Journalists' Charity

What Journalists' Charity does

The Journalists' Charity, also known as the Newspaper Press Fund, is a UK-registered non-profit founded by Charles Dickens in 1864 to provide financial assistance, advice, and welfare support to current and former journalists across the UK and Ireland. Headquartered in Dorking, Surrey with welfare coverage extending to Glasgow and other regional hubs, the charity operates with a 9-person staff team delivering a portfolio of services including emergency financial grants, the First Jobs Fund for career entrants, mentoring (newly launched in partnership with Journo Resources), 1-2-1 training, and independent living support for elderly former journalists. Its revenue is generated through a diversified mix of individual donations (suggested £1/week via Donorbox), Christmas card sales, ticketed fundraising events such as the Midlands Celebrity Lunch (£65/ticket) and Festive Drinks (£12.50+), corporate sponsorship of regional awards, and legacy bequests. The charity is also a recognised industry convener, running the annual Wales Media Awards and co-presenting the Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism with the British Journalism Review and University of Westminster. Royal patronage from the British Monarch and a board drawn from senior figures at the BBC, The Mirror, The Scottish Sun and Reach plc titles anchor its institutional position in the UK media ecosystem.

Name

Journalists' Charity

Legal name

The Journalists' Charity

Website

https://journalistscharity.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Journalists' Charity is a UK-registered non-profit, founded by Charles Dickens in 1864, providing financial assistance, mentoring, training, and welfare support to working and former journalists across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Support Services for Journalists

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Emergency Preparedness & Response Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAL)

Keywords

• Journalist welfare support
• Emergency financial grants
• Journalism career mentoring
• Independent living services
• Journalism awards programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dorking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The charity raises funds through individual donations. The website features a donate button linking to donorbox.org. Donors can contribute £1 per week or make larger one-time donations to support journalists in need.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: The charity partners with corporate sponsors including headline sponsors for events like Wales Media Awards. Companies like Allwyn (Headline Sponsor) and Creative Wales (Support Sponsor) support specific programs.
3. Christmas Cards: Sale of charity Christmas cards, typically priced at £5 for a pack of 10 cards with envelopes. Designs are often donated by journalists and media professionals.
4. Event Ticketing: Revenue from ticketed events including celebrity lunches (e.g., Midlands Celebrity Lunch at £65 including 2 course meal and drinks reception), awards dinners, and networking events.
5. Book Sales: Sale of commemorative books and publications like 'Through the Lens: A Life in News' by Bernard 'Bunny' Hess, priced at £25 including postage, with proceeds supporting the charity.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Journalists' Charity is a registered charity that provides financial assistance, advice, and support services to current and former journalists across the UK and Ireland experiencing hardship, career challenges, or personal crises. Its core offerings include emergency financial grants, the First Jobs Fund for new entrants, mentoring, 1-2-1 training, and Independent Living support for elderly former journalists. The charity also runs the Wales Media Awards and supports the Charles Wheeler Award, alongside fundraising through donations, corporate sponsorships, events, and sale of charity Christmas cards.

Product overview

The Journalists' Charity is a charitable organization founded by Charles Dickens in 1864 that provides a portfolio of support services for journalists in need. The core offerings include Financial Assistance (emergency grants for hardship), the First Jobs Fund (support for new starters covering relocation and equipment), Mentoring (via partnership with Journo Resources), 1-2-1 Training (Next Steps coaching for mid-career journalists), and Independent Living Support for elderly former journalists. The charity also runs award programmes including the Wales Media Awards and Charles Wheeler Award, and sells Christmas cards as fundraising products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Assistance Emergency financial support and grants for journalists experiencing hardship, covering bills and living expenses. Targeted at working and former journalists across the UK and Ireland facing sudden financial difficulty.
• First Jobs Fund Cash grants for young journalists taking their first jobs, covering accommodation, relocation, and essential equipment costs. Targeted at new entrants to the journalism profession who face financial barriers to starting work.
• Moving Forwards Mentoring Scheme Drop-in mentoring scheme delivered in partnership with Journo Resources, offering UK-based working journalists 45-minute one-to-one calls with experienced mentors on job applications, career development, and confidence building.
• 1-2-1 Training (Next Steps) Bespoke expert-led coaching and training support for mid-career journalists, branded as the 'Next Steps' initiative. Targeted at working journalists seeking individual development support.
• Independent Living Support Support services for vulnerable older former journalists who need assistance with daily living, including accommodation at Ribblesdale. Targeted at retired journalists requiring ongoing care support.
• Wales Media Awards Annual awards programme recognising outstanding journalism in Wales across English and Welsh language, in partnership with Allwyn (Headline Sponsor) and Creative Wales (Support Sponsor). Targeted at working journalists in Wales.
• Charles Wheeler Award Annual prestigious award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism, presented in partnership with British Journalism Review and University of Westminster at the historic Regent Street Cinema. Targeted at recognising leading broadcast journalists.
• Charity Christmas Cards Annual fundraising product selling packs of 10 charity Christmas cards with envelopes at £5 per pack, with designs often donated by journalists and media professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported hundreds of journalists and families affected by COVID, cuts, and cost-of-living crisis
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and flagship.

• Journo ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2025Partnership to provide a new drop-in mentoring scheme called 'Moving Forwards Mentoring Scheme' designed to support working journalists looking to take next steps in their industry. The scheme allows UK-based journalists to book one-to-one calls with experienced mentors offering support on job applications, career development, and building confidence. Sessions are 45 minutes, run by experts with more than a decade of journalism experience.
• AllwynmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadline Sponsor for Wales Media Awards 2025. Allwyn's sponsorship helps make the Wales Media Awards possible, supporting recognition of excellence in Welsh journalism.
• Creative WalesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport Sponsor for Wales Media Awards 2025, helping to promote Welsh journalism excellence.
• HW FishersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccountancy firm that provided a practical, jargon-free session on Making Tax Digital for freelancers including journalists. Also provides an Authors and Journalist tax guide and contact form for queries.
• The British Journalism ReviewmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting the Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism. Partnership started in 2009 with the inaugural award to Jeremy Paxman.
• University of WestminstermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with British Journalism Review and Journalists' Charity to present the annual Charles Wheeler Award at the University's historic Regent Street Cinema.
• Luther PendragonsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPR agency that hosts the annual Journalists' Carols event at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street.
• Pertemps Network / Dr Tim WattssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLifetime president of Pertemps Network sponsors Midlands fundraising events including the Jasper Carrott 80th birthday lunch.
• Sky NewssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported the Scottish lunch fundraising event with generous sponsorship. The charity's CEO James Brindle acknowledged Sky News's support.
• Women in JournalismsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerWomen in Journalism organization supports the charity at their flagship events. Journalists' Charity supporters can attend at members' rates.
• NewsrewiredsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity participated in Newsrewired event at News UK to speak, raise awareness of available support, and engage in industry discussions covering AI, Gen Z engagement, and public interest news.
• The King and The Queen (Royal Family)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Queen serves as the charity's Patron. The King and Queen hosted a media reception at Buckingham Palace in March 2025, attended by around 400 journalists and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This royal endorsement significantly raises the charity's profile.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Pulitzer Center: US-based nonprofit that funds independent journalism and provides grants, training, and crisis support to journalists. Comparable in delivering grants and support services to journalists, but operates globally and is primarily journalism-development rather than welfare-oriented.
• Society of Editors: UK professional body for editors across newspapers, broadcasting and digital media — runs the Media Freedom Awards in association with the Journalists' Charity. Indirect peer: shares the UK journalism support ecosystem and senior editorial leadership (e.g., Alison Phillips is a Vice President), but is a membership body, not a welfare charity.
• The Scott Trust: Charitable trust that owns Guardian Media Group and exists to secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity. An adjacent, thematically related UK journalism funder, though its mission is sustainability of a specific news outlet rather than journalist welfare.

Broad incumbents

• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): US-headquartered international press freedom organisation that advocates for journalists' rights and provides emergency assistance to journalists in crisis. Overlaps with the Journalists' Charity on emergency relief and welfare for journalists, but operates at a global rather than UK-only scope.
• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): Global federation of journalists' unions and associations representing more than 600,000 journalists worldwide. A broader incumbent in the same journalism welfare/safety space, with overlapping trade union structures that channel benevolence support to journalists in distress.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Paris-based international NGO defending press freedom and providing material aid to journalists and media outlets in danger. Thematically aligned with the Journalists' Charity's emergency support mission but operates globally and with a press-freedom rather than welfare-focus.

Direct peers

• Rory Peck Trust: UK charity providing direct financial assistance, training and resources to freelance journalists and their families, including a hardship fund. Directly comparable in mission — providing welfare grants and support to journalists in need — though with a narrower freelance focus.
• National Union of Journalists (NUJ): The UK's main journalists' trade union, which operates a benevolent/welfare function for members in hardship. Most direct peer: both organisations are UK-focused, profession-specific welfare bodies supporting working and former journalists in distress.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JournoCharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/thejournalistscharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journalists-charity1

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Journalists' Charity