People Know How
People Know How was a Scottish charity (SC043871) founded in 2013 and closed in October 2024, delivering digital inclusion, school transitions support, and community wellbeing programs across Edinburgh and the Lothians, funded by grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What People Know How does
People Know How was a Scottish registered charity (SC043871) founded in 2013 and headquartered in Edinburgh, operating across Edinburgh and the Lothians until ceasing operations in October 2024. The organization functioned as a community social innovation intermediary, with programs structured around four core service lines: Positive Transitions (school-based wellbeing and transitions support for pupils), Reconnect (digital inclusion through device redistribution and digital skills training), All Aboard (a canal boat-based community outreach asset), and Connectivity Now (a digital connectivity awareness campaign), underpinned by an internal research database used to inform program design. It worked across three principal beneficiary groups: school-aged children in transition stages, digitally excluded households, and the broader Edinburgh and Lothians community. The founder and senior leadership was Glenn Liddall, who operated as the public face and driver of strategic direction throughout the charity's operating life.
The revenue model was entirely non-commercial: income was generated from grants, donations, and fundraising activities rather than fees for service. There is no disclosed pricing structure, and beneficiaries received services free at the point of delivery. Go-to-market was relationship-driven, leveraging partnerships with Queen Margaret University, the University of Edinburgh, BT Group, Connecting Scotland, and Polwarth Parish Church, alongside an embedded network spanning approximately 50 schools for the Positive Transitions program. The organization held multiple third-party accreditations during operating years, including Investing in Volunteers (2021), Movement for Good (2019), Power Up Initiative (2019), and Purple Tuesday (2019).
The entity ceased operations in October 2024. The closure was attributed by leadership to 'drastic changes in the fundraising landscape in Scotland.' At cessation, People Know How employed 24 staff, down from a peak of 28 in 2023, with the contraction following earlier expansion signals such as East Lothian geographic extension and a 2023 HQ relocation to Norton Park, Edinburgh. As a closed non-profit, there is no residual operating business to evaluate; the analytical value lies in diagnosing the structural fragility of grant-funded, mid-sized service charities when funder conditions shift abruptly.
People Know How firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- People Know How
- Legal name
- People Know How
- Website
- https://peopleknowhow.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- People Know How was a Scottish charity (SC043871) founded in 2013 and closed in October 2024, delivering digital inclusion, school transitions support, and community wellbeing programs across Edinburgh and the Lothians, funded by grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
People Know How industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community and social services (digital inclusion and youth wellbeing charity)
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
Keywords
Where People Know How is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
People Know How business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable grants and donations: People Know How operated as a Scottish charity funded entirely through grants, donations, and fundraising. The charity received support from various funders including Ecclesiastical Insurance (Movement for Good Awards), Carnegie Trust, and government bodies. In 2024, drastic changes in the Scottish fundraising landscape led to the charity's closure, indicating reliance on charitable funding.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
People Know How product offering
Product offeringCore offering
People Know How was a Scottish charity that delivered free, community-based services in Edinburgh and the Lothians from 2013 to 2024. Its core offerings included Reconnect (digital inclusion and device provision for adults and families), Positive Transitions (school transition support, befriending, and art and music therapy for children and young people), and All Aboard (canal-based wellbeing activities on Edinburgh's Union Canal via partnership with Polwarth Parish Church). All services were funded through charitable grants, donations, and fundraising and provided at no cost to beneficiaries.
Product overview
People Know How was a Scottish charity offering a portfolio of social innovation services focused on digital inclusion and positive transitions. The organization operated from 2013 to 2024, providing three core services: Reconnect (digital inclusion for adults and families), Positive Transitions (school transition support for children and young people), and All Aboard (canal-based community wellbeing). These services were supported by a Research Database of academic briefings, a VIP Community volunteer program, and the Connectivity Now campaign for data poverty advocacy. The organization also ran digital support helplines and provided devices to those in need.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Positive Transitions: Service supporting children, young people and their families through primary and secondary school across Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Reconnect
- All Aboard
- Connectivity Now
Products and services
- Reconnect Accredited digital inclusion service offering support to adults and families in Edinburgh and the Lothians to help them improve wellbeing by increasing digital and social inclusion through digital groups, one-to-one sessions, and device provision.
- Positive Transitions Service supporting children, young people and their families through primary and secondary school transitions across Edinburgh and the Lothians, including befriending, art therapy, music therapy, family support, and curiosity club programs.
- All Aboard Canal-based partnership with Polwarth Parish Church operating a canal boat on Edinburgh's Union Canal, aiming to nurture community cohesion and wellbeing through trips for community groups and organizations.
- Research Database Accessible database of research briefings linking academic literature to findings from consultations and community action, covering topics including digital inclusion, school transitions, social isolation, and wellbeing.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported over 3,000 young people through Positive Transitions school support services
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use People Know How
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
People Know How technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
People Know How partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- BT GroupminorPeople Know How partnered with BT Group to facilitate 50 events in rural areas of Scotland, providing people with information they need to prepare for the upcoming switch to digital landlines.
- Connecting ScotlandcorePeople Know How operated the national Connecting Scotland Digital Support Helpline, supporting individuals with digital skills and connectivity. This was a major national partnership delivering digital inclusion support across Scotland.
- Carnegie TrustminorPartnered with Carnegie Trust for Connect Four: Digital Inclusion event in 2020, focusing on digital exclusion issues in Scotland.
- Good Things FoundationminorPartnered with Good Things Foundation for Connect Four: Digital Inclusion event and campaign to end data poverty in Scotland.
- SCVOminorPartnered with SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) for digital inclusion initiatives and cross-sectoral events.
- Polwarth Parish ChurchcoreAll Aboard is a canal-based partnership with Polwarth Parish Church. They ran and maintained a canal boat on Edinburgh's Union Canal, aiming to nurture community cohesion and wellbeing. The partnership involved joint fundraising to purchase the boat, with the church raising funds and People Know How delivering services on board.
- Queen Margaret UniversitycoreQueen Margaret University partnered with People Know How for several years. They collaborated on several activities to support students to integrate theoretical and empirical values of citizenship into their practice through service learning and placement activities. Art therapy and occupational therapy students from QMU completed placements at People Know How.
- Project ScotlandminorProject Scotland partnered with People Know How to provide volunteering opportunities for young people, offering exciting and supportive opportunities tailored to suit the needs of volunteers.
- Volunteer EdinburghminorPartnered with Volunteer Edinburgh to provide supported work placements and volunteer opportunities, helping connect volunteers with meaningful roles in the community.
- Health All RoundminorHealth All Round partnered with All Aboard canal boat, with their men's health group enjoying trips on the boat as part of wellbeing activities.
- University of EdinburghcorePeople Know How ran two multi-disciplinary research projects in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, through which PhD students worked closely with the organization to map pathways to improving practice across agencies and inform policy developments.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights3 records
People Know How competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AbilityNet: UK charity focused on digital access for disabled and older people, with services and volunteer networks that overlap PKH's Purple Tuesday commitments and digital inclusion user base in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
- Connecting Scotland: Scottish Government digital inclusion programme for which People Know How operated the national Digital Support Helpline. Operates the same model of device + connectivity + skills support to digitally excluded households across Scotland.
- Children in Scotland: National membership organisation for children's services in Scotland, with policy and practice work that overlaps directly with PKH's Positive Transitions school-based service and the wellbeing/music therapy programmes.
- Good Things Foundation: UK-wide digital inclusion charity operating the National Digital Inclusion Network and hubs similar to People Know How's Reconnect service. They partnered with PKH on the Connectivity Now campaign and share the same beneficiary profile (digitally excluded adults and families).
- Citizens Online: UK digital inclusion charity providing devices, data, and digital skills support to vulnerable groups — directly comparable to PKH's Reconnect service and device-provision model (3,000+ devices distributed during COVID-19).
- Volunteer Scotland: National body for volunteering in Scotland that awarded PKH the Investing in Volunteers Award in 2021. Directly comparable in the volunteer-infrastructure layer and on the same Scottish third-sector funding landscape.
- One Digital: Digital Skills Education partnership supporting people to develop online skills and confidence — overlaps with Reconnect's digital groups and one-to-one session model.
Broad incumbents
- SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations): Umbrella body for Scotland's voluntary sector, a partner on Connectivity Now and broader digital inclusion policy. Wider remit than PKH but operates in the same funder ecosystem and beneficiary community.
- The Mix: UK-wide charity supporting young people under 25 with mental health, wellbeing, and life challenges — comparable to the youth-focused Positive Transitions service and counselling/wellbeing orientation.
Regional players
- EVOC (Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council): Local infrastructure body for Edinburgh's voluntary sector, providing support and representation to charities operating in the same city and constituency as People Know How.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
People Know How social profiles
Digital presencePeople Know How financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
People Know How leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
People Know How funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
People Know How M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about People Know How
What does People Know How do?
People Know How was a Scottish charity that delivered free, community-based services in Edinburgh and the Lothians from 2013 to 2024. Its core offerings included Reconnect (digital inclusion and device provision for adults and families), Positive Transitions (school transition support, befriending, and art and music therapy for children and young people), and All Aboard (canal-based wellbeing activities on Edinburgh's Union Canal via partnership with Polwarth Parish Church). All services were funded through charitable grants, donations, and fundraising and provided at no cost to beneficiaries.
Is People Know How a public or private company?
People Know How is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was People Know How founded?
People Know How was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is People Know How based?
People Know How is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does People Know How make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable grants and donations.
Who are People Know How's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AbilityNet, Connecting Scotland, Children in Scotland, Good Things Foundation, Citizens Online, Volunteer Scotland and One Digital. Broad incumbents are SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) and The Mix. EVOC (Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council) is listed as a regional player.
Does People Know How have an API?
No public API is recorded for People Know How.
What industry is People Know How in?
People Know How's product category is Community and social services (digital inclusion and youth wellbeing charity). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.