• LGBTI+ advocacy services
• Equality and human rights
• Diversity awareness training
• Inclusion certification programme
• Policy and campaign work

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

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. Government Funding: Equality Network receives funding from the Scottish Government as its primary source of financial support, as evidenced by the Scottish Government logo displayed on their Rainbow Mark page and explicit acknowledgment of this funding relationship.
2. Donations: The organization accepts one-off and regular donations from supporters, with fundraising activities including ally packs, sticker packs, and merchandise sold through BigCartel. Donations are processed through JustGiving platform.
3. Payroll Giving: Tax-efficient giving scheme allowing UK income tax payers to make regular tax-free donations directly from their pay, providing predictable recurring income for the charity.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Equality Network is Scotland's national LGBTI equality and human rights charity. It sells and delivers paid online LGBTI+ awareness training to public service providers and employers, operates the Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark certification programme for organisations, conducts policy advocacy and campaigning with the Scottish and UK Parliaments, and raises supplementary income through donations and merchandise such as Ally Packs. Its work spans conversion practices, hate crime, mental health, human rights, kinship and family rights, and reproductive rights.

Product overview

Equality Network is a national LGBTI equality and human rights charity that offers a combination of advocacy services, training programs, and certification initiatives. The core offerings include policy advocacy and campaigning work across multiple focus areas (conversion practices, mental health, human rights, hate crime), online LGBTI+ awareness training services for public sector and employers, and the Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark certification program with an associated interactive map of signatories. The organization also raises funds through merchandise sales including Ally Packs. These services work together to advance equality and inclusion for LGBTI+ people across Scotland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scottish Trans: A project/initiated under Equality Network focused on transgender equality issues in Scotland.
• Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark

Products and services

• Online LGBTI+ Awareness Training Paid online training sessions delivered to public service providers and employers in Scotland to mainstream LGBTI+ equality, rights and inclusion across their organisations and services.
• Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark A visible symbol and certification programme for businesses and social spaces across Scotland, developed in consultation with LGBTI+ communities, that demonstrates an organisation's commitment to the principles of LGBTI+ inclusion.
• Policy Advocacy and Campaigning Services Policy advocacy and campaigning work delivered to influence Scottish and UK Government policy on issues including ending conversion practices, mental health, LGBTI+ human rights, hate crime, kinship and family rights, and reproductive rights.
• Ally Packs and Fundraising Merchandise Fundraising merchandise including Trans Ally pin badges, stickers, and sticker packs sold to supporters to raise funds for the organisation and Scottish Trans campaign work.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark has signatories in all 32 Scottish council areas, demonstrating nationwide reach.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Partnership is a collaboration of four organizations that developed and deliver the Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark initiative. Members include Dumfries & Galloway LGBT Plus, Equality Network, Highland Pride, and Somewhere. The partnership works to increase positive LGBTI+ visibility, provide tools for better inclusion, reduce isolation, create welcoming spaces, and recognize genuine commitment to diversity across Scotland.
• Scottish TranscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Trans is a project/initiated under Equality Network focused specifically on transgender rights and issues in Scotland. It operates as part of the Equality Network family and shares the same organizational infrastructure, providing specialized advocacy and support for trans communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch is a major international human rights organization producing reports and advocacy, including on LGBTI+ rights. It is comparable to Equality Network in producing policy analysis and international advocacy outputs, but at vastly greater scale and scope.
• Amnesty International UK: Amnesty International UK is a broad human rights advocacy organization producing policy research, campaign work, and submissions to international bodies. It shares Equality Network's human rights advocacy and UN engagement model but covers a much wider portfolio beyond LGBTI+ rights.

Direct peers

• ILGA-Europe: ILGA-Europe is the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, advancing LGBTI+ human rights through policy, advocacy, and capacity building. It is a structurally comparable advocacy-focused peer at a broader European level.
• Stonewall (UK): Stonewall is the UK's largest lesbian, gay, bi and trans rights charity, focused on policy advocacy, workplace inclusion, and public campaigning on LGBTI+ equality. It is the most direct national-level peer to Equality Network's remit, though with broader UK scope and significantly larger scale.
• Mermaids: Mermaids is a UK charity supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families, with advocacy and policy work alongside direct services. Its overlap with Equality Network's trans rights focus (including the Scottish Trans sub-brand) makes it a closely comparable peer.
• Galop: Galop is the UK's LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, working on hate crime, domestic abuse, and sexual violence against LGBT+ people. It overlaps with Equality Network's hate crime legislation and conversion practices work and serves as a specialist UK advocacy peer.
• LGBT Foundation: LGBT Foundation is a UK-based LGBTI+ charity providing advocacy, community services, and support, with a strong regional base in Greater Manchester. Its combined service-delivery and policy-advocacy model closely mirrors Equality Network's, although it operates across England rather than Scotland.

Others

• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): SCVO is the membership body for Scotland's voluntary sector, supporting charities with funding, policy, and representation. It is not a direct peer in mission but operates the same Scottish third-sector infrastructure in which Equality Network is embedded.

Regional players

• Scottish Women's Aid: Scottish Women's Aid is a national federation working to end domestic abuse and advocating for gender equality across Scotland. It is a comparable Scotland-based policy advocacy and service-delivery charity with overlapping gender-based advocacy territory.
• Citizens Advice Scotland: Citizens Advice Scotland is a national advice and advocacy network providing social support services across Scotland. While not LGBTI+-specific, it shares Equality Network's model of combining service delivery, policy advocacy, and Scotland-wide geographic coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equalitynetwork

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Equality Network