URBOND

What URBOND does

URBOND is a registered charity (England and Wales, Reg. No. 1184273) founded in 2013 and headquartered in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, operating through two core programmatic strands: Youth Development and Community Integration. The Youth Development strand delivers 15 sub-programmes covering access to education, alternative education provision, careers and employability, art and creativity (music, drama, art, creative writing, book club, board games), engagement activities (youth club, non-term time activities, group days out), physical and mental wellbeing (basketball, football, volleyball), mentoring, youth ambassadors, and family and parenting support. The Community Integration strand delivers food support and sustainability, health and wellbeing, community voices and support, social events, women's empowerment, men's health and wellbeing, and workshops and seminars. URBOND serves approximately 8,000 children and young people per year, engages more than 200 youth weekly, and supports 35 families weekly with food assistance; the charity also runs an international Child Education Programme in Koutaya, Dubréka, Republic of Guinea, which has supported over 20,000 primary school children since 2019.

URBOND is not a technology company. Its underlying operational platform is a physical, centrally located facility at City Buildings, Lake Road, Portsmouth (occupied from January 2025 at a reduced rate from Portsmouth City Council), which houses offices, a music studio, library, computer room, youth club space, creativity room, gaming room, and training room, alongside partner-operated sports venues across the city. The organization runs on a small core team of fewer than 10 paid staff supplemented by volunteers and a structured Youth Ambassador and Youth Mentor pipeline (12 ambassadors, 5 mentors). Digital infrastructure is limited to a WordPress-based website (urbond.org) with Stripe-integrated donation processing at tiers of £22, £25, £50, and £120 for one-time and recurring monthly contributions. The organization is approved as Alternative Provision, enabling it to receive school-referred students.

URBOND's revenue model is that of a UK community charity. It is funded through four channels: (1) individual donations via Stripe, (2) institutional grants from bodies including the National Lottery, Children in Need, Sport England, NIHR, HIWCF, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Department for Education (HAF programme), Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Youth Music, and Blagrave, (3) corporate partnerships and sponsorships (e.g., GRP Solutions, SLR Marine Recruit, Richmond Motor Group), and (4) fundraising events such as the annual Charity Ball, which has raised between £5,300 (2019) and £11,354 (2023). Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. The founder and CEO is Ousmane Drame, supported by a small management team including a Youth Development Manager, Fundraising & Marketing Coordinator, and Family and Youth Support Worker. URBOND does not charge for services and has no equity funding.

Name

URBOND

Legal name

URBOND

Website

https://urbond.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

URBOND is a Portsmouth-based UK charity (founded 2013) delivering youth development and community integration programmes — including education, mentoring, sports, arts, and food support — to approximately 8,000 young people annually, funded through grants, donations, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Community Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Community integration services
• Alternative education provision
• Youth mentoring services
• Charity fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations at various levels (£22, £25, £50, £120, and custom amounts) with options for one-time or monthly recurring payments via Stripe. Donations are directed entirely to supporting beneficiaries with no deductions for administrative expenses.
2. Grant Funding: Funding from government bodies, lottery programs, and charitable foundations. Includes grants from National Lottery, Police and Crime Commissioner, Children in Need, HIWCF, Sport England, NIHR, and Portsmouth City Council.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorships and donations from businesses including headline sponsors for events, corporate partners providing financial support, mentoring opportunities, and in-kind donations of goods and services.
4. Fundraising Events: Annual Charity Ball, community events, and activities that generate fundraising revenue. Previous balls have raised £5,300 (2019), £8,571.37 (2022), £11,354 (2023).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

URBOND is a registered charity that delivers free Youth Development and Community Integration programmes to children, young people, and families in Portsmouth, UK. Services span alternative education, careers and employability support, art and creativity (including music and drama), physical and mental wellbeing through sport, one-to-one mentoring, family and parenting support, a weekly youth club, food bank distribution, women's and men's empowerment programmes, community forums, and a Child Education Programme in the Republic of Guinea. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and funded by donations, grants, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events.

Product overview

URBOND operates two core programmes: the Youth Development Programme and the Community Integration Programme. The Youth Development Programme encompasses 15 sub-programmes including Access to Education, Alternative Education, Careers and Employability, Art and Creativity (with music, drama, art, creative writing, book club, board games), Engagement Activities (youth club, non-term time activities, group days out), Physical and Mental Wellbeing (basketball, football, volleyball), Mentoring, Youth Ambassadors, and Family and Parenting Support. The Community Integration Programme includes Food Support and Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing, Community Voices and Support (Restorative Forum, Organisational Support), Social Events, Women's Empowerment, Men's Health and Wellbeing, and Workshops and Seminars. These programmes work together to support youth and community members through education, sports, arts, mentoring, and social support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Development Programme Comprehensive youth support programme offering education, arts, sports, mentoring, and family support services for young people in Portsmouth, particularly those in areas with limited opportunities.
• Community Integration Programme Diversity and equality programme bringing communities together through workshops, social events, food support, health initiatives, and collaborative forums for all backgrounds.
• Alternative Education Provision Approved alternative provision offering flexible, holistic education support for young people needing different pathways to succeed, delivered at URBOND premises or school sites.
• Youth Club Weekly youth club sessions held Tuesdays and Fridays providing arts, crafts, games, healthy meals, and positive activities for young people.
• Food Support and Sustainability Food bank and sustainability initiative reducing food insecurity while promoting healthy eating and providing CV clinics and employability support.
• Community Health and Wellbeing Community health programme offering basketball, football, volleyball, Zumba, and gym sessions to promote mental and physical wellbeing.
• Women's Empowerment Workshops and conferences supporting women with wellbeing, nutrition, careers, and business development through specialist speakers.
• Men's Health and Wellbeing Support programme for men offering fitness activities, wellbeing workshops, social gatherings, and family support services.
• Mentoring One-to-one and group mentoring support targeting young people in areas with limited opportunities, building trusted relationships to help achieve goals.
• Child Education Programme (Republic of Guinea) International child education programme established in Koutaya, Dubréka, Republic of Guinea, in 2019, focusing on improving access to primary education for children in need and supporting over 20,000 primary school children.
• Annual Charity Ball Annual black-tie fundraising event with entertainment, awards, and community celebration, raising between £5,300 and £11,354 per event.
• Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme Non-term time activities during school holidays delivered in partnership with Portsmouth City Council and funded by the Department for Education, providing free provision for children aged 5-16 eligible for free school meals.
• Annual Women's Conference Annual women's empowerment conference attracting 160+ attendees with keynote speakers and networking opportunities.
• Portsmouth Cultural Festival Free family-friendly celebration of diversity and community spirit featuring stalls, performances, food, and cultural exchange.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000 young people reached per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Portsmouth City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides reduced-rate premises at City Buildings, supports HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) Programme, and collaborates on community initiatives. Key municipal partner for delivery of services.
• Police and Crime CommissionercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides funding and recognition for community safety initiatives. Supports restorative forum work bringing police and community together.
• Portsmouth Force (Police)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal police force collaborating on restorative forum initiatives and community engagement activities. Officers committed to participating in community dialogue programmes.
• Kings TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting Youth Awards events and theatrical productions.
• PureGymcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGym partnership providing free community gym sessions with personal trainer support. Ladies-only and men-only sessions offered for those who find exercise challenging due to cost, confidence, or ability.
• Portsmouth Women AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Zumba sessions and women's empowerment initiatives. Co-hosted workshops for women in business.
• Local Authority (Food Distribution)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local authorities to provide food assistance to families in need through food bank and sustainability initiatives.
• Portsmouth UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing senior lecturers for workshops and educational programmes. Collaboration on Alternative Education provision.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Nationally scaled UK charity running youth development programmes including education, employability, mentoring and wellbeing for 11-30 year olds. Indirectly comparable as a much larger incumbent serving overlapping beneficiary segments and competing for the same grant and corporate partner pools.
• Catch22: UK social business running approved alternative education, youth employability and family support programmes across multiple regions. Direct overlap with URBOND's Alternative Education Provision and Youth Development strand, but at much greater national scale.

Direct peers

• StreetGames UK: UK sport-for-development charity using sports sessions (basketball, football, volleyball) as a gateway to engage disadvantaged young people, mirroring URBOND's sports-led engagement model. Overlap in funding sources (Sport England) and beneficiary cohort.
• FareShare Southern Central: UK food redistribution charity running community food programmes analogous to URBOND's Food Support & Sustainability programme. Directly comparable food-bank-distribution-and-nutrition-education model serving comparable low-income families.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity providing in-school counselling and wellbeing support to children and young people. Overlaps with URBOND's Physical & Mental Wellbeing and Mentoring programmes targeting comparable school-referred youth cohorts.
• Youth Action Yorkshire: Regional UK youth charity delivering youth clubs, alternative education, mentoring and community programmes comparable to URBOND's portfolio of youth development sub-services. Similar scale and operating geography to URBOND.

Emerging players

• KOOTH (XenZone): Digital youth mental wellbeing platform commissioned by councils and NHS to deliver anonymous counselling and wellbeing content to under-25s. Comparable wellbeing mission but delivers via digital channel rather than in-person youth clubs.

Regional players

• YMCA Portsmouth: Regional YMCA chapter operating youth clubs, sports, and community programmes in the same Hampshire/Portsmouth geography as URBOND. Directly comparable mission (youth development, community integration, family support) with overlapping activities like youth clubs, sports coaching, and food/financial assistance programmes.
• Groundwork South West: UK-wide federated charity network delivering community engagement, youth programmes, food/environmental initiatives and employer partnerships at regional level. Comparable operating model with Portsmouth-area youth and community focus.

Others

• ABF The Soldiers' Charity: While focused on the armed forces community, it is comparable as an established UK charity with a community-integration and family-support mission, and as a competitor in the corporate partnership / payroll-giving donor pool URBOND pursues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Urbondcommunity
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbond_org
• Xx.com/urbond
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbond-c.i.c.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 URBOND