The Steve Sinnott Foundation

What The Steve Sinnott Foundation does

The Steve Sinnott Foundation is a UK-registered charity (Charity Commission England 1130814, Scotland SCO46031) founded in 2009 following the death of Steve Sinnott, former General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers. The Foundation delivers educational projects in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) and SDG 5 (gender equality), operating across 10 or more countries including The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Malawi, Cuba, Kenya, Cambodia, Haiti, Nepal, and Jamaica. Its core programmes include the Positive Periods programme (teaching reusable sanitary pad making and menstrual health), the Solar Radio Education Programme (providing solar-powered radios with lights to remote communities without electricity), Learning Resource Centres (physical facilities for teacher training and resources), the Changemakers Speak Out creative challenge, and the Life Long Learning Webinar Series.

The Foundation's product and distribution model pairs programmatic delivery with a digital charity gift catalog offering four fixed-price gift items at £5 to £75, each funding a defined intervention (reusable pads, mother-tongue literacy books, solar radios, bicycles). All products and services are provided free to recipients in developing countries. Revenue is generated through individual donations via JustGiving, the gift catalog, trust and foundation grants (Canning Trust, Souter Charitable Trust), shopping affiliate fundraising (easyfundraising, Amazon Smile), and legacy planned giving via Octopus Legacy. Distribution is executed through on-the-ground partnerships with teacher unions (Gambia Teachers Union, Sierra Leone Teachers Union) and government ministries, with locally owned and managed projects emphasising sustainability over dependency.

The Foundation is led by CEO Ann Beatty, Chair and founding member Jerry Glazier, and founding director Mary Sinnott. It employs a small team of 7 staff supported by volunteers, and is headquartered within the Warner Brothers Studios complex in Leavesden, Hertfordshire. Strategic positioning rests on legacy credibility with the NEU and UNESCO ASPnet (UK coordinator Ann Beatty), and an explicit philosophy that learning is reciprocal and projects are locally co-designed rather than externally imposed.

Name

The Steve Sinnott Foundation

Legal name

The Steve Sinnott Foundation

Website

https://stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Steve Sinnott Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded in 2009 that delivers educational programmes in developing countries, including solar-powered radios, reusable sanitary pad training, and Learning Resource Centres, through partnerships with local teacher unions and funded by individual donations, trust grants, a digital gift catalog, and legacy gifts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Charity

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

AT Implementation, Coaching & Professional Development (Teachers/Staff) (EDAKAIAI)

Keywords

• International education charity
• Menstrual hygiene programs
• Teacher union partnerships
• Charitable gift catalog
• Solar radio education

Headquarters

HQ city

Leavesden, Hertfordshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters in the UK and globally, including monthly 'Friend of the Foundation' subscriptions and one-off appeal donations.
2. Charity Gift Catalog: Sale of digital gift items (Positive Periods £5, Mother Tongue Book £10, Solar Radios £25, Bicycles to School £75) that support specific projects. Purchasers receive PDF gift certificates to give to loved ones.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts including Canning Trust and Souter Charitable Trust for specific project implementation such as solar radio distribution.
4. Shopping Fundraising: Revenue generated through easyfundraising and Amazon Smile when supporters shop online with partner retailers.
5. Legacy Gifts: Partnership with Octopus Legacy offering free will writing services, with supporters choosing to leave gifts to the Foundation in their wills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Steve Sinnott Foundation works with teachers and educators globally to deliver projects that progress Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) — quality education for all. Core offerings include the Positive Periods Programme (menstrual health and reusable pad-making training), the Solar Radio Education Programme (solar-powered radios for remote learners), Learning Resource Centres (teacher training facilities), a four-item charity Gift Catalog (£5–£75), the Life Long Learning Webinar Series, and the Changemakers Speak Out creative challenge. All programs are delivered free to beneficiaries via partnerships with teacher unions in developing countries.

Product overview

The Steve Sinnott Foundation operates a portfolio of charitable gift products and educational programmes focused on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 — quality education for all. Its digital gift catalog offers four priced gift items: The Gift of Positive Periods (£5), The Gift of a Mother Tongue Book (£10), The Gift of Solar Radios (£25), and The Gift of Cycling to School (£75). These gift products are paired with longer-term programmatic work, including the Positive Periods Programme (menstrual health and reusable pad-making training active in 6+ countries), the Solar Radio Education Programme (providing broadcast learning access to remote areas), Learning Resource Centres (physical facilities for teacher training and resources), the Changemakers Speak Out creative challenge for young people, and the Life Long Learning Webinar Series. The Foundation also publishes Engage Magazine and maintains a blog, Resources hub, and Education Calendar. All programmes are delivered in partnership with local teachers' unions and educators to ensure fit-for-purpose, locally owned, and sustainable outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Positive Periods Program: A sustainable program teaching women and girls to make reusable eco-friendly sanitary pads, enabling girls to attend school during menstruation
• The Gift of Cycling to School
• The Gift of Solar Radios
• The Gift of Positive Periods
• The Gift of a Mother Tongue Book

Products and services

• Positive Periods Programme Educational and training programme teaching women and girls in developing countries to make reusable, eco-friendly sanitary pads from locally sourced materials and providing menstrual health education, enabling school attendance during menstruation. Delivered free via teacher-union partners.
• Solar Radio Education Programme Distance learning initiative distributing solar-powered radios with lights to children in remote, off-grid communities, enabling access to broadcast lessons during school closures and beyond. Reached over 5,000 children in The Gambia alone during COVID-19.
• Learning Resource Centre Physical facility programme providing teachers with access to learning materials, research resources, training, and digital equipment to improve education quality and delivery, with three centres established or planned in The Gambia targeting 17,600 teachers and students.
• The Gift of Positive Periods £5 digital charity gift that funds the Positive Periods Programme, providing menstrual health education and reusable pad-making training for girls; purchasers receive a PDF gift certificate.
• The Gift of a Mother Tongue Book £10 digital charity gift funding literacy materials in children's mother tongue languages, supporting reading development and cultural pride in countries such as Haiti.
• The Gift of Solar Radios £25 digital charity gift providing a solar-powered radio enabling lessons for approximately 10 children in remote, off-grid areas.
• The Gift of Cycling to School £75 digital charity gift providing bicycles to students in remote communities who walk long distances to school, improving attendance, safety, and academic performance (e.g. 36 distributed in The Gambia's Central River Region North).
• Changemakers Speak Out: The School I Want to Learn In A creative challenge inviting young people to design an ideal day of learning, encouraging global discussion, creative expression, and youth advocacy on education issues.
• Life Long Learning Webinar Series Series of educational webinars on trauma-informed practice, creative arts, storytelling, and business skills, delivered by partners and educators to support teaching, learning, and wellbeing, with suggested donations supporting fundraising.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ children kept learning during COVID-19 through solar radio provision
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gambia Teachers Union (GTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with GTU for implementing educational projects in The Gambia including solar radio distribution, Positive Periods program, and Learning Resource Centre establishment. GTU General Secretary Marie Antoinette Corr leads local project implementation.
• Sierra Leone Teachers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Positive Periods sanitary pad making program training Home Economics and Health Science teachers to enable girls to attend school during menstruation.
• UNESCO ASPnet UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnn Beatty serves as UK coordinator for UNESCO Associated Schools Network spanning 182 countries with 12,000+ member schools. Collaborative projects include Seeds of Hope for a Better Future creative competition.
• National Education Union (NEU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong historical ties to NEU (formerly NUT) as Steve Sinnott was former NUT General Secretary. Collaboration on Human Rights Day webinars and international education advocacy.
• University of BrunelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent research partnership on Global Digital Divide project focusing on improving education quality in The Gambia's Lower River Region.
• easyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegistered charity partner enabling free donations from online shopping with over 4,000 participating retailers.
• The Literacy ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for International Literacy Day events and Maestra film screening collaboration in Haiti.
• Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, The GambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for bicycle distribution to students in Central River Region North, working through Permanent Secretary Louis Moses Mendy.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegistered charity on Amazon Smile platform enabling supporters to direct 0.5% of purchases to the Foundation.
• English Chamber OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose Encounters Community & Education Programme supporting In Harmony With Peace concert featuring Choir of King's College London and Princeton High School Orchestra.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right To Play: International non-profit using play and sport to enhance learning and child development in disadvantaged communities. Comparable in education-focused international development work targeting marginalized children, though using different pedagogical tools.
• Days for Girls International: Global non-profit providing reusable menstrual pad kits and menstrual health education to girls in developing countries. Directly comparable to the Steve Sinnott Foundation's Positive Periods program in mission, methodology, and target population across Africa.
• VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas): UK-based international development charity focused on education, health, and livelihoods through volunteer partnerships. Comparable in partnership-led model and education-focused international development work.
• Camfed: International non-profit focused on girls' education and economic empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa. Highly comparable to The Steve Sinnott Foundation in geographic focus, target beneficiaries (girls facing period poverty and educational barriers), and partnership-led delivery model.
• Room to Read: International non-profit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries. Directly comparable in literacy and mother-tongue reading development, with similar partnership-driven school engagement model.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International UK: Major UK-based international children's charity working on girls' equality and education in developing countries. A larger incumbent operating with overlapping missions in girls' education and period poverty but with much broader geographic and programmatic reach.
• Save the Children UK: Major UK-based international children's charity with broad education and child welfare programming in developing countries. Larger incumbent with overlapping focus areas including children's education and gender equality.

Emerging players

• AFRIpads: Social enterprise manufacturing and distributing reusable sanitary pads in Africa. Directly comparable in mission (menstrual hygiene solutions enabling girls' school attendance) but operates a manufacturing/commercial model rather than a charity gift catalog approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-steve-sinnott-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Steve Sinnott Foundation