Empower Women for Change

What Empower Women for Change does

Empower Women for Change (EWfC) is a Black and Ethnic Minority women-led community organisation founded in 2015 and registered as a Scottish charity (SC046152), headquartered at 26B Renfield Street, Glasgow. The organisation operates a portfolio of roughly 8-10 concurrent social programmes addressing empowerment, leadership, mental health, financial resilience, food security, heritage engagement, employability, entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, and cost-of-living support for ethnic minority women, refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable families in Scotland. Programmes include flagship initiatives such as 'Desire to Inspire' (National Lottery Community Fund, two-year personal development), 'Beyond the Canvas' (See Me Scotland, arts-based mental health), 'Thrive Together' (cost-of-living support from March 2025), 'Financial Well-Being' (Rosa/Smallwood Trust), 'Low Carbon Community' (Climate Challenge Fund), and 'Bridging the Gap' (Scottish Government entrepreneurship).

The organisation's underlying 'technology' is a community-based service delivery platform comprising art therapy and creative workshop facilitation, volunteer coordination, and structured programme methodologies (e.g., a 10-week Sharing and Learning Framework). There is no proprietary software, no AI/ML infrastructure, no APIs, and no patents. Service delivery is performed in-person at the Glasgow office and partner venues including museums, galleries, the University of Glasgow's Byres Community Hub, and community centres across the city.

EWfC operates on a grant-funded nonprofit model. All programmes and services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is sourced from charitable grants (National Lottery Community Fund, Robertson Trust, Heritage Fund, BEMIS Scotland, Scottish Government, Climate Challenge Fund, Corra Foundation, Rosa, Smallwood Trust, Faith in the Community Scotland, Glasgow Life, Awards for All Scotland, SCVO, See Me Scotland), supplemented by voluntary donations. Funding is project-specific and tied to the delivery of defined programme outcomes, with multi-year contracts on core programmes. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on partnerships with community organisations, word-of-mouth referrals, Instagram presence, and cultural institution collaborations to recruit participants. The organisation is led by founder and CEO Asma Abdalla and supported by a management team of 13 staff.

Name

Empower Women for Change

Legal name

Empower Women for Change

Website

https://ewfc.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empower Women for Change is a Glasgow-based Scottish charity founded in 2015 that delivers free community programmes - including leadership training, mental health support, financial wellbeing, food security, heritage engagement, and entrepreneurship - to ethnic minority women, refugees, and vulnerable families in Scotland, funded primarily through grants from the National Lottery, Scottish Government, and charitable foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community and Social Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)

Keywords

• Community empowerment services
• Women's advocacy programs
• Social inclusion support
• Cultural heritage engagement
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Funding: Primary revenue comes from grants awarded by government bodies (Scottish Government, National Lottery Community Fund), charitable foundations (Robertson Trust, Heritage Fund), and public funds (Awards for All Scotland, BEMIS Scotland). Funding is project-specific and typically tied to delivery of defined community programmes.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations collected through the website for general operations and specific humanitarian appeals (e.g., Sudan relief efforts in partnership with Women for Sustainable Development).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empower Women for Change is a registered Scottish charity that designs, funds, and delivers free community programs for ethnic minority women, refugees, and vulnerable families in Glasgow. Its portfolio covers leadership and entrepreneurship training, mental health and creative-arts workshops, financial wellbeing support, food security and poverty relief, heritage engagement, environmental sustainability, and skills development, with each program delivered as a discrete grant-funded initiative often in partnership with cultural institutions and other community organisations.

Product overview

Empower Women for Change offers a diverse portfolio of community-focused social programs rather than a unified technology product. The organization operates multiple concurrent projects addressing different needs: entrepreneurship support (Bridging the Gap), mental health and wellbeing (Equally Well, Inspired Women), financial resilience (Financial Well-Being), food security, environmental sustainability (Low Carbon Community), heritage access (Thistles & Dandelions), arts-based initiatives (Beyond the Canvas, Space to Escape, Power in Creativity), skills development (New Scots Talent, Talent Within), health research (Reaching Milestones), and cost-of-living support (Thrive Together). These programs are delivered as independent initiatives with their own funding sources, often in partnership with other organizations, rather than as a unified product platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridging the Gap Scottish Government-funded entrepreneurship program that widens participation to historically underrepresented groups, supporting ethnic minority women to start their own businesses through workshops and business idea development.
• Equally Well Mental health awareness and wellbeing project running workshops and activities designed to promote mental wellness and create a safe environment for ethnic minority women.
• Food Security Volunteer-run initiative combating food insecurity and enhancing the wellbeing of economically vulnerable people in the Glasgow community through food parcel distribution.
• Desire to Inspire Two-year National Lottery Community Fund project providing tailored personal development, life skills, public speaking, and confidence-building support to equip ethnic minority women to access further education and new opportunities.
• Thrive Together One-year cost-of-living crisis program supporting ethnic minority women and families in Glasgow through financial inclusion, energy-saving advice, debt management, wellbeing support, health workshops, and essential food and clothing assistance.
• Beyond the Canvas See Me Scotland-funded arts-based mental health initiative using painting, drawing, knitting, cultural expression, and mindfulness to help minority ethnic women share experiences of mental health stigma and discrimination through storytelling and exhibitions.
• Reaching Milestones Research project launched in November 2022 that conducts research and generates recommendations on ethnic minority women's experiences of accessibility and utilisation of health and social care services in Glasgow.
• New Scots Talent Integration program enhancing awareness and empowering New Scots (refugees and asylum seekers) to build skills, gain experiences, develop personally, and access employment or further education through IT workshops, English classes, and integration support.
• Inspired Women Scottish Government Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund project providing mental health support through empowerment activities, cycling, and sewing sessions for isolated and marginalised women, focused on personal development to reduce stress and improve self-care.
• Thistles & Dandelions Heritage engagement program connecting underrepresented women with Glasgow's heritage spaces (museums and galleries) through workshops, training, exhibitions, and walking tours developed in partnership with local cultural organisations.
• Financial Well-Being Rosa (Women Thrive Project) and Smallwood Trust-funded financial wellbeing drop-in service for women and young girls, building financial resilience through money management and budgeting training and support with fuel/food vouchers.
• Low Carbon Community Climate Challenge Fund project assisting ethnic minority women in Glasgow to reduce carbon emissions through cycling clubs, eco-driving training, upcycling workshops, and a Swap Shop that diverts textiles from landfill.
• Cohesive Cultures and Heritage in Action EWfC's first project, funded by BEMIS Scotland as part of the 2017 Scottish Year of History Heritage and Archaeology, celebrating Scotland's diverse community and heritage through cultural events.
• Talent Within Awards for All Scotland and Big Lottery Fund-funded project empowering ethnic minority women in Glasgow to identify their skills, strengths, and contributions to families and communities.
• Space to Escape Glasgow Life-funded project providing free art workshops for ethnic minority women—including painting, drawing, pottery, and mindfulness—creating a space for relaxation and improved mental health.
• Poverty Relief Henry Duncan Grant and Corra Foundation-funded project helping families of asylum seekers, refugees, and vulnerable ethnic minority individuals living in poverty through living essentials relief and welfare support.
• Power in Creativity, Freedom in Abstraction Awards For All Scotland-funded art project delivered in partnership with 16 Nicholson Street Gallery, helping diverse groups of women create abstract art pieces in a relaxed studio environment.
• Sharing and Learning Awards For All Scotland and National Lottery-funded structured 10-week confidence-building, employability, and personal safety program delivered in partnership with Amina MWRC and Wise Women.
• Year of Young People 2018 Scottish Government and BEMIS Scotland-funded project celebrating achievements and creating confidence-building opportunities for young people from ethnic minority communities to shine locally and globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15,000 people reached through single exhibition
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Byres Community Hub (University of Glasgow)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Host venue for Beyond the Canvas exhibition and ongoing programme delivery. Partnership with University of Glasgow's School of Health and Wellbeing provides academic credibility and access to diverse university community.
• Women for Sustainable Development (Sudan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for Sudan humanitarian relief efforts. EWfC collects donations on behalf of Women for Sustainable Development operating in Sudan, supporting internally displaced persons with food, school feeding programmes, and essential supplies.
• 16 Nicholson Street GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Delivered Power in Creativity, Freedom in Abstraction project in partnership with gallery. Provided studio space for art workshops and exhibition venue for participant artwork.
• Amina MWRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Sharing and Learning project, providing introductory employability programme workshops for ethnic minority women.
• Wise WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation for Sharing and Learning project workshops, contributing to confidence building and empowerment activities.
• Drumchapel Bike HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Low Carbon Community cycling club, providing bike lessons and cycling training for ethnic minority women.
• Sunny CyclessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Inspired Women cycling sessions, supporting physical activity and wellbeing through cycling instruction.
• Glasgow's Golden GenerationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing fuel vouchers for energy cost support to those in need through Financial Wellbeing project.
• AlWaleed CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for entrepreneurship workshops helping ethnic minority women start businesses, providing venue and support for business idea development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice Scotland: National network for independent advice and advocacy on social welfare issues. Broad peer: serves overlapping financially vulnerable beneficiaries — including EWfC's economic-vulnerable-families segment — across Scotland.
• CEMVO Scotland: Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations in Scotland. Broad peer: national capacity-building body for ethnic minority third-sector organisations — directly adjacent funding/intermediary space to EWfC's beneficiaries.
• Engender Scotland: Scotland's feminist policy and advocacy organisation. Broad peer: operates at national policy level on gender equality — the same thematic space as EWfC's empowerment and rights work but with a Scotland-wide advocacy remit.
• BEMIS Scotland: National umbrella body for Black and Ethnic Minority infrastructure in Scotland. Broad peer/incumbent: both funds EWfC programmes and operates across the same ethnic minority empowerment mission at national scale.

Direct peers

• Scottish Refugee Council: Scotland's lead refugee support charity. Direct peer: serves overlapping New Scots/refugee and asylum-seeker beneficiaries with integration, language, and employability support; founder Asma Abdalla previously worked here.
• Glasgow Women's Library: Glasgow-based charity dedicated to women's equality through library, archive, and learning services. Direct peer: similar BEM women audiences, heritage/cultural engagement programming, and museum partnership model.
• Wise Women: Glasgow-based charity supporting women experiencing multiple disadvantage. Direct peer: partners with EWfC on the Sharing and Learning project and serves overlapping beneficiaries in mental health, employability, and confidence-building.
• Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre: Scotland-wide helpline and resource centre for Muslim women. Direct peer: delivers empowerment, advocacy, and integration programmes for ethnic minority women in Scotland and is an existing EWfC delivery partner on the Sharing and Learning project.

Regional players

• Shelter Scotland: Scotland arm of Shelter UK for housing and homelessness. Regional peer: similar Scottish-nonprofit social-services delivery model, overlapping economically vulnerable beneficiary base, but distinct thematic focus on housing rather than empowerment.

Others

• ROSA (UK Fund for Women and Girls): UK grantmaking fund for women and girls. Adjacent peer: is itself a current EWfC funder (Women Thrive Project) but also operates in the same women's empowerment mission space through its grantee portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ewfc_org_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empowerwomenforchange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Empower Women for Change