SSNAP (Supporting sick newborn and their parents)

What SSNAP (Supporting sick newborn and their parents) does

SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents) is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1146622, Company Number 07888187) operating for over 40 years from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. It is the dedicated fundraising and support organisation for the hospital's Neonatal Care Unit, serving families of premature and sick newborns across Oxfordshire and surrounding counties and supporting the NHS staff who care for them. The charity runs no statutory funding and is sustained by individual donations, memberships, merchandise, sponsorship products, and community fundraising events.

SSNAP's service portfolio covers four interlocking programmes: (i) Family Support services delivered directly on the neonatal unit — including the Parent Pantry, Coffee Nook, admission boxes, lidded coffee cups, and on-site Family Support staff; (ii) Funding Equipment for the unit, with over £2 million of medical and comfort equipment funded across its history; (iii) Investing in Neonatal Staff, including specialist training; and (iv) Research into improved outcomes for premature and sick newborns. Post-discharge, the Little SSNAPlings programme offers free baby massage, baby yoga, stay-and-play, and buggy walk-and-talk classes across Thame, Botley, and Headington, and now includes graduation ceremonies for babies leaving the unit.

Commercially, SSNAP monetises its mission through a diversified donation-based revenue stack: monthly memberships from £5, lifetime memberships at £1,500, branded merchandise (£1–£25 per item), event-led fundraising (Oxford Half Marathon charity places with £200 minimums, skydives at £400 minimums, Blenheim Fun Run, Charity Dinner tickets at £80/£700/£1,000), and discrete sponsorship products (vCreate at £5,760/year, Parent Pantry at £85/week, Coffee Nook at £45/week). Technology infrastructure is provided through third-party integrations — vCreate for secure family video updates (510 families supported and 4,508 videos/photos shared in the trailing 12 months), donorfy CRM for donor management, Stripe for payments, and JustGiving for online fundraising pages. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct at the hospital site plus an e-commerce shop and community-based classes, supported by organic social and email marketing.

Name

SSNAP (Supporting sick newborn and their parents)

Legal name

SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents)

Website

https://ssnap.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SSNAP is an Oxford-based UK charity, founded over 40 years ago, that funds equipment and provides direct family support services to sick and premature newborns, their parents, and NHS staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital Neonatal Care Unit, relying entirely on donations, memberships, and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neonatal Charity Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Newborn/Infant Mother’s Helper Support (HSAAAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newborn Developmental Support & Soothing Techniques (NCS) (HSAAACAJ), Neonatal Intensive Care & Special Care Nurseries (NICU/SCN) (HLAFAJAE)

Keywords

• Neonatal care charity
• Newborn family support
• Neonatal equipment funding
• Community fundraising events
• Neonatal staff training

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: SSNAP receives no statutory funding and relies entirely on donations from individuals, community fundraisers, and supporters. One-time and recurring donations are accepted through the website, with various fundraising events and campaigns generating revenue.
2. Membership Program: Monthly membership from £5/month providing regular recurring revenue. Lifetime memberships available at £1,500 one-time contribution. Members receive benefits including newsletters, pin badges, and event invitations.
3. Merchandise and Sponsorship Shop: Online shop selling branded merchandise including clothing, accessories, and items. Also offers sponsorship items where purchasers fund specific services (Parent Pantry, Coffee Nook, equipment) in lieu of receiving physical goods.
4. Events and Corporate Partnerships: Revenue generated through event participation fees, corporate sponsorships, and charity dinner ticket sales. Corporate partners receive branding recognition and sponsorship opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SSNAP provides charitable support to sick and premature newborns, their families, and NHS staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital's Neonatal Unit in Oxford. Its core offerings include practical family support services (Parent Pantry food provisions, Coffee Nook refreshments, Admission Boxes, Graduation Bears), emotional support, Little SSNAPlings post-discharge baby and toddler classes, funding of medical and comfort equipment for the unit, investment in NHS neonatal staff training, and sponsorship of neonatal research projects.

Product overview

SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents) is a charity organization supporting sick and premature babies, their families, and NHS staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital's Neonatal Unit. The organization offers a portfolio of charitable programs including: family support services (Parent Pantry, Coffee Nook), the Little SSNAPlings classes program (baby massage, yoga, stay and play), equipment funding for the neonatal unit, staff training investment, and neonatal research support. SSNAP also operates a shop selling branded merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, teddy bears, accessories) alongside sponsorship/donation items (vCreate sponsorship, Parent Pantry sponsorship, Graduation Bear sponsorship, admission boxes). Fundraising events include the Blenheim Fun Run, Oxford Half Marathon, skydiving events, and bi-annual Charity Dinners. The organization receives no statutory funding and relies entirely on donations, memberships, and fundraising activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• vCreate Sponsorship

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £2 million in equipment funded for the Neonatal Care Unit over 40 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MountneycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner with ongoing relationship. Mountney's association with SSNAP has been described as hugely beneficial, providing exposure to organizations in Oxfordshire. SSNAP's large and loyal following puts corporate partners in front of many local organizations.
• Skydive HintoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Skydive Hinton for SSNAP's annual skydiving events. Located on the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border, Skydive Hinton provides the venue for tandem skydives that raise vital funds for the neonatal unit.
• JustGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising platform partnership allowing supporters to set up online fundraising pages quickly and securely. Donations come directly to SSNAP through the platform.
• donorfycoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading UK-based CRM system designed for charities. Used for donor management, income processing, GiftAid, memberships, automation, campaigns, events, and reporting.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor handling secure payment data for purchases made through SSNAP's shop. All payment data is stored by Stripe.
• vCreatecoreTechnology or IntegrationSecure video and photo sharing platform used by NHS staff to share updates with parents of babies in the neonatal unit. Helps reduce separation anxiety and keeps families connected. In the last 12 months: 510 families supported, 4,508 videos and photos shared.
• voco Oxford SpiresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew venue for SSNAP's bi-annual Charity Dinner 2027, located at Abingdon Road, Oxford, OX1 4PS.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bliss: Bliss is the UK's leading national charity for babies born premature or sick, providing family support, NICU resources, and campaigning for neonatal care improvement. Directly comparable to SSNAP as a UK neonatal family-support charity, but operates at national scale versus SSNAP's single-site model.
• The Sick Children's Trust: The Sick Children's Trust provides 'Home from Home' accommodation for families with seriously ill children receiving hospital treatment. Closely aligned with SSNAP's family-support mission, with a wider remit across multiple children's hospitals rather than a single neonatal unit.
• Cots for Tots: Cots for Tots is a Bristol-based charity supporting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Southmead Hospital, funding equipment, family accommodation, and research. Mirrors SSNAP's single-hospital dedicated-NICU charity model with parallel family accommodation and equipment funding streams.

Others

• Borne: Borne funds research to prevent premature birth and improve outcomes for babies. Adjacent to SSNAP's research-support program but focused on pregnancy/preterm-birth research rather than live neonatal family support.
• Oxford Hospitals Charity: Oxford Hospitals Charity funds enhanced care across the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including neonatal services. As a broader Trust-wide hospital charity, it overlaps with SSNAP's funding pool for neonatal equipment and family support at John Radcliffe.
• Tommy's: Tommy's funds research into pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth. Thematically aligned with SSNAP's neonatal mission via shared maternal-infant health focus, but is a national research charity rather than a direct service provider.
• The Lullaby Trust: The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and supports bereaved families. Operates in the same UK infant-health charity sector as SSNAP, with overlapping neonatal family-support themes but a distinct bereavement focus.

Emerging players

• Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity): Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby and works to improve neonatal bereavement care across the UK. Operates in the same neonatal care space as SSNAP, focused on bereavement support and research rather than live-baby family support.
• Rainbow Trust Children's Charity: Rainbow Trust supports families with a seriously ill child, including babies in neonatal care, through Family Support Workers. Comparable to SSNAP's family-focused support model, but with a broader serious-illness remit and wider geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Ronald McDonald House Charities UK: Ronald McDonald House Charities UK runs free accommodation houses near children's hospitals, keeping families close to their sick children. A larger established incumbent in the hospital-adjacent family-support space, overlapping with SSNAP's mission to keep families near neonatal babies.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/299124528476596
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssnap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SSNAP (Supporting sick newborn and their parents)