The Gunnercooke Foundation

Name

The Gunnercooke Foundation

Legal name

The Gunnercooke Foundation CIO

Website

https://thegunnercookefoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable / Third Sector Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAA

Private Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAE

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Charity peer support
• Third sector programmes
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Charity leadership mentoring
• Social enterprise development

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable operations (non-revenue generating): The Gunnercooke Foundation is not a grant-making foundation and does not generate commercial revenue. It runs programmes supporting third sector organisations to thrive and grow. Funding comes from parent company gunnercooke LLP and external supporters including the National Lottery Community Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Gunnercooke Foundation is a UK-registered charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) that runs free programmes supporting third sector organisations to thrive and grow. Its core offerings include inspire*, a peer-support network pairing business leaders with charity CEOs across 14 UK hubs; gcScholars, a work experience programme for students; Business For Good, a programme helping not-for-profits develop sustainable social enterprises; and House of Books & Friends, a not-for-profit bookshop funding loneliness initiatives.

Product overview

The Gunnercooke Foundation is not a grant-making foundation; it runs several integrated programmes that collectively support third sector organisations to thrive, grow, and safeguard their services for the future. Its core portfolio comprises four named offerings: inspire*, a free peer-support and mentoring network for charity leaders; gcScholars, a work experience programme for students; Business For Good (BFG), a social enterprise development programme; and House of Books & Friends, a not-for-profit bookshop that funds loneliness and social isolation initiatives. These programmes are designed to be mutually reinforcing — inspire* provides leadership support to charities, Business For Good helps them build sustainable income, gcScholars builds the next generation of talent, and House of Books & Friends generates funds for community impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• inspire*: A free peer-support network for ambitious charity leaders, pairing them with business leaders and coaches for confidential advisory groups, 1-2-1 coaching, and networking events.
• gcScholars
• Business For Good

Products and services

• inspire* A free peer-support network that pairs business leaders with third sector organisations, providing confidential advisory groups, 1-2-1 coaching, peer mentoring, networking events, expert speaker sessions, and best-practice resources for charity leaders. Operates across 14 UK networking hubs serving 159 charities.
• gcScholars A work experience programme delivered at gunnercooke's Manchester and London offices, providing students from underrepresented backgrounds opportunities to learn about the world of work, meet professionals at various career stages, receive CV and job application coaching, and join an alumni network.
• Business For Good (BFG) A programme helping not-for-profits create synergistic social enterprises that generate profit, making organisations more sustainable and less reliant on external funding, delivered through specialist support from gunnercooke Operating Partners and Business Coaches.
• House of Books & Friends A not-for-profit bookshop in Manchester where all profit is directed back into tackling loneliness and social isolation in the community, offering Chatty Café sessions, creative writing competitions, bereavement pop-up events, and Books & Friends Connection Tours.

Quantifiable outcome

• £2.38 charitable benefit delivered per £1 invested in the foundation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bloc Building ConsultancyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• BruntwoodminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• The Furniture PracticeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Stamp ArchitectsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Blok ProjectsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• SwizzelsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Julian Charles HomeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Lyan Packaging SuppliesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Hatters Office SuppliesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Corporate donor supporting Winter Care Box Appeal 2025.
• Smart Works Greater ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025StepUp campaign partner - charity helping unemployed women transform lives through interview clothing, one-to-one coaching, and confidence-building. 69% of clients secure jobs within a month.
• LandAidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2025SleepOut 2025 - partners and foundation team participated to raise money for young people facing homelessness across Cambridge, Manchester and Leeds.
• Human AppealcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2024Partnership for WrapUp Manchester 2024 coat collection at Piccadilly Train Station and collection point at House of Books & Friends.
• Berliner StadtmissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2023German charity partner for WrapUp Berlin reaching people in need at over 90 locations through various activities including work with children, homeless support, and refugee assistance.
• Moabit hilftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2023German charity association advocating for protection of persecuted people and refugees, offering support with hearing preparations, housing, workshops and German courses.
• Berliner ObdachlosenhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2023German charity supporting people in need on Berlin streets for over ten years, providing warm food, drinks, clothing and sleeping bags.
• Rotary Club Platz der RepublikminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2023German Rotary club connecting skills and resources to support charitable initiatives through diverse contacts in society.
• House of Books & FriendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organisation - not-for-profit bookshop where every penny of profit goes to tackling loneliness and social isolation. Hosts Chatty Café brunches, bereavement pop-ups, and Books & Friends Connection Tours.
• Hands On LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners for WrapUp London initiative - a pro-bono coat collection programme running for 14 years, collecting over 200,000 winter coats for those in need.
• Marmalade TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of Loneliness Awareness Week campaign dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and creating supportive communities.
• gcTrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated trust organisation that participates in foundation campaigns including WrapUp London and other volunteer initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): NCVO is the largest umbrella body for the UK voluntary sector, providing policy, research, and infrastructure support to charities at scale — overlapping with the foundation's broader mission but operating at national-policy rather than peer-network level.
• UK Community Foundations: UK Community Foundations is a national network of 47 accredited community foundations providing local grant-making and capacity-building support to charities — a broader, geographically distributed analogue to the foundation's hub-based community model.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF): CAF offers banking, advisory, and giving services to UK charities and donors, overlapping with the foundation's third-sector support remit but as a large established financial-services intermediary rather than a peer-network operator.

Direct peers

• Reach Volunteering: Reach Volunteering connects skilled professionals with charities for voluntary engagements, operating a UK-wide skills-based volunteering platform that competes for the same pool of business-leader volunteers and charity-leader beneficiaries as inspire*.
• Small Charities Coalition: Small Charities Coalition provides support, resources, and peer networks specifically for small UK charities — directly overlapping the Gunnercooke Foundation's £50k–£2m income target segment and competing for the same organisational membership base.
• Rank Foundation: Rank Foundation is a UK grant-maker and capacity-builder that supports small-to-medium charities through programmes and networks — comparable in targeting smaller effective charities and offering peer-learning opportunities similar to inspire* hubs.
• ACEVO: ACEVO is the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, a membership body offering peer support, networks, and leadership development to charity CEOs — directly comparable to inspire*'s target persona of UK charity leaders.
• Pilotlight: Pilotlight pairs senior business leaders with charity CEOs in a structured mentoring programme — the closest direct analogue to the Gunnercooke Foundation's inspire* peer-support model, serving the same UK third-sector audience with a similar volunteer-leader delivery format.
• Getting on Board: Getting on Board runs programmes that place business professionals onto charity boards, overlapping with the Gunnercooke Foundation's broader proposition of business-leaders-helping-charities via structured engagement.

Emerging players

• Pro Bono Economics: Pro Bono Economics provides free economics and impact-measurement support to UK charities, mirroring the Gunnercooke Foundation's model of leveraging professional expertise to strengthen third-sector organisations.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thegunnercookefoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gcinspirecharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/dogoodfaster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Gunnercooke Foundation