Southampton City Mission

What Southampton City Mission does

Southampton City Mission (SCM) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered in the UK (charity number 1162099), operating from a single office at Unit 5, Second Avenue Business Park, Millbrook in Southampton. The charity runs three core programmes: Basics Bank (emergency food and clothing provision distributed via referral vouchers issued by a network of 1,420+ authorised agents), Marketplace (a membership-based affordable food scheme operating at four Southampton venues mapped to postcodes SO14, SO16, SO18 and SO19), and Schools Work (a portfolio of educational services including Question of Faith RE days, assemblies, CAP Money Kids financial literacy, Prayer Spaces, Grow Communities, and Year 6 transition support).\n\nSCM operates a deliberately small hub model with six full-time staff, six part-time staff, and approximately 200 volunteers who execute the majority of frontline service delivery. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries; there is no software product or proprietary technology stack beyond a standard referrer login portal (scmclientdb.appspot.com) and a Squarespace-hosted public website. Revenue derives from individual and church donations, Gift Aid reclaim (an additional 25% on eligible UK taxpayer donations), charitable trust and government grants, and corporate partnerships including van advertising, employee volunteering, and food/clothing donations.\n\nDuring the 2024/25 academic year SCM visited 53 schools, delivered 81 assemblies and 199 Question of Faith days, and distributed 1,012 Year 6 transition booklets. Calendar 2025 outputs included 15,529 food provisions through Basics Bank, 1,360 clothing provisions, 56,706 Marketplace food items, and 4,362 member visits. SCM operates exclusively within Southampton, is governed as an independent entity with no parent company or subsidiaries, and reports annual activities including the SCM Conference 2026 which convened approximately 130 attendees from churches across the city.

Name

Southampton City Mission

Legal name

Southampton City Mission CIO

Website

https://southamptoncitymission.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southampton City Mission is a UK Christian charity delivering free emergency food and clothing assistance, affordable food access via the Marketplace membership scheme, and school-based religious education and financial literacy programmes to vulnerable Southampton residents and 50+ local schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Community Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Religious Organizations (813110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Community charitable services
• Food bank operations
• Religious education
• Community outreach programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Church Donations: Majority of income comes from individuals and church communities giving regular donations. The charity deliberately maintains a small footprint to maximize impact of donations.
2. Charitable Trusts and Government Grants: SCM applies for funding and grants from charitable trusts and local government to support operations.
3. Gift Aid: UK taxpayers can sign up for Gift Aid, allowing SCM to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated under the Gift Aid scheme at no extra cost to the donor.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Local businesses provide support through food/clothes donations, charity of the year partnerships, van/ driver lending, employee volunteering, fundraising events, produce donations, and corporate sponsorship (advertising space on vans).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southampton City Mission is a Christian charity that provides free emergency food parcels via its Basics Bank food bank, affordable food through the Marketplace membership scheme, clothing assistance, and Christian religious education in local schools. It coordinates these services through a referral network of more than 100 partner agencies and supports them with roughly 200 volunteers alongside a small paid staff team.

Product overview

Southampton City Mission is a Christian charity operating a portfolio of social welfare and community services rather than a unified software product. The core service offerings include Basics Bank (emergency food and clothing provision via referral vouchers), Marketplace (membership-based affordable food access at four Southampton venues), and Schools Work (delivering RE days, assemblies, financial literacy, prayer spaces, and transition support across 50+ schools). Supporting services include volunteer coordination, financial donation processing via Stewardship with Gift Aid support, corporate partnerships, monthly prayer meetings, and an annual SCM Conference. The charity has approximately 6 full-time and 6 part-time staff supported by around 200 volunteers, with operations funded primarily by individual and church donations plus some trust and government grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Highfield ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for SCM Conference 2026. Provides facilities for the annual God's Story Conference bringing together churches from across the city.
• The Message TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest speaker at SCM Conference 2026. Sam Ward from The Message Trust delivered talks on 'quiet revival' and incarnational living. Provides resources for Mission Mapping in local communities.
• New Community Church SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheo Amer, Senior Leader, shared encouraging stories at SCM Conference 2026 about God moving locally in Southampton communities.
• Southampton House of PrayerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed prayer walk at SCM Conference 2026 with ~30 participants praying in different areas of the city including Highfield Lane and near the university.
• Scripture UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Mission Partner with Scripture Union. Uses their 'It's Your Move' transition support booklets (1.6 million distributed nationwide). Grow Communities program launched in partnership with Scripture Union guidance based on evidence of children thriving in worshipping communities designed around them.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAP Money Kids course was designed and created by this award-winning charity that teaches basic money management skills to over 10,000 people a year across the UK. SCM delivers CAP Money sessions in schools based on this curriculum.
• Oasis Christian BookshopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExhibition stall at SCM Conference 2026 showcasing Christian resources alongside other local charities.
• Citizens AdvicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey referral agent for SCM Basics Bank. Provides advice services and refers clients who need food/clothing assistance. Available Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm via 0808 2787863 or video consultation at libraries.
• Two Saints Day CentrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey referral agent. Southampton-based charity at 30 Cranbury Ave, SO14 0LT. Open Mon-Fri 9am-2pm. Tel: 02380 223443.
• Society of St JamescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey referral agent. Tel: 02380 8063 4596. Provides referrals to SCM food bank services.
• No LimitscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral agent for people aged up to 25. Contact: 02380 224 224 or [email protected]
• Southampton Advice & Representation Centre (SARC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral agent. Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm. 023 8043 1435. Email via web contact form.
• Community Mental Health TeamscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partners. Three teams covering different areas: Southampton Central (College Keep): 023 8231 0726, Southampton East (Bitterne Park): 0238 2310 982, Southampton West (Cannon House): 023 8087 8040.
• Family Hubs (formerly Sure Start)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral agents including Ashby Centre (02380 540135), Pickles Coppice (02380 540135), Sure Start Clovelly (02380 331635), Sure Start Townhill Park (02380 915480), Sure Start Thornhill (02380 917633), Sure Start Weston (02380 437866).
• CLEAR (Refugees & Asylum Seekers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner for refugees and asylum seekers. Weekly drop-in Friday 9.30am-12pm at Avenue St Andrews URC. 02380 221111.
• EU WelcomecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHelp and support for EU migrants. Main reception: 02380 221111. Email via web contact form.
• Prayer Spaces in SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCM Prayer Spaces follow the values and resources provided by Prayer Spaces in Schools organization, complementing schools' SMSC and RE provision.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FareShare: UK food redistribution charity that supplies surplus food to community organisations running food programmes — directly comparable to SCM's Marketplace food supply chain and surplus-food redistribution model.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with volunteer-powered community meals to address food poverty and social isolation — comparable operating model to SCM Marketplace, including the inclusive community-meal environment.
• City Mission (national network): Federation of UK city missions delivering Christian social outreach, food aid, and community support in individual cities — directly analogous model to Southampton City Mission on a network basis.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP UK): UK Christian charity providing debt counselling, money management (CAP Money Kids is the curriculum SCM delivers), and community services — closely comparable in faith-based social services delivery and partnership overlap.
• Scripture Union: Christian charity producing the 'It's Your Move' transition resources and 'Grow Communities' framework that SCM uses in schools — directly comparable as a faith-based schools work provider.
• The Trussell Trust: UK-wide food bank network operating emergency food provision via a referral-based voucher model across hundreds of locations — the closest direct analogue to SCM's Basics Bank programme and referral-agent network.

Emerging players

• Citizens Advice Southampton: Local advice charity and one of SCM's largest referral agents — overlapping as a front-line social-services provider supporting vulnerable Southampton residents, but with advice rather than food/clothing delivery as its core service.
• Oasis Community Housing: Faith-inspired community charity running foodbanks, debt advice, and family support in the Southampton area — directly comparable in faith-rooted community services model and shared local geography.

Regional players

• Two Saints (Society of St James): Southampton-based housing and homelessness charity and SCM referral partner — addresses overlapping beneficiary population (homeless and vulnerable Southampton residents) but focused on housing rather than emergency food/clothing.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army UK: Large established Christian charity delivering food aid, clothing, community programmes, and faith-based outreach across the UK — overlapping with SCM's faith-based social services model but at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLlN57J91LisNHfTKFeUDEfoRi8GQ_ofSH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southamptoncitymission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Southampton City Mission