What the kings foundation does

The King's Foundation (trading primarily as Kings Active Foundation) is a UK registered charity (1105460/SC043119) founded in 1991 and headquartered in Sheffield, England. It runs Kings Camps, the UK's leading sports and activity holiday camps for children aged 5–17, delivering over 30 sports and activities at more than 50 school and university sites during school holidays. The charity also serves UK schools through the Active Leaders peer-to-peer leadership programme for 9–11 year olds and Active Play sessions, and runs the Active Families programme and a Supporting Families subsidised-place scheme (1,000 places for disadvantaged children).

Its operational technology stack combines a proprietary activity methodology built around the 'Base Pack' (a backpack of sports resources supporting hundreds of games and activities across age groups) with the Work Qualified hosted online learning platform used for pre-employment training in the child and family services sector. The organisation operates under a safer-recruitment framework with DBS checks and holds Ofsted registration, Investors in People accreditation (2000), and Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Awards (2021, 2025).

The business model is predominantly transactional B2C camp delivery, supplemented by a B2B professional services arm. Kings Recruit provides staffing solutions (sports coaches, childcare workers, play leaders, nannies, managers) to cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Norwegian Cruise Line), holiday resort operators (Thomas Cook, Eurocamp), and the military; Cruise & Resort services include programme design, delivery, recruitment, training, and service auditing. International Development extends the Base Pack and volunteer training model to 35+ countries including Botswana, Uganda, and South Africa. The charity generates 95% of its income through these direct programme and partnership activities, with a wholly-owned trading subsidiary (Kings Active Foundation Professional Services Ltd) handling commercial work, and a Board of Trustees providing governance with Jane Fardon as Chair since October 2023 and Andrew Busby as CEO since September 2023.

Name

the kings foundation

Legal name

The King's Foundation

Website

https://kingsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The King's Foundation (Kings Active Foundation) is a UK registered charity that operates Kings Camps sports and activity programmes for children aged 5–17 at 50+ UK sites, delivers B2B children's services to cruise lines and resorts, and runs international development work across 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Activity & Education Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Children's activity camps
• Youth sports programmes
• Educational charity services
• Cruise resort staffing
• School active education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Programme Delivery: 95% of income generated via direct service delivery through Kings Camps (holiday sports and activity camps for children aged 5-17) and external partner programmes. Operates at over 50 school and university sites across the UK.
2. Partner Programmes: Consultancy and programme delivery services for cruise lines, holiday resorts, military families, and international development partners. Includes programme design, delivery, recruitment, and training services.
3. Kings Recruit: Recruitment brand providing staffing solutions for sports coaches, childcare workers, play leaders, nannies and managers for seasonal work in UK, on cruises and in resorts worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The King's Foundation (operating as Kings Active Foundation) is a UK registered charity that delivers children's sports and activity programmes. Its core offerings include Kings Camps (sports and activity camps for children aged 5-17 at 50+ UK school and university sites), cruise and resort children's services, international development programmes, school-based Active Leaders and Active Families training, recruitment services for seasonal activity staff, and the Base Pack sports equipment programme. The charity generates 95% of its income through direct service delivery.

Product overview

The King's Foundation operates as a unified charitable organisation under the Kings Active Foundation brand, offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes focused on getting children active. The core offering includes Kings Camps (sports and activity camps for children aged 5-17), supported by Kings Recruit for staffing solutions and Kings Volunteer for community empowerment. Supporting services include Active Leaders (peer-to-peer leadership training for 9-11 year olds), Active Families (family activity resources), and the Base Pack (sports equipment toolkit). International reach is maintained through Cruise & Resort partnerships and International Development programmes. The organisation generates 95% of income through these direct service delivery programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kings Camps: UK's leading sports and activity camps for children aged 5-17 during school holidays, operating at over 50 school and university sites across the UK
• Kings Recruit
• Active Leaders
• Active Families
• Kings Volunteer
• Supporting Families
• The Base Pack

Products and services

• Kings Camps UK's leading sports and activity camps for children aged 5-17, offering over 30 sports and activities during school holidays at over 50 sites across the UK. Includes the Supporting Families Programme providing 1,000 subsidised places for disadvantaged families.
• Kings Recruit Recruitment brand of the charity that sources sports coaches, childcare workers, play leaders, nannies and managers for seasonal work in the UK, on cruises and in resorts worldwide.
• Kings Volunteer Volunteer programme providing equipment, inspiration and know-how to enable individuals and groups to use sport to transform children, young people and communities.
• Active Leaders Training programme that equips, enables and inspires 9-11 year olds to lead enjoyable, engaging and active games with their peers during play times, lunch times and extracurricular activities.
• Active Families Family programme that aims to get families active and having fun together for 60 minutes a week through resource packs and online videos for use at home, garden or local park.
• Cruise & Resort Services Partnership programmes designing and delivering children's and family services for cruise lines and resort organisations including Royal Caribbean, Cunard Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Thomas Cook to help partner brands reflect their values and service goals.
• International Development Community volunteer training programme that started in 2011, inspiring and equipping leaders across the world to deliver child-friendly programmes, with operations in Botswana, Uganda, South Africa, and Ukraine.
• Base Pack A carefully designed backpack of sports resources including bean bags, skipping ropes, cones, frisbees, parachute, hula hoops and balls, used to deliver hundreds of games and activities for all ages, abilities and contexts.
• Supporting Families Programme Programme providing 1,000 subsidised places at UK camps for children from difficult or disadvantaged family circumstances.
• Education Services Services committed to increasing child activity levels through accessible, inclusive and sustainable initiatives for schools, including Active Leaders and Active Play delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% customer satisfaction rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal CaribbeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKings Active Foundation delivers children's activity programmes on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, providing family services that align with cruise brand values and service goals.
• Cunard LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily services delivered on board Cunard Line ships including QE2 and QM2, providing children's activity programmes for cruise passengers.
• Norwegian Cruise LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Norwegian Cruise Line resulted in significantly increased customer scores, demonstrating value of quality children's programming.
• Thomas CookcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEarly consultancy partner in holiday sector helping companies improve quality of children's services with improved customer scoring outcomes.
• EurocampminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst consultancy agreement processed through the charity's trading company, initiating work across Europe with Eurocamp holiday operations.
• FormationQminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The King's Foundation (King Charles III's educational charity) to help Commonwealth towns and cities plan sustainable expansion using quantum optimization technology. Note: This is a different entity from Kings Active Foundation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camp Beaumont: Long-established UK provider of day and residential activity camps for children during school holidays, using school and university sites. Closely comparable in operating model, age range and venue strategy.
• PGL Travel: UK-based provider of activity holidays and residential camps for children and schools. Comparable in children's activity programming, though heavier on residential rather than day camps.
• Ultimate Activity Camps: Operator of multi-activity day camps at UK independent schools during holidays, targeting a similar 4-14 age range and parent segment as Kings Camps.
• Barracudas Activity Camps: One of the UK's largest multi-activity holiday camp operators for primary-age children, running at school venues nationwide. Directly comparable to Kings Camps in target audience (5-17), venue model and activity mix.

Broad incumbents

• Sported: UK charity supporting community sport groups serving young people in underserved areas. Comparable as a mission-aligned sport-for-development organisation, though focused on capacity-building rather than direct camp delivery.
• Youth Sport Trust: UK children's charity focused on PE, sport and physical activity in schools. Comparable as a mission-aligned organisation driving child activity in schools, though delivery is via policy/influence rather than direct camp operation.
• Access Sport: UK charity using sport to engage disadvantaged children. Comparable in using sport as a tool for youth development and inclusion, with overlapping beneficiary segments such as the Supporting Families cohort.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity working in schools. Comparable in operating inside UK schools and targeting vulnerable children, providing a benchmark for school-channel charity scale and fundraising.
• BBC Children in Need: High-profile UK charity funding projects for disadvantaged children and young people. Comparable as a UK-registered children's charity with national reach and grantmaking activities.

Others

• Decathlon UK: Major sports retailer operating in the UK with deep community sport programmes. Adjacent rather than direct: competes for sports-activity mindshare, hires similar seasonal coaches and partners with schools for activity programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KingsActiveFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-kings-foundation-kings-camps
• Instagraminstagram.com/kingsactivefoundation

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 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 the kings foundation