Quaker Social Action is an independent charity founded 150 years ago as the Bedford Institute Association.  

Originally inspired by the Quaker philanthropist Peter Bedford they changed their name to Quaker Social Action in 1998. 

They are a charity that is always evolving in order to provide the right level of support, at the right time, in the right way. Their mission and values, however, remain constant:

-They enable people on low incomes in east London and across the UK to seek solutions to the issues affecting their lives.
-To do this they listen and respond to the needs of the community by running practical, sustainable and collaborative projects.
-They share the work with others when it is clear that it has the potential to bring benefits to communities outside of their own.

They deliver a fifth of the work across the UK.  The rest of the time is spent working in London.  The work has three levels:

-Working directly with people in need.
-Training other professionals who work with people in need
-Campaigning for change on a national level

Much of what they do is designed to have an impact beyond the person they work with directly, providing benefit to their families, households and communities. What they do matters, but how they do it matters too — they focus is on the person not the problem. They believe that people in poverty are the real poverty experts.