Name

WCVA | CVGC

Legal name

Wales Council for Voluntary Action

Website

https://wcva.cymru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voluntary Sector Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Voluntary sector support
• Grant administration
• Social investment lending
• Charity funding schemes
• Third sector infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Funding Distribution: WCVA administers and distributes various grant schemes on behalf of Welsh Government and other funders. In 2021/22, WCVA distributed around £28.9m in funding to charities, social enterprises and volunteers in Wales.
2. Social Investment Cymru: Social Investment Cymru provides loans and financial support to social enterprises in Wales, celebrating 20 years of social lending. They have invested over £10 million to community organisations through various loan funds including Bridge and Build Loans, Clean Energy Fund, Community Asset Loan Fund, Communities Investment Fund, and Wales Micro Loan Fund.
3. Training and Events: WCVA provides training focused on the needs of voluntary organisations, helping them run more effectively and develop skills, knowledge and confidence. Also hosts gofod3 (biggest event of its kind in Wales), Annual Lecture and AGM, and Welsh Charity Awards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WCVA is the national support body for voluntary organisations in Wales. It administers grant schemes on behalf of Welsh Government and other funders (e.g., Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, MARINE Fund Cymru, Coastal Capacity Building Fund, Comic Relief Cwtch Communities), runs Social Investment Cymru providing loans and grants to social enterprises, delivers training and events, and influences policy at the Senedd. WCVA distributes grant funding to charities, social enterprises and volunteers across Wales through its bilingual digital platforms and County Voluntary Councils network.

Product overview

WCVA (Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol Cymru) operates as the national support body for voluntary organisations in Wales, functioning through the Third Sector Support Wales (TSSW) collaborative alongside County Voluntary Councils. The digital ecosystem comprises multiple integrated platforms: MAP (Multipurpose Application Portal) for funding applications, PDS for project management, Volunteering Wales for volunteer matching, infoengine as a directory, Cyllido Cymru for funding, Hwb Gwybodaeth as an information hub, and an integrated CRM system. WCVA administers diverse funding programmes including Social Investment Cymru (loans and grants), the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, MARINE Fund Cymru, Coastal Capacity Building Fund, Comic Relief Cwtch Communities, and the Walter Dickie Leadership Bursary. Platforms share data through internal APIs and connect to external services such as Utility Aid for energy switching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MARINE Fund Cymru: Marine Resilience and Improvement of Natural Ecosystems Fund – a long-term fund investing in programmes and projects that enable, maintain and enhance the resilience of Wales' marine and coastal ecosystems, managed by WCVA.
• Social Investment Cymru
• Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme

Products and services

• MAP (Multipurpose Application Portal) Online portal for submitting and managing funding applications to WCVA grant schemes. Allows organisations to register and apply for various WCVA-administered grant programmes in Welsh and English. Core digital channel for the Third Sector Support Wales ecosystem.
• Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme (LDTCS) Welsh Government grant scheme administered by WCVA providing £5,000-£49,999 funding for communities living within five miles of certain waste transfer stations or landfill sites. Focus areas include biodiversity, waste minimisation, and wider environmental enhancements.
• Social Investment Cymru WCVA programme providing grants and loans to social enterprises in Wales. Includes Bridge and Build Loans, Clean Energy Fund, Community Asset Loan Fund, Communities Investment Fund, Wales Micro Loan Fund, and the Walter Dickie Leadership Bursary. Celebrating 20 years of social lending with over £10 million lent.
• MARINE Fund Cymru Marine Resilience and Improvement of Natural Ecosystems Fund investing in projects supporting resilience of Wales' marine and coastal ecosystems. Voluntary contributions distributed as grants to marine and coastal ecosystem recovery projects.
• Coastal Capacity Building Fund Fund enabling communities to take action in Welsh coastal areas supporting nature recovery and sustainability. Builds capacity for community partners to deliver sustainable action supporting growth and recovery in marine and coastal areas.
• Comic Relief Cwtch Communities Grant scheme funded by Comic Relief offering £15,000-£35,000 to Welsh voluntary organisations with income under £250,000. Priority areas include basic needs, health (early childhood development), and safety.
• Walter Dickie Leadership Bursary Annual £2,500 award supporting individuals in leadership roles within voluntary organisations in Wales to develop entrepreneurial leadership skills. Named in memory of WCVA trustee Walter Dickie who helped establish the Communities Investment Fund.
• Training and Events programme Training focused on the needs of voluntary organisations to help them run more effectively and develop skills, knowledge and confidence. Includes bespoke in-house training, flagship events such as gofod3 (the biggest event of its kind in Wales), the Annual Lecture and AGM, and the Welsh Charity Awards.
• Energy Switching Service Service enabling voluntary organisations to compare commercial utility prices and access instant quotations from credit-vetted suppliers, offered through trusted supplier Utility Aid.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed £28.9m in funding to charities, social enterprises and volunteers in Wales in 2021/22
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Nature Partnerships (LNP) CymrucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Local Nature Partnerships act as lead applicants for Coastal Capacity Building Fund, with WCVA managing funding and coordination.
• County Voluntary Councils (CVCs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSSW (Cefnogi Trydydd Sector Cymru) is a collaboration between WCVA and the County Voluntary Councils. Together they enable the third sector and volunteers across Wales to contribute fully to individual and community wellbeing.
• Natural Resources Wales (NRW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides oversight for MARINE Fund Cymru as part of the Steering Group alongside Welsh Government, The Crown Estate, WCVA and CaSP Cymru members.
• Wales Coasts and Seas Partnership (CaSP Cymru)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking alongside WCVA to develop MARINE Fund Cymru, a dedicated fund for marine and coastal ecosystem recovery in Wales.
• Utility AidminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted supplier providing energy switching service to help voluntary organisations compare commercial utility prices.
• Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides insight and guidance to MARINE Fund Cymru development, inspiring the fund's model for Wales.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): National umbrella body for Scotland's voluntary sector, providing funding distribution, training, policy influencing and member services. Direct counterpart to WCVA in a different UK devolved nation with a near-identical mission and operating model.
• UK Community Foundations: UK-wide network of community foundations distributing grants and loans to local causes. Operates a parallel grantmaking-and-investment model at local level, analogous to how WCVA + CVCs operate in Wales.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): The largest membership body for the voluntary sector in England. Like WCVA, NCVO provides training, policy influencing, funding guidance and sector support to charities, making it the closest English equivalent.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): England-wide membership body for local voluntary sector infrastructure organisations (Local Infrastructure Partnerships, equivalent to Wales's County Voluntary Councils). Operates in the same 'infrastructure body for infrastructure bodies' niche as WCVA.

Broad incumbents

• The National Lottery Community Fund: The largest UK grantmaking body for voluntary and community projects. Overlaps with WCVA as a major distributor of funds to the Welsh third sector, and a significant commissioning counterpart to Welsh Government funding schemes.
• Social Enterprise UK: UK-wide membership body for social enterprises. Comparable to WCVA's Social Investment Cymru work, though it operates at a broader UK scale and runs the Social Enterprise UK Awards (which Social Investment Cymru has won).

Regional players

• Arts Council of Wales: Welsh Government arms-length body distributing public funding to arts and creative organisations in Wales. Overlaps with WCVA in supporting the Welsh voluntary/arts sector (e.g., Creu Cymru is a peer of both).

Others

• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Large UK grantmaking foundation funding social, environmental and cultural causes. Comparable operating model as a grantmaking body with a focus on the third sector, though operating at much larger UK scale.
• Welsh Government (Third Sector Unit): Primary commissioner and funder of WCVA's grant schemes. While not a competitor, it is the principal counterpart institution that defines WCVA's strategic agenda and budget envelope.
• The Development Bank of Wales: Welsh-focused development finance institution that co-funds the Wales Micro Loan Fund with Social Investment Cymru. A financial partner rather than competitor, but a comparable institution in terms of Welsh social/development finance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/walescva
• Facebookfacebook.com/WCVACymru
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wales-council-for-voluntary-action
• Instagraminstagram.com/wcvacymru

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 WCVA | CVGC