The Shona Project
The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit founded in 2014 that delivers school workshops, mentorship, ambassador programmes, and free resources to educate, empower, and inspire teenage girls and young women across Ireland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWaterford, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Shona Project does
The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit organisation, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Waterford, that delivers educational programmes, workshops, mentorship, and resources aimed at supporting teenage girls and young women across Ireland. Its core offerings include school workshops on confidence, mindset and goal-setting; the annual Shine Festival gathering thousands of Transition Year girls; 1-1 mentorship programmes; Junior and Senior Ambassador leadership programmes; the free annual Shona Handbook distributed to 35,000 first-year girls; and the Safe Bathroom Challenge stencil programme. A newer pilot, MARK, extends its work to boys and young men. The organisation also publishes national research, including The Perfect Storm 2025 survey of over 1,000 teenage girls, and runs the 500x500 community mobilisation campaign.
The underlying technology is a web-based platform for programme delivery and digital content hosted on Squarespace, supplemented by an e-commerce shop, Enthuse donation portal, and standard social media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube). The organisation does not operate a native mobile app, public API, or proprietary AI capabilities.
Revenue is generated through a diversified non-profit model: individual donations via the Enthuse platform, corporate partnerships (CBRE, Allianz, Aer Lingus, Sport Ireland, Fidelity, Enterprise Mobility, McCann FitzGerald, Fitzgerald Power, Hermoves, Plan.ie, Quinn Family Foundation, Community Foundation for Ireland, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland), merchandise sales (Shona Handbook €7.95, "You've Got This!" book €15.95), and government grant funding (Dormant Accounts Fund, 2025). Core programmes and workshops are delivered free to participants, with the team having grown from 4 to 10 staff during 2025 to support a 2025-2028 strategic expansion plan.
The Shona Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Shona Project
- Legal name
- The Shona Project
- Website
- https://shona.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit founded in 2014 that delivers school workshops, mentorship, ambassador programmes, and free resources to educate, empower, and inspire teenage girls and young women across Ireland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Shona Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth empowerment and education services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- School Climate, Culture & Belonging Initiatives (DEI-Aligned) (EDAKAMAM)
Keywords
Where The Shona Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterford
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Shona Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through the Enthuse platform, with a community of supporters contributing to fund operations
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies for events, campaigns, mentorship opportunities, programme support, and employee engagement. Partners include CBRE, Allianz, Aer Lingus, Sport Ireland, and others
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded items including The Shona Handbook (€7.95) and You've Got This! book (€15.95)
- Government Funding: Dormant Accounts Fund support for technology and team expansion
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Shona Handbook - €7.95 per copy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | You've Got This! Book - €15.95 |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | School Workshops - Free |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Mentorship Programme - Free |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Shona Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit organisation that educates, empowers and inspires teenage girls through a portfolio of free school-based programmes, including workshops, mentorship, ambassador programmes, the annual Shine Festival, and the free Shona Handbook distributed to 35,000 first year girls each year. The organisation also runs the MARK boys' programme, the Safe Bathroom Challenge, the 500x500 community campaign, and produces national research such as The Perfect Storm 2025 survey of over 1,000 teenage girls.
Product overview
The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit organisation operating a portfolio of educational programmes and events for teenage girls and young women in Ireland. The core offering consists of school workshops, the annual Shine Festival, mentorship programmes, and ambassador programmes at junior and senior levels. Additional products include the free Shona Handbook (35,000 copies annually), the MARK programme for boys, the Safe Bathroom Challenge, and the 500x500 community campaign. The organisation also provides resources for teachers and conducts research, including The Perfect Storm 2025 national survey.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- School Workshops Two free workshop programmes for secondary schools across Ireland: one focused on influence, kindness and goal-setting, and another focused on confidence, mindset and finding voices. Delivered directly to schools.
- Shine Festival Annual large-scale event bringing together thousands of Transition Year girls from schools across Ireland to hear from role models and celebrate International Day of the Girl in October.
- Junior Ambassador Programme Leadership programme for senior cycle students in Ireland who have demonstrated leadership, kindness, or a passion for social issues. Students are nominated by their schools.
- Mentorship Programme Free 1-1 mentorship programme pairing teenage girls across Ireland with mentors (including Aer Lingus pilots and other corporate partner employees) for support through senior cycle.
- MARK: The Boys Programme School-based facilitated pilot programme for boys and young men in Irish secondary schools, providing safe, respectful environments focused on strengths, identity and real-life experiences, addressing unspoken expectations around strength, success, sport, appearance and peer pressure.
- Shona Handbook for Girls Free annual handbook distributed to 35,000 first year girls across Ireland as a survival guide, also sold through the organisation's shop at €7.95 per copy.
- Senior Ambassador Programme Programme providing young women with exclusive access to Ireland's leading women and peer support opportunities as they navigate young adulthood.
- Safe Bathroom Challenge Programme providing free stencil kits to turn school bathrooms into safe and positive spaces for students.
- 500x500 Campaign Community movement mobilising women across Ireland to stand for and support young girls, complementing the organisation's direct programme delivery.
- Resources for Teachers Educational resources and materials for teachers supporting girls in schools across Ireland.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35,000 free handbooks distributed annually to 1st year girls
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Shona Project
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Shona Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Shona Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CBREcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. CBRE is a global commercial real estate services company.
- AllianzcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. Allianz is a global insurance and financial services company.
- Sport IrelandcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. Sport Ireland is the statutory body responsible for the promotion and development of sport in Ireland.
- Aer LinguscoreCorporate partner providing mentorship opportunities. Aer Lingus employees serve as mentors on the programme, including senior pilots providing 1-1 support to teenage girls.
- FidelitycoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
- Enterprise MobilitycoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
- Community Foundation for IrelandcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. The Community Foundation for Ireland is a philanthropic organisation.
- Social Entrepreneurs IrelandcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. Social Entrepreneurs Ireland supports social enterprises.
- McCann FitzGeraldcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026. McCann FitzGerald is a major Irish law firm.
- Fitzgerald PowercoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
- HermovescoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
- Plan.iecoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
- Quinn Family FoundationcoreCorporate partner supporting The Shona Project in 2026.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Shona Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ISPCC (Childline): Irish children's charity providing support services including the Childline helpline and school-based programmes. Comparable as a national child-welfare organisation dependent on donations and government funding, engaging schools directly and competing for the same CSR and statutory funding pools.
- Foróige: Ireland's leading national youth development organisation, delivering programmes to young people through schools, clubs and projects. Comparable as a national-scale, school- and community-based youth charity competing for similar government, corporate and philanthropic funding streams.
- YWCA Ireland: National women's empowerment organisation in Ireland serving young women through housing, support, training and leadership programmes. Comparable in focus on building confidence and capability in women and girls, and in operating as a registered Irish charity dependent on grants and donations.
- Women's Aid: National women's organisation in Ireland addressing domestic violence and supporting women and children. Comparable as a well-established Irish women's charity delivering national programmes, conducting research, and competing for the same government, philanthropic and corporate funding base.
- National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI): Representative body for women's organisations in Ireland, advocating for gender equality through policy, research and campaigns. Comparable as a gender-equality-focused organisation producing national research outputs (similar to The Perfect Storm) and engaging corporate and government stakeholders.
- Plan International Ireland: Irish arm of the global girls' rights organisation. Directly comparable mission focused on gender equality and empowerment of girls, operating through school engagement, advocacy, and youth programmes in Ireland, competing for the same donor and corporate partner pool.
- Jigsaw: Irish youth mental health charity operating programmes for adolescents including school-based supports. Comparable in targeting Irish secondary-school students through direct delivery, addressing overlapping wellbeing and confidence needs of the same demographic.
Emerging players
- Girl Up (UN Foundation): UN Foundation initiative led by and for adolescent girls focused on leadership, education and advocacy globally. Comparable as a girl-centred empowerment brand leveraging ambassador programmes and corporate partnerships, operating at smaller scale than The Shona Project's national Irish footprint.
Broad incumbents
- Plan International (Global): Global federation with a stated strategic focus on girls' equality and empowerment. Comparable as the international anchor for Plan International Ireland and as the broader category-leader for girls' rights NGO programming globally, providing the strategic playbook for gender-focused youth non-profits.
- National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI): Umbrella body representing youth organisations in Ireland, including policy advocacy and programme support. Comparable as an Irish youth-focused non-profit engaging schools and government, but operates at an industry-wide level rather than delivering direct girl-focused programming.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Shona Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Shona Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Shona Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Shona Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Shona Project 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 The Shona Project
What does The Shona Project do?
The Shona Project is an Irish non-profit organisation that educates, empowers and inspires teenage girls through a portfolio of free school-based programmes, including workshops, mentorship, ambassador programmes, the annual Shine Festival, and the free Shona Handbook distributed to 35,000 first year girls each year. The organisation also runs the MARK boys' programme, the Safe Bathroom Challenge, the 500x500 community campaign, and produces national research such as The Perfect Storm 2025 survey of over 1,000 teenage girls.
Is The Shona Project a public or private company?
The Shona Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Shona Project founded?
The Shona Project was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Shona Project based?
The Shona Project is headquartered in Waterford, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does The Shona Project make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, merchandise Sales and government Funding.
Who are The Shona Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ISPCC (Childline), Foróige, YWCA Ireland, Women's Aid, National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI), Plan International Ireland and Jigsaw. Girl Up (UN Foundation) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Plan International (Global) and National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI).
Does The Shona Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Shona Project.
What industry is The Shona Project in?
The Shona Project's product category is Youth empowerment and education services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGABAF, Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, with a secondary code of EDAKAMAM, School Climate, Culture & Belonging Initiatives (DEI-Aligned). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.