Centre for Responsible Credit

What Centre for Responsible Credit does

The Centre for Responsible Credit (CfRC) is an independent UK-registered charity (registration 1199945) and company (registration 12488846), founded in 2010 and headquartered at 27 Cambridge Street, Leicester. Its mission is to "change credit for good" and improve support for people with debt problems through a combination of policy advocacy, primary research, and the design of innovative financial-support pilots. CfRC is best known for leading the successful UK campaigns that delivered total cost of credit caps on payday lenders (2015) and rent-to-own stores (2019), and for convening the We Are Debt Advisers (WADA) network of more than 500 front-line debt advisers campaigning against cuts to free face-to-face debt advice.

CfRC's current product surface consists of three active pilot programmes — Financial Shield (an integrated health-and-money support model for people with multiple long-term health conditions in Lambeth and Southwark, partnered with Impact on Urban Health and Primary Care Networks), FlexMyRent / rent-flex (a personalised rent-payment planning framework co-developed with housing associations), and Breakthrough — together with the WADA practitioner network. The organisation also publishes research reports (e.g., "Good Score, Empty Cupboard" based on a 3,400-household survey and 30 interviews) and provides policy and impact-evaluation consultancy to commissioners, ethical lenders, and funders. The operating geography is the United Kingdom, with pilots concentrated in England (notably London boroughs).

The business model blends grant and programme funding (e.g., Impact on Urban Health for Financial Shield), fee-based consultancy and impact evaluation (e.g., for Fair for You, documenting £50.5m in social value), modest one-time report sales priced at £10-£50, and donations via a "Support Our Work" page. Distribution is direct-partnership-led rather than commercial-sales-led: engagements are sourced through the Chief Executive, with commissioners including local authorities, health partners, housing associations, and community organisations. The team comprises approximately 7 employees.

Name

Centre for Responsible Credit

Legal name

Centre For Responsible Credit

Website

https://responsible-credit.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Centre for Responsible Credit is a UK charity that combines policy advocacy, primary research, and financial-support pilot design to improve outcomes for people with problem debt, serving low-to-middle income households, commissioners, ethical lenders, and front-line debt advisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Inclusion Research and Credit Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Research (FSACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credit Education, Monitoring & Consumer Credit Management Tools (FSAKAKAJ), Credit Repair & Credit Score Advisory (FSAEAFAD)

Keywords

• Credit reform advocacy
• Financial inclusion research
• Debt advice services
• Policy consultancy services
• Social impact evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Reports and Publications: CfRC publishes reports available for download and purchase, including responses to government consultations, research on credit scoring, and financial inclusion strategies. Reports are priced at £10-50 for download.
2. Partnership and Consultancy Services: Service design, social impact reporting, and policy/research consultancy provided to commissioners, service providers, ethical lenders, and funders. Organisations include local authorities, health partners, housing associations, and community organisations.
3. Donations and Support: The organisation accepts donations (one-off and monthly) to support current and future campaigns. The website features a 'Support Our Work' page for donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centre for Responsible Credit is an independent research and policy charity that delivers pilot programmes (Financial Shield, FlexMyRent, Breakthrough), runs the We Are Debt Advisers campaign network of 500+ advisers, and sells research publications to influence credit reform and improve support for people with debt problems in the UK.

Product overview

Centre for Responsible Credit (CfRC) is a research and policy organization operating as a single unified entity focused on credit reform and financial inclusion, not a technology product company. Its portfolio consists of multiple interconnected programs: Financial Shield (health/financial support pilot), FlexMyRent (rent payment planning service), We Are Debt Advisers (campaign network of 500+ advisers), and Breakthrough (financial support pilot). These programs share a common mission of improving support for people with debt problems and influencing systemic credit reform. CfRC also produces research publications and provides policy consultancy services to commissioners, service providers, and ethical lenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Financial Shield: Innovative pilot project to improve support for people with multiple long-term health conditions and money worries in Lambeth and Southwark with potential for national roll-out.
• FlexMyRent
• We Are Debt Advisers (WADA)
• Breakthrough
• Rent-flex

Products and services

• Financial Shield An innovative pilot project improving support for people with multiple long-term health conditions and money worries in Lambeth and Southwark, with potential for national roll-out. Brings Primary Care Networks, social prescribing teams, creditors, and advice agencies together for holistic financial and health support.
• FlexMyRent A rent payment planning service offering tenants personalised payment plans, allowing them to pay less rent during tight months and slightly more during better periods. Eliminates the need for high-cost credit when experiencing cash-flow problems and transforms the landlord-tenant relationship through a joint planning framework.
• Breakthrough A major financial support pilot testing new approaches to deliver financial, health and justice benefits to individuals and local councils, part of CfRC's portfolio of innovative projects from 2020 to present.
• We Are Debt Advisers (WADA) A network of over 500 front-line debt advisers providing pro bono consultancy and operational support to campaign for saving free face-to-face debt advice services and improving debt solutions. The campaign focuses on influencing government policy on insolvency reforms and debt advice strategy.
• Research and Policy Consultancy Service design support, social impact reporting, and policy/research consultancy to influence reform. Includes an action research approach integrating evidence on take-up and behavioural response while programmes are live, helping organisations translate support for low-income households into stronger funding cases and delivery models.
• Good Score, Empty Cupboard (Research Report)

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Primary Care Networks and Social Prescribing TeamscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partners in Financial Shield project providing integrated health and financial support services to people with multiple long-term health conditions in Lambeth and Southwark.
• Well ThoughtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-led the FlexMyRent/rent-flex initiative with CfRC, developing a 'joint planning' framework with housing associations to transform landlord-resident relationships through personalised rent payment plans.
• National housing associationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creation partners in the FlexMyRent/rent-flex programme, offering personalised rent payment plans to residents to transform the landlord-tenant relationship.
• Fair for YoucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffordable credit provider for low-income families. CfRC conducted social impact evaluation documenting £50.5 million social value for 33,500 customers, including savings from reduced NHS service use (£2 million+).
• CreditorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in Financial Shield bringing together creditors with advice and community-based support agencies to provide holistic response to people's financial and health support needs.
• Advice and Community-Based Support AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in Financial Shield project providing integrated support alongside Primary Care Networks and creditors.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Resolution Foundation: UK think tank focused on living standards and low-to-middle income households, frequently publishing research on credit, debt, and household finances — a thematic peer in evidence-based credit/debt policy advocacy.

Direct peers

• Toynbee Hall: East London charity running financial inclusion, debt advice, and poverty research programmes — directly comparable as a UK-based non-profit combining front-line services with research and policy work.
• StepChange Debt Charity: Largest UK debt advice charity, delivering front-line debt advice and campaigning on credit regulation and consumer protection. Directly comparable to CfRC's debt-advice, WADA-style advocacy, and policy influence work.
• Fair4All Finance: UK-backed organisation investing in affordable credit providers (e.g., £5m into Fair for You) and commissioning research on financial inclusion. CfRC is both an evaluation partner and a fellow operator in affordable credit policy.
• The Money Advice Trust: UK charity operating National Debtline and Business Debtline, providing free debt advice and engaging in policy advocacy on debt and credit issues — the closest direct peer to CfRC's debt-advice and consumer-credit reform focus.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice: Major UK advice network with statutory heft, providing consumer and debt advice and publishing influential research on credit markets — comparable as a larger incumbent in the credit-policy and debt-advice space.
• Money and Pensions Service (MaPS): UK statutory body established by government to improve financial wellbeing, providing debt advice funding and financial inclusion strategy. Comparable as a funder/convener in the same ecosystem CfRC operates in.
• IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research): UK progressive think tank producing research on household debt, consumer credit regulation, and financial inclusion — comparable in policy research methodology and influence channels.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK poverty research and advocacy foundation that regularly publishes evidence on debt, credit, and household finance. Comparable as a larger research/policy organisation influencing UK poverty and financial inclusion debates.

Others

• Centre for Economics and Business Research: UK economics consultancy producing commissioned research on consumer credit markets, household finances, and regulation — adjacent in providing research-based evidence to support credit-policy decision-making.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/responsiblecred
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-responsible-credit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Centre for Responsible Credit