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Our history

Catch22’s history starts in 1788 with the formation of The Philanthropic Society, who aimed to ‘unite the spirit of charity with the principles of trade’ – our original definition of a ‘social business’.

The Royal Philanthropic Society formed when a group met in a coffee house to discuss the homeless children they saw begging and stealing on the streets. They answered this challenge by opening homes where children in need were trained by skilled tradesmen. We still see the impact of those ideas in our services today.

Timeline

1788

The Philanthropic Society is formed.

1832

The Philanthropic Society opens a school in Redhill.

1876

Frederick Rainer funds the London Police Court Mission (LPCM).

1907

The Probation of Offenders Act becomes law.

1960

LPCM is renamed the Rainer Foundation.

1988

Crime Concern is set up by the Home Secretary.

1996

The Philanthropic Society and the Rainer Foundation merge.

2008

Rainer and Crime Concern merge into Catch22.

2013

Catch22 relaunches as a social business.

2014

Catch22 converts its first academy.

2015

Catch22 acquires Only Connect.

2016

Catch22 incubates Unlocked Graduates.

2016

The Public Services Lab is launched.

2017

Catch22 partners with Community Links.

2017

Catch22 incubates Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust.

2020

Jobs22 is created with Angus Knight Group.

2021

Ripplez merges into Catch22.

2021

Community Links fully merges into Catch22.

From the archive

We may be one of the first organisations to measure impact in this area. By 1848:

Line drawing of a hand with a silhouette of two children

1,500

children had been helped by the Royal Philanthropic Society

Line drawing of a set of scales

95%

of those supported committed no further offences

Further information

Where can I read more about Catch22's history?

This timeline has been created using a range of sources. If you would like to learn more, you might find the below sources interesting:

Are there any archives available that I can visit that reflect this history?

Yes! The Rainer Foundation archives are held by Galleries of Justice, and further information about The Royal Philanthropic Society’s school in Redhill can be found at the Surrey History Centre.