Ymca Edinburgh
YMCA Edinburgh is a Scottish registered charity delivering mentoring, youth, play, and family support services primarily in Leith, serving at-risk children, young people, women, and families through free programmes funded by grants, council contracts, and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ymca Edinburgh does
YMCA Edinburgh is a Scottish registered charity (SC048494), founded in 1990, delivering mentoring, youth, play, and family support services primarily in Leith and across Edinburgh. Its mission is to empower children, young people, and families through needs-led, relationship-focused programmes. Core products span three mentoring services for at-risk young people aged 8-14 (PlusOne Mentoring for those at risk of offending, Intandem Mentoring for care-experienced children as part of Scotland's national mentoring programme, and Kinship Care Mentoring); a youth and play portfolio including Outdoor Play Rangers, Friday Play, Holiday Playscheme, Girls Wellbeing Groups, and Friday Night Lights sports sessions; a trauma-informed Women's Group; and two youth participation forums (The Equals Youth Forum and the Cables Wynd House Residents Forum). Service delivery is anchored at 86 Great Junction Street in Leith, with programmes run across at least six community sites including Leith Community Centre, Duncan Place Resource Centre, Leith Academy, Leith Links, and Cables Wynd House. The Early Intervention Collective framework integrates school-based support, mentoring, and community youth work into a single coordinated early-intervention pathway.
The underlying technology stack is essentially nil — no proprietary systems, digital products, or AI components are disclosed. Service delivery is human-intensive, relying on volunteer mentors, qualified youth workers, and partnerships with statutory agencies. The organisation holds the Scottish Mentoring Network Quality Award and was recognised with the YMCA Scotland Community Wellbeing Award (2024) and Inspiring Volunteer recognition at Edinburgh City Chambers.
YMCA Edinburgh is a non-profit with no disclosed revenue and no venture, private equity, or institutional investment ownership. Funding comes from three primary streams: multi-year grant funding (National Lottery Community Fund three-year award for Plusone Mentoring expansion; Inspiring Scotland/Intandem via Scottish Government; Corra Foundation; The Robertson Trust; Cash for Kids; Leith Benevolent Fund; Leith Community Fund), council contracts (City of Edinburgh Council for Plusone Mentoring), and donations/fundraising (LocalGiving page, Kiltwalk, half marathons, charity abseils). All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, with the only "pricing" being the multi-year grant contract structure on the funder side. The organisation is part of the Scottish National Council of YMCAs network and the global YMCA movement. The go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth, school and social work referrals, and earned media (including a Royal visit from Prince William at the Leith United partnership launch) drive awareness, while delivery relies on partnerships with Pilmeny Development Project, Street Soccer Scotland, Bethany Christian Trust, Leith Community Sports Hub, Police Scotland, and others.
Ymca Edinburgh firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ymca Edinburgh
- Legal name
- YMCA Edinburgh
- Website
- https://ymcaedinburgh.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- YMCA Edinburgh is a Scottish registered charity delivering mentoring, youth, play, and family support services primarily in Leith, serving at-risk children, young people, women, and families through free programmes funded by grants, council contracts, and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ymca Edinburgh industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth and Community Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Child Care Services (6244)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
Keywords
Where Ymca Edinburgh is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ymca Edinburgh business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: YMCA Edinburgh operates as a charitable organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and fundraising events such as Kiltwalk, abseil challenges, and half marathons. The organization accepts donations via its LocalGiving page.
- Grant Funding: The organization receives multi-year grant funding from governmental and lottery sources including National Lottery Community Fund (three-year award for mentoring expansion), Inspiring Scotland, Leith Benevolent Fund, Leith Community Fund, and Cash for Kids. Funding supports specific programmes including Plusone Mentoring and holiday playschemes.
- Council and Government Contracts: Plusone receives funding from City of Edinburgh Council for mentoring services. Intandem programme is funded through Scottish Government via Inspiring Scotland as the national lead.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | All services provided free to beneficiaries |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ymca Edinburgh product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YMCA Edinburgh provides free, community-based mentoring, youth and play, wellbeing, and participation programmes for children, young people, women and families in Leith and across Edinburgh. Core offerings span PlusOne, Intandem and Kinship mentoring; Play Rangers, Friday Play, Holiday Playscheme, Girls Wellbeing Groups and Friday Night Lights; a trauma-informed Women's Group; and youth voice forums coordinated through the Early Intervention Collective framework.
Product overview
YMCA Edinburgh offers a portfolio of youth and family support services organized around several core programmes: Mentoring services (PlusOne, Intandem, and Kinship Care Mentoring for young people aged 8-14); Youth and Play services (Outdoor Play Rangers, Holiday Playscheme, Friday Play, Girls Wellbeing Groups, and Friday Night Lights sports sessions); Women's Group providing trauma-informed support; and Participation and Voice programmes (The Equals Youth Forum and Cables Wynd House Residents Forum). These services are delivered through the Early Intervention Collective framework, which links school-based support, mentoring, and community youth work. Services are primarily based in Leith and North Edinburgh, with some programmes extending across the city.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PlusOne Mentoring
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 250 children and young people reached annually
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Ymca Edinburgh
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ymca Edinburgh technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ymca Edinburgh partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Leith United (Street Soccer Scotland)flagshipYMCA Edinburgh is a partner of Leith United, a dynamic initiative led by David Duke/Street Soccer Scotland with support from The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. The partnership aims to revitalise Leith Community Centre and create a connected, inclusive and supportive hub. YMCA Edinburgh's Youth Forum members helped host the Royal visit from Prince William, ensuring young people's voices remain central to the transformation.
- Pilmeny Development ProjectcoreYMCA Edinburgh delivers Girls Wellbeing Groups in partnership with Pilmeny Development Project (PDP). Two weekly wellbeing groups for girls aged 8-12 and 12+ are delivered jointly. YMCA also collaborates with PDP on Friday Night Lights and youth participation work. PDP is part of the wider Mental Health Partnership in Leith led by The Junction.
- Street Soccer ScotlandcoreYMCA Edinburgh provides youth work support to Street Soccer Scotland's football session at Leith Community Centre on Friday evenings. Long-standing partnership where YMCA youth workers support the football session to build relationships with young people and help identify access to other services. Street Soccer Scotland also supports holiday playschemes.
- Leith AcademycoreYMCA provides a consistent presence at Leith Academy through the Early Intervention Collective, supporting early identification of young people who may benefit from additional support. Youth workers offer check-ins, guidance, mentoring access, group projects and help before challenges escalate.
- Police Scotland (Leith Community Police)coreCommunity Police in Leith are long-standing supporters and partners of YMCA Edinburgh. Police officers regularly attend Friday Night Lights sessions and have reported 25% reduction in anti-social behaviour. Officers also support youth engagement including visits to Leith Police Station. Police Scotland has renewed its pledge to support care-experienced young people.
- Bethany Christian TrustcoreYMCA Edinburgh works with Bethany Christian Trust to support young residents of Cables Wynd House. Together they conducted interviews with young people about housing conditions, produced advocacy videos, and supported residents' forum participation. Partnership contributed to successful campaign for replacement lifts.
- Leith Community Centre AssociationcoreYMCA Edinburgh uses Leith Community Centre facilities for holiday playschemes and Street Soccer sessions. Partnership includes free use of the centre for playscheme activities. Leith Community Centre is a key partner in the Leith United initiative.
- Leith Community Sports HubcoreCommunity Sports Hub is a key partner in delivering Friday Night Lights programme. Partnership brings together sports-based youth work with community support. YMCA Edinburgh supported Solomon to take on volunteer and paid coaching roles through the Y-Sports projects delivered with CSH.
- The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of WalesflagshipThe Royal Foundation supports the Leith United partnership led by Street Soccer Scotland. Prince William visited to unveil the partnership, with YMCA Edinburgh's Youth Forum members hosting the Royal visit and ensuring young people's voices remained central.
- The JunctioncoreThe Junction leads the Mental Health Partnership in Leith, of which YMCA Edinburgh is a member alongside Citadel, Ripple Project, Multi-Cultural Family Base, Pilmeny Development Project, and Miricyl.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ymca Edinburgh competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pilmeny Development Project: Leith-based community charity delivering youth, family and wellbeing programmes in the same neighbourhood as YMCA Edinburgh, including the joint Girls Wellbeing Groups and Friday Night Lights. Directly comparable in mission, geography and beneficiary cohort.
- Bethany Christian Trust: Edinburgh-based charity tackling homelessness and supporting vulnerable young people; partners with YMCA Edinburgh on the Cables Wynd House youth forum. Overlapping mission around at-risk youth and family support in Edinburgh.
- YMCA Glasgow: Scottish sister YMCA delivering youth, housing and community programmes in Glasgow; same brand, mission and operating model, differing only by geography. Useful comparator for portfolio breadth and funding scale.
- The Cyrenians: Edinburgh and Scotland-wide charity focused on homelessness, youth conflict resolution and social inclusion. Comparable in trauma-informed, voluntary-sector approach with Edinburgh roots.
- Broomhouse Centre: Edinburgh community centre running youth projects, social support and community development in a deprived area; comparable community-led charity model delivering youth and family programmes in Edinburgh.
- The Citadel Youth Centre: Edinburgh-based youth centre providing detached youth work, mentoring and group activities to young people in Leith and surrounding areas. YMCA Edinburgh staff have volunteered there, evidencing direct service-model overlap.
- Home-Start Edinburgh: Volunteer-led family support charity working with families with young children across Edinburgh; directly comparable model of trained volunteers supporting vulnerable families, and overlaps with YMCA Edinburgh's family support and playscheme work.
Others
- Corra Foundation: Scottish grant-making charity supporting work with children, young people and families; existing funder of YMCA Edinburgh's Promise Scotland work. Adjacent enabler rather than direct competitor, useful for benchmarking funder relationships.
- Scottish Mentoring Network: National membership and quality-assurance body for mentoring programmes in Scotland; not a direct deliverer but awards the Quality Award held by YMCA Edinburgh's mentoring service and shapes sector standards.
Emerging players
- Street Soccer Scotland: Sports-based youth intervention charity running football sessions across Scotland; co-delivers Friday Night Lights and the Leith United partnership with YMCA Edinburgh. Highly comparable sports-plus-youth-work model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ymca Edinburgh social profiles
Digital presenceYmca Edinburgh financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ymca Edinburgh leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Ymca Edinburgh funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ymca Edinburgh 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 Ymca Edinburgh
What does Ymca Edinburgh do?
YMCA Edinburgh provides free, community-based mentoring, youth and play, wellbeing, and participation programmes for children, young people, women and families in Leith and across Edinburgh. Core offerings span PlusOne, Intandem and Kinship mentoring; Play Rangers, Friday Play, Holiday Playscheme, Girls Wellbeing Groups and Friday Night Lights; a trauma-informed Women's Group; and youth voice forums coordinated through the Early Intervention Collective framework.
Is Ymca Edinburgh a public or private company?
Ymca Edinburgh is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ymca Edinburgh founded?
Ymca Edinburgh was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ymca Edinburgh based?
Ymca Edinburgh is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Ymca Edinburgh make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are grant Funding and council and Government Contracts.
Who are Ymca Edinburgh's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pilmeny Development Project, Bethany Christian Trust, YMCA Glasgow, The Cyrenians, Broomhouse Centre, The Citadel Youth Centre and Home-Start Edinburgh. Others are Corra Foundation and Scottish Mentoring Network. Street Soccer Scotland is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ymca Edinburgh have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ymca Edinburgh.
What industry is Ymca Edinburgh in?
Ymca Edinburgh's product category is Youth and Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAD, Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.