What mat finances does

MAT Finance Awards (MATFA) is a UK-based annual awards program recognizing excellence in finance across Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) in England's state-funded education sector. Founded in 2021 and operated by IMP Software Ltd. (registered in England, company number 11843421, headquartered in Exeter), the program is the first dedicated recognition platform for MAT finance professionals, addressing what sponsors describe as the absence of any prior mechanism to celebrate trust finance teams that operate "behind the scenes." It serves CFOs, finance directors, finance teams, rising stars (aged 30 or under), CEOs, trustees, and governors across the MAT sector, with nominations open to any MAT or school within a MAT in England.

The platform comprises seven award categories (MAT-Finance Leader of the Year, MAT-Finance Team of the Year, MAT-Finance Champion of the Year, MAT Finance Rising Star of the Year, MAT-Finance Project of the Year, MAT Finance Education or Community Impact of the Year, plus the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to MAT Finance), with Leader and Team categories split by trust size (>10 and <10 schools) from the 2022/23 cycle onwards. The technology is a web-based awards site (matfa.co.uk) on WordPress/Elementor, with nominations submitted through Google Forms requiring 500-word entries. An expert judging panel drawn from sector bodies (Confederation of School Trusts CEO Leora Cruddas, ISBL CEO Stephen Morales), audit firms (Bishop Fleming partner Pam Tuckett), and senior practitioners (Dartmoor MAT CEO Dan Morrow, Epworth Education Trust CFOO Adeel Sahi, IMP Software CEO Will Jordan) provides credibility.

The business model is sponsorship-driven and event-led, not transactional. IMP Software serves as the flagship primary sponsor — its core commercial product is MAT budgeting, forecasting and reporting software serving more than 100 MATs across 950 schools — and Schools Week serves as media partner, distributing winner announcements through its education-sector news channel. CST provides sector-body endorsement. No entry fees, ticket revenue, or participant payments are disclosed; the awards function primarily as a marketing and community-engagement vehicle for IMP Software rather than a standalone revenue-generating business.

Name

mat finances

Legal name

IMP Software Ltd.

Website

https://matfa.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MAT Finance Awards (MATFA) is a UK annual awards program, launched in 2021 and operated by IMP Software Ltd., that recognizes excellence in finance among Multi Academy Trusts in England through seven categories judged by sector leaders, with sponsorship from IMP Software and media partnership with Schools Week.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: The MAT Finance Awards are supported by IMP Software as the primary sponsor, generating revenue through sponsorship arrangements. The awards also partner with Schools Week for media coverage.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The MAT Finance Awards (MATFA) is an annual awards program operated by IMP Software Ltd. that recognises excellence among Multi Academy Trust (MAT) finance professionals in England. The program comprises multiple award categories covering finance leaders, teams, champions, rising stars, innovative projects, and education/community impact. Nominations are submitted through a web-based platform and winners are announced in partnership with Schools Week.

Product overview

The MAT Finance Awards is a single unified awards program providing a platform for MAT-finance professionals to celebrate their hard work, share best practices, and showcase their impact. The program consists of six award categories: MAT-Finance Leader of the Year (with separate tracks for MATs above and below 10 schools), MAT-Finance Team of the Year, MAT-Finance Champion of the Year, MAT Finance Rising Star of the Year, MAT-Finance Project of the Year, and MAT Finance Education or Community Impact of the Year. The awards are supported by IMP Software and partnered with Schools Week.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MAT-Finance Awards Program An annual awards program recognising excellence among Multi Academy Trust (MAT) finance professionals in England, including leaders, teams, champions, rising stars, and innovative projects. Operated by IMP Software Ltd.
• MAT-Finance Leader of the Year Award recognising outstanding CFOs or equivalent in a multi-academy trust for leadership and management of MAT finances, with separate categories for MATs with more than 10 schools and fewer than 10 schools.
• MAT-Finance Team of the Year Award recognising exceptional MAT-finance teams that go above and beyond in ensuring the smooth running and effective operations of multi-academy trust finance, with separate categories for MATs above and below 10 schools.
• MAT-Finance Champion of the Year Award recognising inspirational MAT leaders (CEOs and Trustees/governors) who champion innovative practice around MAT finance at a strategic level.
• MAT Finance Rising Star of the Year Award recognising younger MAT-finance team members aged 30 or under who have demonstrated excellence in their role.
• MAT-Finance Project of the Year Award recognising innovative MAT-finance projects which have had a direct impact on the financial operations of the Trust.
• MAT Finance Education or Community Impact of the Year Award recognising MAT projects that demonstrate significant educational or community impact beyond financial operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• First platform to shine light on MAT finance work previously done 'behind the scenes'

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• IMP SoftwareflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIMP Software is the primary sponsor of the MAT Finance Awards. They provide best-in-class MAT Budgeting, Forecasting and Reporting Software to over 100 MATs across 950 schools. IMP Software co-founded and supports the awards as part of their marketing and industry engagement strategy.
• Schools WeekcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSchools Week is the media partner for the MAT Finance Awards, providing in-depth investigative education journalism and news coverage. The partnership includes announcing winners through their publication, enhancing the awards' visibility and credibility in the education sector.
• Confederation of School Trusts (CST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Confederation of School Trusts, as the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England, supports the MAT Finance Awards. CST represents more than two-thirds of the academy sector and their CEO Leora Cruddas serves as a judge, aligning with CST's mission to build an excellent education system.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ISBL (Institute of School Business Leadership): ISBL is the professional body for school business leaders in England, with its own awards and recognition programs (e.g., ISBL Awards). It targets the same persona (school/MAT finance leaders) as the MAT Finance Awards, making it the closest direct peer in terms of audience and recognition focus. Stephen Morales, ISBL's CEO, even sits as a MAT Finance Awards judge.
• TES Schools Awards: TES runs a flagship annual awards program recognizing excellence across UK schools and trusts, including categories relevant to school business and leadership. It operates on a similar event-driven, sponsorship-supported model and targets a heavily overlapping education audience with national media reach comparable to Schools Week.
• National Teaching Awards / Teaching Awards Trust: The National Teaching Awards is a UK-wide recognition program celebrating excellence in education, run with government and sector-body backing. While primarily teacher-focused, it shares the same event-driven, sector-sponsored recognition model aimed at celebrating professionals in the UK education system.
• BETT Awards: BETT Awards is the global education technology awards program run alongside the BETT show, sponsored by major edtech vendors. It shares the sponsor-driven, category-based, recognition-event model and operates in the UK education sector with comparable media partnerships.
• EdTech Digest Awards: EdTech Digest runs annual recognition programs for education technology tools and leaders, with sponsor-supported categories. While US-headquartered, it shares the awards-as-marketing-channel model that IMP Software uses for the MAT Finance Awards.
• Education Resources Awards (ERA): ERA is an established UK education-sector awards program covering suppliers, educators, and schools. It runs an annual gala event with sponsors and partners, making it directly comparable in operating model to the MAT Finance Awards even though the audience is broader.

Emerging players

• Schools Week: Schools Week is the MAT Finance Awards' media partner and a leading UK education news outlet. It could itself launch or expand awards content, making it a partial competitor and adjacent player in the education recognition/media space, with overlapping reach into MAT finance leaders.
• Academies Week: Academies Week is a UK education news publication specifically covering the academy and MAT sector, parallel to Schools Week. It is an adjacent media and recognition player in the same audience MAT Finance Awards targets, with potential to run or amplify awards content.
• Teach Primary Awards / Teach Secondary Awards: Teach Primary and Teach Secondary run branded awards and recognition features within their publications, targeting school leaders and administrators. They share a content/awards hybrid model and overlap with the MAT Finance Awards on the broader UK school leadership audience, though they skew toward teaching rather than finance.
• Confederation of School Trusts (CST): CST is the sector body for school trusts in England and currently a strategic partner/judge source for the MAT Finance Awards. It is a peer in terms of convening power over the same audience, and could plausibly launch or absorb a competing recognition program given its institutional position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SchoolsWeek
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCri5ZHh-pPw4or_NXXKqJjw
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolsweekUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schools-week

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 mat finances