Principle Consulting, a not for profit social enterprise helping charities achieve change through policy, public affairs and creative campaigns, has been named a finalist in The Purpose Beyond Profit Award at the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
The consultancy reached the shortlist announced in July 2026 and will learn the result at the ceremony at Grosvenor House, London, on 10 November 2026. According to its entry, purpose is its core business and every client engagement advances a vital social cause.
Built to widen access to influence
Principle was founded in 2005 to fill a gap in a market it describes as dominated by commercially-focused consultancies, where small charities often struggle to access strategic support. The business says it provides high impact advice at affordable rates to organisations with limited budgets, without compromising on quality. Since 2017 it has been formally structured as a registered social enterprise, permanently embedding purpose within its governance. According to its website, Principle Consulting is the trading name of Principle Affairs Ltd, company number 05467588.
Two decades of policy results
The entry highlights a 20-year partnership with The Hepatitis C Trust that secured Government commitment to the elimination of hepatitis C in the UK. NHS England said in December 2022 that the health service was on track to eliminate hepatitis C ahead of the World Health Organization’s 2030 global target. Principle also reports ensuring St John Ambulance secured £6.8 million in government funding to pivot to Covid support during the pandemic, securing the first ever NICE Quality Standard for rare diseases, transforming care for patients with 8,000 rare conditions, and securing a wide-ranging NHS review of the sickle cell care pathway, which resulted in new specialist NHS sickle cell centres across the country. The firm also coordinated the Children’s Charities Coalition campaign that won the PRCA Public Affairs Awards Consultancy Campaign of the Year.
Over 20 years, the business reports supporting more than 60 third sector organisations across 10 policy sectors, organising over 100 parliamentary events and producing 40 reports driving legislative change. It is a three-time winner of the Better Society Consultancy of the Year Award and an accredited Living Wage Employer.
Profits reinvested in people
Principle says it is deeply committed to co-producing policy solutions with people who have lived experience, ensuring those closest to the issues drive the change. The company reports reinvesting 100 per cent of its profits into subsidising its affordable rates and widening access to its sector for people of all backgrounds and life experiences. That includes an annual paid internship programme, which has funded seven internships since 2020, each followed by a year of post-placement mentorship, an investment of more than £110,000 of profits. It also funds a work experience partnership with Uxbridge College for students learning English as an additional language, now in its ninth year.
Principle now awaits the judges’ decision in The Purpose Beyond Profit Award, one of the categories at this year’s Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
