St Francis Leprosy Guild
St Francis Leprosy Guild is a UK Catholic charity, founded in 1895, that funds leprosy treatment, Active Case-Finding, and rehabilitation across 30+ partner projects in 12 endemic countries in Africa, Asia, and Brazil, supported by individual donations, parish collections, and legacies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1895
- HeadquartersArundel, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What St Francis Leprosy Guild does
St Francis Leprosy Guild (SFLG) is a UK-registered Catholic charity (No. 1188749), founded in 1895 by Kate Marsden and headquartered in Arundel, West Sussex, that exists to find, treat, and care for people affected by leprosy in endemic countries. The charity funds and supports over 30 leprosy centres, hospitals, and rehabilitation projects across 12 countries in Africa, Asia, and Brazil, and operates a TRACE strategy centred on Active Case-Finding to diagnose and treat leprosy before disabilities develop. In 2020, SFLG-supported projects reached more than 70,000 people, and cumulative Active Case-Finding has screened nearly 500,000 people.
The organisation has no proprietary technology stack and does not sell products or services; its offering is humanitarian programmes delivered through trusted local partner organisations such as Bombay Leprosy Project, Alert India, the International Nepal Fellowship, St Francis Hospital Nyenga, Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre, and the Ipiranga hospital boat on Brazil's River Purus. It jointly funds research with The Leprosy Mission England and Wales, including smartphone-based multi-spectral screening for leprosy diagnosis.
SFLG's business model is donation-based: it raises funds from individual donors (via website, standing orders, Gift Aid, and lottery), Catholic parish collections across England and Wales, legacy bequests and wills (supported by Your Legacy Solutions), and targeted appeals. It reaches donors through its website, social channels, an annual Thanksgiving Mass and Assembly at Westminster Cathedral, World Leprosy Day campaigns, school resources, and earned media in Catholic press. Cardinal Vincent Nichols serves as patron. Leadership transitioned in 2023–2024 with Katharine Jones appointed Director (May 2024), and the charity closed its long-standing St Charles Square office in March 2025 to reduce costs; 2024 TRACE expenditure fell to £258,001 from £383,152 in 2023.
St Francis Leprosy Guild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- St Francis Leprosy Guild
- Legal name
- St Francis Leprosy Guild
- Website
- https://stfrancisleprosy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1895
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- St Francis Leprosy Guild is a UK Catholic charity, founded in 1895, that funds leprosy treatment, Active Case-Finding, and rehabilitation across 30+ partner projects in 12 endemic countries in Africa, Asia, and Brazil, supported by individual donations, parish collections, and legacies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
St Francis Leprosy Guild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit leprosy charity and humanitarian aid funding
- NAICS
- Religious Organizations (813110), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)
Keywords
Where St Francis Leprosy Guild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arundel
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
St Francis Leprosy Guild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals via website, standing orders, and one-time gifts. Includes Gift Aid declarations for UK taxpayers.
- Parish Collections: Regular collections from Catholic parishes throughout England and Wales, particularly around feast days and special occasions.
- Legacies and Wills: Legacy bequests and planned giving through wills. Partnership with Your Legacy Solutions for supporter legacy planning.
- Lottery: Charity lottery as a fundraising mechanism.
- Grants and Appeals: Specific fundraising appeals for emergencies, projects, and ongoing operations. Received £218,528 in donations in 2023.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels10 records
St Francis Leprosy Guild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
St Francis Leprosy Guild is a UK-registered Catholic charity that funds and supports leprosy treatment, rehabilitation, research, and Active Case-Finding (TRACE) programmes in 12 endemic countries through a network of over 30 local partner organisations. It raises income from Catholic parishes, individual donors, legacy bequests, and a charity lottery, and disburses those funds as grants to partner-operated hospitals, clinics, and outreach projects.
Product overview
St Francis Leprosy Guild is a UK-based Catholic charitable organization, not a technology product company. Their offerings consist of humanitarian programs and services focused on leprosy prevention, treatment, and eradication. The organization does not offer technology products or services in the traditional sense.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TRACE Active Case-Finding grant programme Grants supporting Active Case-Finding programmes that screen disadvantaged and marginalised communities in leprosy-endemic countries to detect and treat cases early, before the disease causes disabilities; nearly 500,000 people screened to date.
- Partner leprosy centres and projects grants Grants to over 30 trusted local partner-operated leprosy hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and community health programmes across 12 endemic countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, supporting diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care.
- Multi-spectral smartphone screening research (joint with The Leprosy Mission England and Wales) Jointly funded research with The Leprosy Mission England and Wales into smartphone-based multi-spectral imaging to enable earlier diagnosis of leprosy.
- SFLG Donor Lottery Charity lottery as an ongoing fundraising mechanism for supporters, with proceeds directed toward SFLG's leprosy programmes.
- Legacy and Wills giving programme (with Your Legacy Solutions) Partnership with Your Legacy Solutions enabling supporters to easily leave legacy gifts to SFLG in their wills, supporting planned giving.
- Schools and parishes awareness resources (World Leprosy Day toolkit, 'When the Saints', 'Towards a leprosy-free world') Free educational toolkits for Catholic schools and parishes including quizzes, prayer cards, posters, talks, and fact sheets, plus dedicated resources 'When the Saints' and 'Towards a leprosy-free world'.
- Online donation service (via Donorfy-powered website portal) Donorfy-powered online donation page on stfrancisleprosy.org enabling one-off gifts, regular giving, Gift Aid declarations, and targeted campaign appeals.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000 people diagnosed with leprosy every year receive hope of treatment
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use St Francis Leprosy Guild
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
St Francis Leprosy Guild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
St Francis Leprosy Guild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Leprosy Mission England and WalescoreJointly funding multi-spectral screening research to diagnose leprosy via smartphone, combining SFLG's Catholic charity network with TLM's leprosy expertise.
- Parishes throughout England and WalescoreCatholic parishes that collect donations for SFLG and distribute information about leprosy and the charity's work to their congregations.
- Alert IndiacoreActive Case-Finding partner in Mumbai that received a Local Community Award in recognition of its work finding and diagnosing leprosy cases.
- Bombay Leprosy ProjectcoreActive Case-Finding partner presenting post-COVID leprosy data at International Leprosy Congress, operating in Mumbai slums including Dharavi.
- International Nepal Fellowshipcore70-year partnership supporting leprosy work in Nepal including Green Pastures Hospital in Pokhara, celebrating Platinum Anniversary in 2022.
- Jimma Daughters of CharitycoreSupport for rehabilitation of people with leprosy in Ethiopia, with new grant benefiting 1,500+ people with leprosy and 250 students.
- Mutemwa Leprosy Care CentrecorePhysical, material, psychological and emotional care to people with leprosy and the physically challenged in Zimbabwe. SFLG provided critical water supply support.
- ILEP (International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations)coreSFLG staff worked at ILEP in Geneva before joining SFLG. ILEP is the anti-leprosy federation coordinating global leprosy efforts.
- Ipiranga Committee Association (Hospital Boat)coreDr Tony's hospital boat operating on River Purus in Amazon basin, visiting 119 villages annually. SFLG supports this initiative to eradicate leprosy from the area by 2040.
- Your Legacy SolutionsminorSpecialist adviser partnership enabling supporters to easily leave legacy gifts to SFLG in their wills.
- US Catholic MissionminorPartnership with US Catholic Mission's Go Forth podcast to spread awareness of SFLG's mission internationally.
- Cardinal Vincent NicholscoreHis Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, serves as SFLG's patron, providing moral authority and Catholic Church endorsement.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
St Francis Leprosy Guild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- effect:hope (The Leprosy Mission Canada): Canadian Christian charity focused on leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and related NTDs with Active Case-Finding in Africa and Asia; comparable in mission and operating model though serving a different national donor base.
- Lepra: UK-based charity (formerly Leprosy Relief Association) working on leprosy and lymphatic filariasis across India, Bangladesh and Mozambique; directly comparable in disease focus, donor-base model and beneficiary geography.
- FAIRMED: Swiss NGO working on leprosy and other NTDs across Africa and Asia with Active Case-Finding and rehabilitation programmes; comparable in operating model and disease focus, though primarily funded by Swiss donors.
- The Leprosy Mission England and Wales: The UK's other major Christian leprosy-focused charity; operates Active Case-Finding and research programmes in similar endemic countries and is SFLG's joint co-funder of multi-spectral smartphone screening research, making it the closest peer in mission, geography and methodology.
- American Leprosy Missions: US-based Christian organisation funding leprosy research, healthcare worker training and Active Case-Finding globally; directly comparable as a faith-rooted, disease-specific grantmaker with international programme delivery.
Broad incumbents
- CAFOD: The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development — the official UK Catholic aid agency; broader development mandate with leprosy as one of many causes, comparable as a Catholic-anchored UK fundraising peer but at materially larger scale.
- Catholic Charities USA: US federation of Catholic social-service agencies; comparable in faith-based charity positioning and donor-base model, though operating in a different geography and with a much broader social-services mandate.
- Caritas Internationalis: Global Catholic charity confederation with 162 members operating in health, social services and humanitarian relief; shares SFLG's Catholic identity and faith-based donor access but operates at vastly larger scale across many causes.
Others
- ILEP (International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations): Global federation coordinating anti-leprosy NGOs, of which SFLG-affiliated staff have been members; an ecosystem/coordination body rather than a direct fundraiser, but directly relevant as a peer in the global leprosy infrastructure.
Emerging players
- ALM International: Global leprosy-focused organisation funding research and field programmes; partial overlap with SFLG on disease-specific research funding and Active Case-Finding in lower-burden geographies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
St Francis Leprosy Guild social profiles
Digital presenceSt Francis Leprosy Guild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
St Francis Leprosy Guild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
St Francis Leprosy Guild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
St Francis Leprosy Guild M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about St Francis Leprosy Guild
What does St Francis Leprosy Guild do?
St Francis Leprosy Guild is a UK-registered Catholic charity that funds and supports leprosy treatment, rehabilitation, research, and Active Case-Finding (TRACE) programmes in 12 endemic countries through a network of over 30 local partner organisations. It raises income from Catholic parishes, individual donors, legacy bequests, and a charity lottery, and disburses those funds as grants to partner-operated hospitals, clinics, and outreach projects.
Is St Francis Leprosy Guild a public or private company?
St Francis Leprosy Guild is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was St Francis Leprosy Guild founded?
St Francis Leprosy Guild was founded in 1895. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is St Francis Leprosy Guild based?
St Francis Leprosy Guild is headquartered in Arundel, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does St Francis Leprosy Guild make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are parish Collections, legacies and Wills, lottery and grants and Appeals.
Who are St Francis Leprosy Guild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are effect:hope (The Leprosy Mission Canada), Lepra, FAIRMED, The Leprosy Mission England and Wales and American Leprosy Missions. Broad incumbents are CAFOD, Catholic Charities USA and Caritas Internationalis. ILEP (International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations) is listed as an others. ALM International is listed as an emerging player.
Does St Francis Leprosy Guild have an API?
No public API is recorded for St Francis Leprosy Guild.
What industry is St Francis Leprosy Guild in?
St Francis Leprosy Guild's product category is Nonprofit leprosy charity and humanitarian aid funding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAH, Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions), with a secondary code of BPAGACAA, Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS). Its NAICS code is 813110 and its SIC code is 8300.