What Alice Charity does

Alice Charity is a UK registered charity (registered charity number 1148385, founded 2011) operating from Unit 19 Whieldon Road Industrial Estate in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. The organisation delivers early childhood development and holistic family support services to children and families facing hardship in the Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme area, ranked the 12th most deprived area in England. Its core programmes include People's Pantry (emergency three-day food parcels plus baby products and toiletries), Big Cup (free weekly parent and toddler play groups), and Family Services (confidential emotional support, home visits, parenting guidance, and referrals to specialist services). In 2025 the charity supplied 11,880 meals to children, supported 3,479 children through Big Cup sessions, and reached 9,874 total children.

The business model is non-commercial and donation-funded. Revenue streams include one-off and recurring individual donations (Gift Aid eligible under UK scheme), the Family Fiver monthly £5 family-to-family subscription programme, the Fortune 500 corporate membership programme at Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers, and grants from charitable foundations and government bodies including BBC Children in Need, the National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, and Stoke-on-Trent Council. Fundraising is supplemented by themed events (Jail or Bail, Easter Appeal, Christmas Appeal) and community outreach. Family Support Workers, Early Years Workers, and the Family Services Manager are deployed across home, school, and community venue settings, operating a referral-driven distribution model that funnels families in through schools, GPs, and partner organisations.

The technology footprint is intentionally minimal: the organisation runs on a WordPress website, Stripe payment processing, and standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) with no proprietary software, app, or AI/ML capability. The organisation has 11-50 staff and is led by CEO Heather Sheldon. Alice Charity is recognisable regionally through multiple community and business awards (VAST Gold for Volunteering 2024, Newcastle-under-Lyme Community Champion of the Year 2023, Chamber of Commerce Responsible Business of the Year Finalist 2025, University of Staffordshire Business in the Community Award 2025 winner), and operates under UK Cyber Essentials 2026 compliance.

Name

Alice Charity

Legal name

Alice (Relief of poverty and advancement of community)

Website

https://alicecharity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alice Charity is a UK registered charity (number 1148385, founded 2011) based in Stoke-on-Trent that supports children and families facing hardship in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme through People's Pantry emergency food, Big Cup parent-toddler groups, and Family Services, funded by individual donations, corporate memberships, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family and Children Social Services (Charitable Support)

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Childhood poverty relief
• Community charitable programmes
• Emergency food assistance
• Early childhood development

Headquarters

HQ city

Fenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The charity receives donations from individual supporters, including one-time and recurring contributions. Gift Aid scheme allows reclaiming 25p per £1 donated by UK taxpayers.
2. Family Fiver Monthly Subscription: Recurring monthly donations of £5 from families supporting other local families facing hardship.
3. Corporate Fortune 500 Programme: Monthly corporate donations from local businesses at Bronze, Silver, or Gold membership levels, supporting long-term planning for children's services.
4. Grants and Foundation Funding: Funding from charitable foundations, government bodies, and grant-making organisations including The National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, and Stoke-on-Trent Council.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alice Charity is a registered UK charity providing holistic support to children and families facing hardship in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It delivers free emergency food parcels (People's Pantry), weekly parent-toddler play groups (Big Cup), and personalised family support including home visits, emotional support, and referrals to specialist services. Funding is raised through individual donations, corporate memberships (Fortune 500), the Family Fiver recurring donation programme, grants, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Alice Charity operates as a unified charitable services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected support programs. The core services include People's Pantry (emergency food parcels), Big Cup (parent-toddler play groups), and Family Services (personalized family support). These are complemented by fundraising programs: Family Fiver (monthly £5 donations) and Fortune 500 (corporate partnership tiers). All services work together to provide holistic support for children and families in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Cup: Free weekly parent and toddler play groups across Newcastle & Stoke helping families overcome isolation
• People's Pantry
• Family Services
• Fortune 500
• Family Fiver

Products and services

• People's Pantry

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,880 meals supplied to children in 2025
• +4 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stoke-on-Trent CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership providing funding and support for community services targeting deprived families in Stoke-on-Trent.
• BBC Children in NeedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor children's charity funder supporting programmes for children and young people facing disadvantage.
• SugrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholesale partner supporting the charity through product donations and supplies for emergency food parcels.
• Food HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood distribution partner providing supplies for the People's Pantry emergency food service.
• Goodwin International LTDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business partner supporting the Fortune 500 corporate fundraising programme.
• Staffordshire Chambers of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of commerce membership providing networking and business community connections.
• 5% ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry initiative promoting graduate and apprentice development, membership organisation.
• Stoke City Business ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business networking group supporting community charitable initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Large UK children's charity delivering services across fostering, family support, and child welfare. Comparable in child-and-family support domain, but operates at national scale with broader portfolio than Alice Charity's local focus.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, providing services across child protection, family support, and early years. Comparable in child-welfare mission and family-support services, though with national reach and significantly broader program scope.

Direct peers

• Family Lives: UK charity providing family support, parenting guidance, and emotional support via helpline and outreach. Comparable in family-support service model and target segment (families under stress), serving a similar mission to Alice's Family Services.
• Trussell Trust: UK food bank network providing emergency food parcels to families in crisis. Comparable in core food-relief mission (paralleling Alice's People's Pantry) and family-hardship beneficiary segment, though operating at national scale.
• Home-Start UK: National UK charity supporting families with young children through volunteer-led home visits and peer support. Directly comparable in target population (families with young children in hardship) and service model (emotional support, parenting guidance, holistic family support).
• FareShare: UK food redistribution charity tackling food poverty through surplus food supply chains. Comparable in food-relief domain and partnership-driven operating model, with overlap in distribution to community organizations serving deprived families.
• Baby Bank Network: UK network of baby banks providing essential baby items, clothing, and equipment to families in need. Comparable in providing practical essentials (clothing, baby products) to deprived families with young children, paralleling Alice's clothing/sleep-environment programs.

Regional players

• Children North East: Regional UK children's charity delivering family support, early-years programs, and welfare services in Northeast England. Comparable in integrated family-and-early-childhood support model, but operating in a different geographic region.
• Home-Start Staffordshire (and surrounding areas): Local Home-Start affiliates operating in Staffordshire and surrounding regions, providing volunteer-led family support. Directly comparable in mission and service model, and operating in geographic proximity — potential collaboration or overlap target.

Emerging players

• Gingerbread: UK charity supporting single-parent families through advice, training, and advocacy. Comparable in family-hardship beneficiary segment, with overlap in holistic support and welfare navigation for vulnerable families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AliceCharity22
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alice-relief-of-poverty-and-advancement-of-community-alicecharity22
• Instagraminstagram.com/alicecharity2022
• Xx.com/_alicecharity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Alice Charity