What Generation Change does

Generation Change is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1158567, Company Number 08595580), founded in 2013, that operates as a coordinating partnership of 17 leading national youth social action organisations. The organisation serves young people aged 10-25 across the United Kingdom by unifying the youth social action sector around shared standards, outcome measurement, and policy advocacy. Through its National Forum of member CEOs and Directors, which meets quarterly, Generation Change pursues a collective impact strategy under which member organisations jointly empower more than half a million young people annually across thousands of UK postcodes.

The organisation delivers three core programmes. Quality Mark is a quality assurance framework co-developed with the Dartington Social Research Unit that provides outcomes measurement standards, peer review, one-to-one implementation support, an online learning portal with webinars and guidance, and a community for sharing best practice. Horizon is a free, self-serve online mapping tool that enables any organisation to upload and access data on UK youth social action programmes at postcode level, supporting gap analysis, recruitment and partnership strategy. The Charter of Commitments is a shared framework of eight principles signed by members and partners, covering areas such as double-benefit outcomes, empathy development, and collaborative working.

The business model is primarily charitable: revenue derives from member annual fees that cover secretariat coordination costs, supplemented by restricted and unrestricted grants from foundations such as Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and government sources including the Big Lottery Fund. A small secretariat of approximately 15 staff executes operations from City Year UK's London offices at 58-62 White Lion Street, N1 9PP, led by Director David Reed with Strategic Adviser Sonia Sodha and Network Officer Gary Fawdrey. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees appointed by Forum Members on a three-year rotation, and Generation Change operates without a parent company or subsidiaries.

Name

Generation Change

Legal name

Generation Change

Website

https://generationchange.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Generation Change is a UK charity coordinating a partnership of 17 leading national youth social action organisations, delivering shared quality frameworks, a postcode-level mapping tool, and policy advocacy that together empower over half a million young people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Action Network Coordination

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth social action
• Charity network coordination
• Quality assurance frameworks
• Social impact mapping
• Collective impact partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Member Annual Fees: Forum Member organisations pay an annual fee to cover the costs of the small secretariat that coordinates the National Forum meetings and working areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Generation Change is a UK charity that coordinates a collaborative partnership of 17 leading youth social action organisations. It operates the Quality Mark quality assurance framework, the Horizon free online mapping tool that captures youth social action programme data across UK postcodes, and the Charter of Commitments shared standards framework. The network coordinates collective delivery, policy influence, and knowledge sharing among member organisations that empower more than half a million young people each year.

Product overview

Generation Change is a collaborative partnership of 17 UK youth social action organizations that operates as a network rather than a single unified product. The organization offers three main initiatives: Quality Mark (a quality assurance and outcomes measurement framework for youth social action providers), Horizon (a free online mapping tool to track youth social action programmes across UK postcodes), and a Member/Partner Community coordinated through the Charter of Commitments. These work together to improve quality, provide insight through mapping, and build collective impact across the youth social action sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quality Mark

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of young people taking part in meaningful youth social action
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City YearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Year is a Forum Member organisation that recruits 18-to-25-year-olds for 11 months of full-time volunteering as near-peer role models, mentors and tutors in schools in deprived areas.
• Volunteering MatterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteering Matters (formerly CSV) is a Forum Member - a national charity leading UK volunteering in policy and practice, delivering targeted, innovative and professional programmes nationwide.
• Student HubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent Hubs is a Forum Member with a growing network of 'Hubs' in universities that increase student involvement in social action, running UK-leading student conferences and largest student internship programme focused within the third sector.
• National Citizen Service (NCS Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCS is a Forum Member - a personal and social development programme for young people (Year 11 and Year 12) providing opportunity to develop tools, skills and belief to unlock potential.
• Year HerecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear Here is a Forum Member - a postgraduate fellowship challenging Britain's brightest talents to a year of tackling society's toughest problems, in partnership with leading social sector partners.
• EnvisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvision is a Forum Member with 10-month programmes helping young people design their own local community projects, supporting 16-19 year olds from over 130 schools and colleges.
• vInspiredcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnervInspired is a Forum Member creating inspiring ways for young people to reach their potential through volunteering and social action with diverse programmes and innovative digital services.
• UpRisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpRising is a Forum Member - a leadership programme for 19-25 year olds opening pathways to power for talented young adults from diverse backgrounds.
• The Diana AwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Diana Award is a Forum Member that has recognised 39,000 young people who made an extraordinary difference to their community through anti-bullying and mentoring programmes.
• The Challenge NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Challenge Network is a Forum Member - the UK's leading charity for building a more integrated society through youth and community programmes.
• The Key - Your Potential UnlockedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Key is a Forum Member helping young people unlock their own potential through teams working on 'Think', 'Plan', 'Do' and 'Review' projects supported by trained facilitators.
• Citizenship FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Citizenship Foundation is a Forum Member that has motivated more than a quarter of a million young people to take social action through school programmes.
• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAshoka is a Forum Member - the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs with system changing solutions.
• WE DaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWE Day is a Forum Member - a celebration of young people making a difference, with WE Schools programme delivered in more than 2,800 schools across the UK.
• The Scouts AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scouts Association is a Forum Member - the UK's biggest mixed youth organisation offering 6 to 25 year olds activities and chance to help others.
• Young UnLtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung UnLtd is a Forum Member providing cash Awards and support to young people aged 11-21 who want to change their world for the better through social ventures.
• Future FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Foundations is a Forum Member developing social leadership and academic potential of young people through one-day and multi-day residential programmes.
• Dartington Social Research UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with Dartington Social Research Unit to deliver the quality mark project including outcomes framework, impact standards, and support packages.
• UK YouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Youth works with a wide range of organisations to reach young people and provide varied and accessible opportunities to learn and develop skills.
• London YouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon Youth supports a network of over 400 diverse community youth organisations with unique reach to over 75,000 young Londoners.
• Youth MovessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in Bristol, Youth Moves provides opportunities for young people to take on youth social action through NCS and project work.
• Worth UnlimitedsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorth Unlimited provides opportunities for young people aged 10 to 25 to improve their local neighbourhood through community leaders programme.
• NUSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUS supports youth social action by enabling students' unions to deliver effective change campaigns on local, regional and national level.
• LeapsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeap provides conflict resolution training to young people and adults that work with them across the UK.
• Aylesbury Youth Action (AYA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAYA works with young people aged 14-24 to support them in youth-led social action in their community.
• Affinity SuttonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffinity Sutton is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in England with Community Ambassadors programme encouraging young people to lead social action.
• BYC (British Youth Council)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBYC empowers young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform decisions that affect their lives.
• Team LondonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam London with delivery partners Free the Children, Inspire and City Gateway supports programmes for young people aged 5 to 25.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: National charity delivering youth services and social action programmes across the UK; comparable target population (disadvantaged young people) and overlapping programme types.
• The Prince's Trust: The largest UK youth-focused charity; overlaps with Generation Change's youth empowerment agenda but operates as a direct service provider at much greater scale.
• Impetus: Charity that backs organisations supporting disadvantaged young people; comparable funder-of-the-sector role and similar youth outcomes focus, but operates as a venture philanthropy vehicle.
• The Scout Association: The UK's largest mixed youth organisation (ages 6–25); already a Generation Change Forum Member and one of the largest deliverers of youth social action referenced in the data.

Emerging players

• WE Movement (WE Charity): International youth empowerment movement with WE Schools delivered in 2,800+ UK schools; a Generation Change Forum Member with comparable youth social action programming and broader international footprint.

Direct peers

• UK Youth: UK-wide membership body for youth organisations, directly comparable to Generation Change in convening fragmented youth charities and advocating for the sector at policy level.
• British Youth Council (BYC): UK-wide youth-led charity advocating for young people aged 25 and under; directly comparable convening and policy-advocacy role, and already a Generation Change partner.
• Ashoka UK: Global network of leading social entrepreneurs including youth-focused ventures; a Forum Member of Generation Change and directly comparable as a social-enterprise convening body.
• National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS): The historic umbrella body for voluntary youth organisations in England; the closest historical peer to Generation Change as a network-of-networks for the youth sector.

Regional players

• London Youth: London-focused network of 400+ community youth organisations reaching 75,000+ young Londoners; comparable network model but limited to a single region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/GenChangeUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/generation-change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Generation Change