Missio UK

What Missio UK does

Missio UK (legally "Missio – The Pontifical Mission Societies in England and Wales," Charity No. 1056651) is the Pope's official charity for world mission in England and Wales, headquartered at 23 Eccleston Square, London, with 18 employees. It traces its origins to the Association for the Propagation of the Faith founded by Pauline Jaricot in 1822, adopting the Missio name in 2009, and operates four interconnected programme branches: the Red Box/APF (missionary support), Mission Together (children's branch operating in 159 countries), the Society of St Peter the Apostle (seminary training for future priests and sisters), and the Pontifical Missionary Union (prayer and mission education).

Its business model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Missio raised £6.5m in its most recent fiscal year, with the Red Box programme generating £2.2m from over 200,000 homes (income shared 60/40 with Mill Hill Missionaries under a partnership dating to 1936). Additional revenue streams include regular giving, Mass Offerings (£10 standard), Seminarian Sponsorship (£500/year for 4 years), the National Course training programme (£1,100 per participant, run jointly with the Catholic Missionary Union), legacy bequests (funding ~25% of impact), text donations via Donr, JustGiving online fundraising, and annual campaigns including World Mission Sunday and the Children's Christmas Appeal. Distribution relies on a Diocesan Director in every Catholic diocese in England and Wales, parish-level volunteer Local Secretaries, free school resources for primary and secondary Catholic schools, and digital channels including email, social media, Vimeo and YouTube.

Funds raised in England and Wales flow through the global Pontifical Mission Societies network to 1,070 mission dioceses across 157 countries in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, supporting missionary stipends, church construction, seminary training (1,917 seminarians supported), and children's education and healthcare (40,600 children helped). Missio does not receive government or EU grants and holds no investments, with governance provided by a Board of Trustees chaired by Bishop Paul Swarbrick and Fr Anthony Chantry as National Director appointed by the Holy Father.

Name

Missio UK

Legal name

Missio (The Pontifical Mission Societies in England and Wales)

Website

https://missio.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1822

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Missio UK is the Pope's official charity for world mission in England and Wales, raising £6.5m annually through the Red Box programme, regular giving, legacies, and appeals to fund missionary work, seminary training, and children's projects across 1,070 dioceses in 157 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Mission Charity Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAE

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAAAH

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

Keywords

• Catholic missionary fundraising
• Religious charity donations
• Seminarian sponsorship program
• Red Box home collections
• Mission diocese support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Regular Giving: Missio raises funds through individual donations, regular giving programs, and the iconic Red Box program where supporters collect coins at home. Donations can be directed to specific causes or where need is greatest.
2. Red Box Program: Physical collection boxes in over 200,000 homes generate donations shared 60/40 between Missio and Mill Hill Missionaries. Raised £2.2m through Red Box last year. Also accepts text donations via mobile (REDBOX 5/10/20 to 70085).
3. Legacies and Bequests: Legacy donations account for almost one out of every four people helped by Missio, representing approximately 25% of income. Supports through gifts in Wills.
4. Mass Offerings: Supporters send Mass intentions and donations (standard offering £10) which are forwarded to priests in mission dioceses overseas to celebrate Mass for the donor's intentions.
5. Seminarian Sponsorship: Sponsors commit £500 per year for 4 years (£42/month or £1.37/day) to support a seminarian's training. Sponsors receive updates and correspondence with their sponsored seminarian.
6. National Course Fees: Training program for overseas pastoral ministers working in England and Wales costs £1,100 per person for the two-part course including accommodation and meals.
7. World Mission Sunday: Annual collection on penultimate Sunday of October. Donations go entirely to support churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in mission countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Missio UK is the Pope's official charity for world mission in England and Wales, raising funds from Catholic supporters to finance missionary work, priestly formation, and child welfare programmes across 1,070 mission dioceses in 157 countries. It operates the iconic Red Box home collection programme in over 200,000 households (in partnership with Mill Hill Missionaries), the Seminarian Sponsorship scheme, Mass Offerings, Legacy Giving, the Children's Christmas Appeal, and World Mission Sunday.

Product overview

Missio UK is the Pope's charity for world mission, formerly known as the Pontifical Mission Societies in England & Wales until its name change in 2009. The organisation operates four interconnected programme branches: the Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF/Red Box) for supporting missionaries, the Society of St Peter the Apostle (SPA) for training future priests and sisters, Holy Childhood (Mission Together) for children's programmes, and the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU) for prayer and mission education. Missio delivers its work through core products including the Red Box fundraising programme, Mission Today magazine, seminarian sponsorship, and World Mission Sunday. Additional offerings include the National Course for overseas pastoral ministers, school resources for primary and secondary education, Mass offerings, legacy giving programmes, and pilgrimage walks. The organisation partners with the Mill Hill Missionaries (founded 1866) to jointly support mission work, with Red Box income shared 60/40 between the two organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission Together: Missio's children's branch - helps children follow Jesus' example by praying, fundraising and becoming missionaries themselves; supports children helping children in 159 countries worldwide
• Society of St Peter the Apostle (SPA)
• Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU)
• Red Box

Products and services

• Red Box Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised £6.5m in England and Wales last year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Mill Hill Missionaries (St Joseph's Missionary Society)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936The Red Box partnership between Missio and Mill Hill Missionaries began in 1936. Income from Red Box donations is shared 60/40 between Missio and Mill Hill Missionaries. Missio's share supports faith communities in mission dioceses overseas; Mill Hill's share supports formation of young missionaries and their works in Asia and Africa. This is Missio's core partnership for parish appeals in England and Wales.
• Pontifical Mission Societies (Worldwide Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1922Missio is part of the Pontifical Mission Societies network operating in 120 countries worldwide. This global network collects and distributes funds directly to bishops in mission dioceses. The societies include the Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF), Society of St Peter the Apostle (SPA), Holy Childhood/Mission Together, and Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU).
• Catholic Missionary Union (CMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the National Course, a training program for pastoral ministers from overseas working in England and Wales. Jointly developed and delivered since 2018.
• Lay Missionary and Volunteer NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUmbrella organization connecting Catholic volunteer and missionary organizations. Missio refers potential overseas volunteers to this network which includes Assumption Volunteers, Bosco Volunteering Action, Columban Lay Mission, Jesuit Missions Volunteering, Lasallian Developing World Projects, Mill Hill Associates, Ursuline Links, and Volunteer Missionary Movement.
• Mission Together (Children's Branch)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Together is Missio's children's branch, present in over 150 countries. Promotes 'children helping children' through prayer and fundraising. Provides free resources for primary schools in England and Wales.
• Peace Centre Phnom Penh, CambodiaminorOthersMissionary-founded centre providing care and support to 64 children with disabilities. Example of Missio-funded project in Cambodia through the Children's Christmas Appeal.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/missiouk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/MissioUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/MissioUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/missio_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/missio-uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Missio UK