sharan
Sharan is a UK-registered charity, founded in 2008, that provides free, culturally sensitive advice, support, and educational resources to South Asian women and non-binary people facing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, and related harmful practices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What sharan does
The Sharan Project is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1149094, Company Limited by Guarantee) founded in 2008 by Polly Harrar to provide free, impartial, confidential, and culturally sensitive support, advice, and information to South Asian women and non-binary people who have experienced or are at risk of domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, dowry violence, domestic servitude, economic abuse, and family disownment. Its service portfolio spans core one-to-one casework, the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) workplace integration programme launched in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions in December 2020, the Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices, the digital skills programme with Serco Restart in Birmingham, campaigns including Our Girl, Right2Choose, and Harnessing Change, and the 'I See Her' short film premiered with UN Women UK in December 2023. The technology stack is a web-based support portal (sharan.org.uk) plus a manned info line, which together have served over 500,000 lifetime visitors and currently support roughly 500 women annually alongside ~200 professional or third-party enquiries.
The organisation is volunteer-led and grassroots, with no core government funding and revenue derived entirely from donations, fundraising platforms (JustGiving, PayPal, standing orders, CAF), and project grants such as the £29,000 two-year award from Futures for Women in 2019. Its go-to-market is community-led: referrals flow through the website, telephone helpline, statutory partners (Forced Marriage Unit, Metropolitan Police, DWP, Hillingdon Women's Centre), employer signatories to EDAC (~200 employers), and educational institution partnerships. As of late 2024, the charity has publicly warned that its service is at risk due to a sector-wide funding crisis, with reported demand up roughly 20% post-pandemic.
sharan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- sharan
- Legal name
- The Sharan Project
- Website
- https://sharan.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Sharan is a UK-registered charity, founded in 2008, that provides free, culturally sensitive advice, support, and educational resources to South Asian women and non-binary people facing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, and related harmful practices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
sharan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Domestic Abuse Support and Women's Welfare Charity Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)
Keywords
Where sharan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
sharan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: As a registered charity, Sharan relies entirely on donations and fundraising activities. The organization raises funds through online donations (one-time and monthly), JustGiving platform, cheques, bank transfers, standing orders, PayPal, CAF payments, and non-financial/pro bono support. No core funding is received from government sources.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
sharan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sharan (The Sharan Project) is a UK-registered charity that provides free, impartial, confidential, and culturally sensitive advice, support, and educational resources for South Asian women and non-binary people facing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, dowry violence, domestic servitude, economic abuse, and family disownment. Its core service is delivered via an online support portal, a telephone helpline, and email, offering guidance across health, housing, employment, education, financial, and legal matters, alongside targeted programmes such as the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC), Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices, and awareness campaigns.
Product overview
The Sharan Project is a UK-based charity offering a comprehensive suite of support services for South Asian women affected by abuse, harmful practices, and family disownment. The core offering is culturally sensitive support, advice, and information covering health, housing, employment, education, financial, and legal areas. Key programmes include the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) for workplace integration, the Futures for Women employment programme, and the Our Girl campaign for prevention through education. Additional initiatives include Harnessing Change, Right to Choose, Schools Charter, Workplace Safespace, and the Holloway Prison partnership. The organization also produces educational content including the 'I See Her' short film and maintains safety features like Cover Your Tracks guidance. Founded in 2008, the charity has evolved from an initial online support portal to a multi-project organization reaching approximately 500 women annually with one-to-one support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC): A pledge by businesses to support women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace, launched in December 2020.
- Our Girl
- Right2Choose
- Harnessing Change
Products and services
- Core Support Services Free, impartial, confidential, and culturally sensitive support, advice, and information services for South Asian women covering health, housing, employment, education, financial, and legal issues, delivered via website, telephone helpline (0844 504 3231), and email.
- Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) A pledge initiative in which UK employers commit to supporting women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace through employability opportunities, mentoring, training, and paid jobs; over 1,000 women have accessed opportunities through approximately 200 signatory employers.
- Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices Charter and supporting training programme developed with the London Harmful Practices Working Group to encourage high-quality safeguarding inputs across UK schools and colleges, including awareness of forced marriage, honour-based abuse, and related harmful practices.
- I See Her Short Film Short film focusing on violence against women and girls, giving voice to South Asian victims and survivors of domestic abuse and forced marriage; used as part of prevention-through-education work and screened at UN Women UK and London cinemas.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500 women supported annually plus 200 professional enquiries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use sharan
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
sharan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
sharan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.
- UN Women UKflagshipUN Women UK hosted a private screening of Sharan's 'I See Her' short film during #16DaysofActivism 2023, highlighting violence against women and girls.
- Serco RestartcorePartnership with Serco Restart to deliver a 9-week digital skills programme in Birmingham supporting women to access basic digital skills. 20 women completed the course with a further 20 registered for the next cohort.
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)coreDWP partnered with Sharan to deliver the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC), supporting women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace. The government-backed initiative encourages employers to create inclusive workplace opportunities.
- Aston UniversitysupportingPartner in the digital skills and employability course delivered in Birmingham, supporting women from minoritised backgrounds.
- Birmingham City CouncilsupportingPartner in the digital skills programme delivered in Birmingham, contributing to the ecosystem of support for women.
- Sparkhill JobCentresupportingPartner in the digital skills and employability initiative in Birmingham.
- DWP NEPT TeamsupportingPartner in the digital skills and employability course in Birmingham.
- Hillingdon Women's CentrecorePartnership led project 'Workplace Safespace' developing a localised response to domestic abuse by engaging with employers in Hillingdon.
- GRoWcorePartnership with Hillingdon Women's Centre on Workplace Safespace initiative to develop localised response to domestic abuse.
- Forced Marriage Unit (FMU)coreSharan works with the Forced Marriage Unit to raise awareness and launch the Right2Choose campaign within universities in Central London and the West Midlands.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
sharan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Southall Black Sisters: UK-based specialist charity providing advice, advocacy, and refuge support to Black and minority ethnic women facing domestic and sexual violence, forced marriage, and honour-based abuse — directly comparable in mission, beneficiary profile, and culturally tailored service model.
- Karma Nirvana: UK charity dedicated to supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage, running a national helpline and advocacy programmes. Directly comparable to Sharan on thematic focus (forced marriage, honour-based abuse) and casework model.
- Ashiana Network: London-based specialist service for women and children from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and refugee communities affected by domestic violence, forced marriage, and honour-based abuse — closely overlapping with Sharan's beneficiary profile and service offering.
- Imkaan: UK-wide federation of specialist BME-led VAWG organisations. Comparable as an umbrella/peer body in the same niche that Sharan operates in, particularly on advocacy, policy influence, and Black/minority ethnic women's services.
- Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO): UK charity providing advice, advocacy, and refuge services for women from Middle Eastern backgrounds (particularly Iranian, Kurdish, Afghan, and Arab) facing domestic violence, 'honour'-based abuse, and forced marriage — culturally specialist peer in the same diaspora-VAWG niche.
- Jewish Women's Aid: UK charity providing culturally sensitive domestic abuse support for Jewish women. Comparable as a faith/culturally specific VAWG organization with similar service mix (helpline, casework, education, advocacy).
- Latin American Women's Aid (LAWA): UK-based specialist refuge and advocacy service for Latin American women experiencing domestic and sexual violence. Comparable culturally specific VAWG model with similar casework, refuge referral, and community engagement approach.
Broad incumbents
- Refuge: Large UK national charity providing specialist support to women and children experiencing domestic violence, including a national helpline and refuge network. A broader incumbent with overlapping services but serving a general (non-specialist) population.
- Women's Aid: UK national federation coordinating domestic abuse services, campaigns, and policy work. Operates in the same VAWG space as Sharan but at national scale and without the South Asian specialist focus.
- Respect: UK charity operating the Respect Phoneline and accredited perpetrator programmes. Operates in the same domestic abuse ecosystem as Sharan, with overlapping referral pathways and policy/advocacy interests, but focuses on the perpetrator side of the system.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
sharan social profiles
Digital presencesharan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
sharan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
sharan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
sharan 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 sharan
What does sharan do?
Sharan (The Sharan Project) is a UK-registered charity that provides free, impartial, confidential, and culturally sensitive advice, support, and educational resources for South Asian women and non-binary people facing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, dowry violence, domestic servitude, economic abuse, and family disownment. Its core service is delivered via an online support portal, a telephone helpline, and email, offering guidance across health, housing, employment, education, financial, and legal matters, alongside targeted programmes such as the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC), Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices, and awareness campaigns.
Is sharan a public or private company?
sharan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was sharan founded?
sharan was founded in 2008.
Where is sharan based?
sharan is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does sharan make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Fundraising.
Who are sharan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Southall Black Sisters, Karma Nirvana, Ashiana Network, Imkaan, Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Jewish Women's Aid and Latin American Women's Aid (LAWA). Broad incumbents are Refuge, Women's Aid and Respect.
Does sharan have an API?
No public API is recorded for sharan.
What industry is sharan in?
sharan's product category is Domestic Abuse Support and Women's Welfare Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAD, Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.