Brot fur die Welt

What Brot fur die Welt does

Brot für die Welt is the internationally active development service of the Protestant churches in Germany, operating programmatically as one of two works under the umbrella association Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. (EWDE). Founded in 1959 and structurally consolidated into EWDE in 2012 through the merger of Diakonisches Werk der EKD and Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst, the organization is headquartered in Berlin and, together with two sibling brands — Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe for humanitarian aid and Kirchen helfen Kirchen for inter-church aid — implements a three-brand development, humanitarian, and solidarity portfolio. In 2024 it supported 2,919 projects across 81 countries, allocating 90.8% of total expenditures to project work and directing 69% of resources to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

The core offering combines project funding, technical advisory, scholarships, Civil Peace Service personnel, and political advocacy, delivered through local — often church-affiliated — partner organizations such as ARARIWA (Peru), FIAN Burkina, CESE (Brazil), and MIRIAM. Direct donor engagement runs through a multi-language website (DE/EN/ES/FR/PT), a Fördermitgliedschaft sustaining-membership program with monthly to annual billing tiers (€10 / €40 / €75 suggested), themed donation pages (water, human rights, food, climate, women, children), a mobile contactless giving app, an online shop for publications and educational materials, and the Protestant parish network across Germany which conducts Kollekten and distributes liturgical and educational materials.

The underlying technology stack is utility-grade rather than proprietary: payment processing via Stripe, BS PAYONE, and PayPal; newsletter delivery through Optimizely; analytics via etracker; telephony via Dialog4good; error tracking via Sentry. There is no proprietary technology platform. The organization's economic engine is donation-led — individual one-time and recurring gifts, church tithes and Kollekten, legacies, court-ordered Geldauflagen, and supplementary merchandise sales — underpinned by tax-deductible gemeinnützigkeit status and the DZI-Spendensiegel certification.

Name

Brot fur die Welt

Legal name

Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V.

Website

https://brot-fuer-die-welt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brot für die Welt is the development service of Germany's Protestant churches, funding 2,919 projects across 81 countries in 2024 through local partner organizations and raising revenue via individual donations, church collections, legacies, and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development & Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• International development aid
• Humanitarian disaster relief
• Donation fundraising programs
• Church-based charity
• Development policy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations (Einmalig & Dauerhaft): The primary revenue stream consists of individual donations from private donors in Germany and internationally. One-time donations are accepted online via credit card, PayPal, or SEPA direct debit. Recurring (dauerhaft) donations are offered through a Fördermitgliedschaft (sustaining membership) program with monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual billing cadences. Donors can also direct gifts to specific themes (water, food, human rights, climate, women, children, etc.) or general fund.
2. Legacies and Bequests (Nachlassspenden): Brot für die Welt receives inheritances and bequests from deceased donors. Processing occurs within legal framework for testaments and legacies, with data handled per DSG-EKD §6 Nr.5 and Nr.6.
3. Community Collections (Kollekten): Church communities conduct collections during services, with funds forwarded to Brot für die Welt. The organization provides liturgical materials, prayer texts, and seasonal resources to support these collections.
4. Sales of Publications and Merchandise: Revenue from the online shop (shop.brot-fuer-die-welt.de) selling books, calendars, educational materials, posters, postcards, exhibitions, and promotional items (Give-Aways). Products are priced with German VAT included; free shipping for orders over €50 within Germany. Revenue is supplementary to the primary donation model.
5. Court-Ordered Donations (Geldauflagen): Courts and prosecutors may assign fines and penalties to be paid to Brot für die Welt as part of suspended sentences or alternative sentencing (§153a StPO, §56b StGB). Funds are distributed quarterly by a committee.
6. Church Tithes and Institutional Support: As the development agency of Protestant churches in Germany, Brot für die Welt receives institutional support and tithes from the member churches of the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Brot für die Welt channels donations into development projects in the Global South, humanitarian aid through Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, and inter-church aid through Kirchen helfen Kirchen. It accepts one-time and recurring donations (including Fördermitgliedschaft membership) via its website, mobile app, and Protestant church communities in Germany. It also funds scholarships, sells educational publications through its online shop, and runs development-policy education programs for schools and congregations.

Product overview

Brot für die Welt is a Protestant development aid organization operating as one of two works under the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. (alongside Diakonie Deutschland). The organization offers a unified platform combining digital donation services (online donation platform, sponsorship membership, themed donation programs), project funding programs for the Global South, scholarship programs, and an e-commerce shop for publications and educational materials. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe serves as the humanitarian aid sub-brand for emergency relief operations. The core offering centers on enabling charitable giving through multiple channels (one-time and recurring donations, themed programs) while funding development projects, providing scholarships, and distributing educational resources through its online shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Donation Platform Digital donation portal enabling one-time and recurring donations via SEPA direct debit, credit card (Visa, MasterCard), and PayPal, with themed giving options for poverty, education, nutrition, women, health, children and youth, climate, human rights, and water. Available globally in German, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
• Fördermitgliedschaft (Sustaining Membership) Recurring donation membership program allowing supporters to contribute monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually with selectable amounts (suggested tiers of €10, €40, €75 per month) and optional theme preferences. Sustaining members receive regular project updates and impact reports.
• Water Donation Program Themed donation program supporting clean drinking water access, rainwater cistern construction, and sustainable water policy advocacy. Concrete impact tiers include €38 for 10m of plastic tubing for drip irrigation, €74 for 20 self-built sprinkles, and €119 for one roll of PVC water pipe.
• Human Rights and Peace Donation Program Themed donation program supporting human rights advocacy, peace culture initiatives, inter-religious dialogue, and reconciliation efforts. Concrete impact tiers include €50 to file five rape complaints, €93 for legal advice for 25 undocumented persons, and €300 for two air quality measurement devices.
• Project Funding Program Core development project funding for local, often church-based partner organizations in the Global South. Includes financial support, deployment of specialists, Civil Peace Service personnel, scholarships, and consulting services. In 2024 the program supported 2,919 projects across 81 countries, with 69% of resources directed to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
• Scholarship Program Scholarship funding for students in developing countries, administered through partner organizations. Includes agricultural scholarships such as those delivered via MIRIAM and other partner organizations, supporting recipients like indigenous smallholder farmers to pursue higher education while running small tree nurseries.
• Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (Humanitarian Aid) Humanitarian aid sub-brand operating under the EWDE umbrella alongside Brot für die Welt. Supports people affected by violence, wars, flight, displacement, or natural disasters through emergency and disaster relief, transitional aid, and disaster prevention. Operates under the registered Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe logo.
• Kirchen helfen Kirchen (Inter-Church Aid) Inter-church aid sub-brand operating under the EWDE umbrella, supporting churches and Christian communities worldwide facing persecution, natural disasters, or other crises. Operates under the registered Kirchen helfen Kirchen logo.
• Online Shop E-commerce platform at shop.brot-fuer-die-welt.de selling books, calendars, educational materials, posters, postcards, exhibitions, and gift items. Ships within Germany and the EU; free shipping for orders over €50 within Germany; German VAT included in prices. Logistics handled by reha gmbh in Saarbrücken.
• Brot für die Welt Donation App Mobile application enabling contactless card donations at church services and events. Supports digital wallet payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay, processed via Stripe. Includes user account management for donation tracking.
• Educational Materials and Development Education Programs Educational materials, publications, parish resources (Gemeindematerial), specialist publications, project information, and Bildungsarbeit (development-policy education) for German schools, youth groups, confirmation classes, and educators. Available through the online shop and download.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90.8% of total expenditures allocated to project work (2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) and Member ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrot für die Welt is the development agency of the Protestant churches in Germany. It is operated under the umbrella of the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V., which is jointly carried by the EKD, its member churches, and free churches. This institutional relationship provides the organization with its mandate, funding base, and access to the church network.
• Diakonie KatastrophenhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiakonie Katastrophenhilfe is one of the three brands operated by the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. It handles humanitarian aid (emergency response, transitional aid, disaster preparedness) and operates under Brot für die World's organizational umbrella, sharing resources and infrastructure.
• Kirchen helfen KirchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKirchen helfen Kirchen is one of the three brands under Brot für die Welt's umbrella, focused on inter-church aid. It supports churches and Christian communities worldwide facing persecution, natural disasters, or other crises, complementing the development and humanitarian work of the other two brands.
• ACT AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT Alliance is a global coalition of churches and church-related agencies working on humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy. Brot für die Welt is a member, enabling coordinated international responses to crises and shared advocacy on development policy.
• Bündnis Entwicklung HilftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBündnis Entwicklung Hilft is a German alliance of development organizations. Brot für die Welt participates as a member, collaborating on shared advocacy goals, joint reports, and coordinated public engagement on development cooperation.
• ARARIWA (Asociación Arariwa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARARIWA is a partner organization in Cusco, Peru, focused on developing sustainable family agriculture in the region. Brot für die Welt provides funding and technical support for projects including artificial irrigation systems for smallholder farmers.
• FIAN Burkina (Foodfirst Information and Action Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIAN Burkina is an international human rights organization focused on the right to adequate food. Brot für die Welt supports FIAN Burkina through long-term partnership that strengthens local organizational capacity and enables advocacy for food rights.
• CESE (Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas em Educação, Cultura e Ação Comunitária)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESE is a human rights organization in Brazil. Brot für die Welt supports CESE to strengthen groups most affected by social inequality, providing advisory services and funding to enable grassroots organizational capacity.
• MIRIAM (Partner Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIRIAM is a partner organization providing agricultural scholarships to indigenous women. Brot für die Welt funds this scholarship program, enabling recipients like Tx'umil Inés Poma López to pursue higher education in agriculture while running small tree nurseries.
• Dienste in Übersee gGmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed in the Satzung (bylaws) as a cooperating entity within the EWDE network for carrying out international development tasks.
• Klima-Kollekte – Kirchlicher Kompensationsfonds gGmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed in the Satzung as a cooperating entity for climate compensation services within the EWDE network.
• Bundesstiftung DiakonieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed in the Satzung as a cooperating foundation within the EWDE network, supporting the joint mission of the two works (Diakonie Deutschland and Brot für die Welt).
• Future BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Future Board is a consultative body of Brot für die Welt composed of representatives from partner organizations in the Global South, including Alain Clovis Sanon (FIAN Burkina). It ensures Southern perspectives inform organizational strategy and priorities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Vision Germany: German arm of World Vision International. Faith-inspired (Christian), child-focused international development NGO with comparable sponsorship/sustaining-donor model, large project footprint, and DZI-certified fundraising operations in Germany.
• Caritas Germany: Largest German Catholic welfare and humanitarian organization. Comparable faith-based structure, donor-supported model, and combination of domestic social services with international humanitarian programming via Caritas International.
• Welthungerhilfe: Major German secular development NGO focused on fighting world hunger. Highly comparable in scale, project count, country reach, DZI certification, multi-channel German fundraising, and public advocacy on development policy.
• Misereor: German Catholic development agency and the closest functional peer to Brot für die Welt — similar scale, church-backed mandate, Global South project funding model, DZI donation seal, and German donor base. It is essentially the Catholic counterpart operating under identical mechanics.
• Malteser International: Catholic faith-based humanitarian relief organization of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Comparable in faith-based identity, international disaster response, donor-supported model, and operating presence in Global South countries.
• SOS Children's Villages Germany: German arm of SOS Children's Villages International. Comparable NGO profile: faith-rooted heritage, sustaining-donor (Pate) model, long-term project funding in Global South countries, DZI certification, and multi-channel German fundraising.
• Oxfam Germany: German committee of Oxfam International. Secular but comparable in scope: large-scale international development and humanitarian programming, multi-channel German donor base, multi-country project portfolio, and policy advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• German Red Cross (DRK): National Red Cross society in Germany and one of the country's largest humanitarian organizations. Broader mandate (domestic emergency response, international humanitarian aid) but overlaps substantially in donor base, voluntary support, and institutional funding channels.
• Diakonie Deutschland: The sister 'work' (Werk) of Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. — the parent entity of which Brot für die Welt is also a work. Operates the broader Protestant social welfare mandate domestically, sharing governance, brand, and back office with Brot für die Welt.

Emerging players

• UNICEF Germany: German National Committee for UNICEF. Operates as a fundraising and advocacy arm for UNICEF's global programs in development and humanitarian aid. Comparable in donor experience, recurring-giving programs, and advocacy on child welfare and development policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BROT_furdiewelt
• Facebookfacebook.com/brotfuerdiewelt

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Brot fur die Welt