RheinFlanke

What RheinFlanke does

RheinFlanke gGmbH is a non-profit youth welfare organization founded in 2006 in Cologne, Germany, that delivers sport-embedded social work for children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 6-27) across the Rheinland region. The organization operates from seven locations (Köln, Bedburg, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Grevenbroich, Hürth, Meckenheim) and is staffed by 170+ social pedagogues and program staff. Its core methodology uses sport and physical movement as a low-threshold entry point to build trust with hard-to-reach youth, then layers structured social pedagogical interventions for competency development, school-to-work transition, refugee integration, gender-sensitive programming, and individual educational assistance. The service portfolio spans mobile and outreach youth work (Mobile/Aufsuchende Jugendarbeit), open youth facilities (HOPE Hub, GREMBOX, STRASSENKICKER.BASE), school-embedded services (Schulsozialarbeit, Ganztag, Schulbegleitung), vocational programs (Ausbildungsbörse Kick it!, BerufsEntdecker:innen, Bridge2Future), and EU/international capacity-building (BOOST Erasmus+). In 2025, the organization spun off RheinFlanke Sportorientierte Erziehungshilfe as a wholly-owned subsidiary, opening the 400 sqm RheinFlanke Campus in Cologne-Südstadt to deliver individual sport-oriented educational assistance (Hilfen zur Erziehung).

The business model is a non-profit funding mix rather than commercial revenue: operations are financed by public grants from municipal, state (NRW), and federal (Bund) sources; foundation grants from a broad set of funders including Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Deutsche Fernsehlotterie, ADAC Stiftung Nordrhein, RheinEnergie Stiftung, Sports360 Stiftung, and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung; corporate partnerships and sponsorship (Lacoste, Vonovia, Emons, Luther, ERA Group); and individual donations. The organization is governed as a gemeinnützige GmbH and is recognized as a Trägerin for school social work, all-day programs, and open youth work in NRW. Endorsement by football world champion Lukas Podolski (via the Lukas Podolski Stiftung) provides brand credibility, and the organization has received the 2024 Liselotte-Funcke-Preis for Integration and Gender Equality and a FAIR SHARE Monitor 2025 ranking of 38/244 for women in leadership. In 2024, RheinFlanke reached 10,407 young people across its programs; a June 2025 leadership transition handed the Geschäftsführung to Pia Strohmeyer and Jakob Koerber after 19 years under founders Christoph Bex and Sebastian Koerber.

Name

RheinFlanke

Legal name

RheinFlanke gGmbH

Website

https://rheinflanke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RheinFlanke is a Cologne-based non-profit (gGmbH) that delivers sport-embedded social work and youth welfare services — including school social work, outreach programs, vocational orientation, and refugee integration — for children and young adults aged 6-27 across seven locations in the German Rheinland region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth) (EDAJAEAF), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth social work
• Sport-based pedagogy
• School social work
• Vocational orientation
• Youth welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Grants and Government Funding: As a non-profit youth welfare provider (gemeinnützige GmbH), RheinFlanke finances its operations primarily through public funding from municipal, state (Land), and federal (Bund) sources. These grants support school social work, all-day programs, open youth work, and individual youth welfare services.
2. Private Donations and Foundation Grants: RheinFlanke receives financial support from private donors, foundations (e.g., Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Deutsche Fernsehlotterie, ADAC Stiftung, RheinEnergie Stiftung, Sports360 Stiftung), and individual patrons such as celebrities (Lukas Podolski).
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: Companies engage with RheinFlanke through project sponsorships, corporate volunteering, cause marketing, and charitable events (e.g., benefit kicker tournaments, donation campaigns). Examples include partnerships with Lacoste, Inverto, Emons, Luther, and Vonovia.
4. Individual Donations and Cause-Based Fundraising: RheinFlanke accepts individual donations, birthday/celebration替代 donations (Spenden statt Geschenke), and money penalties (Geldauflagen). Donation receipts for tax purposes are issued.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

RheinFlanke is a non-profit youth welfare provider that uses sport and movement as a low-threshold entry point for delivering social pedagogical support to children and youth aged 6–27 across the Rheinland region. Its service portfolio spans mobile and outreach youth work, school social work, all-day school programs, school accompaniment, social skills training, vocational orientation and job coaching, refugee integration programs, and individual sport-oriented educational assistance, all delivered at no direct cost to beneficiaries through 7 physical locations.

Product overview

RheinFlanke is a sports-based social work organization (gGmbH) offering a portfolio of integrated programs for youth aged 6-27 across the Rheinland region. The core methodology uses sport and movement as a low-threshold entry point for contact-building and social competency development. Key services include Mobile/Aufsuchende Jugendarbeit, HOPE programs (Hope Hub, Hope Fußball, HOPE Academy 3.0), school-based services (Schulsozialarbeit, Ganztag, Schulbegleitung), vocational transition (Kick it!, BerufsEntdecker:innen, Bridge2Future), and specialized projects (BOOST international mentoring, GREMBOX). The organization operates from multiple facilities including STRASSENKICKER.BASE and the newly established RheinFlanke Campus for sport-oriented educational assistance. Services span youth work, schools, and individual educational support, unified by the sports-based pedagogical approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HOPE Hub: Out-of-school learning location providing workshops on health-related topics for youth and young adults, particularly refugees and disadvantaged young people
• GREMBOX
• STRASSENKICKER.BASE
• Hope Fußball
• HOPE Academy
• Kick it!
• RheinFlanke Campus

Products and services

• Mobile Jugendarbeit (Mobile Youth Work) Outreach youth work service bringing sports-based social pedagogical support directly to young people in their living environments and neighborhoods in the Rheinland region.
• Aufsuchende Jugendarbeit (Outreach Youth Work) Proactive engagement with young people in their social environments to build trust and provide pedagogical and social support, lowering barriers to access for vulnerable youth.
• Zielgruppenorientierte Jugendarbeit / HOPE (Targeted Youth Work) Targeted youth work programs focusing on integration and support for specific vulnerable groups, including refugees and socially disadvantaged youth.
• Jugendtreff (Youth Center) Open drop-in youth meeting spaces providing recreational, social, and educational activities for young people in neighborhood settings.
• Hope Hub Low-threshold meeting place located at ESV Olympia in Cologne for refugees and disadvantaged young people, offering workshops on health-related topics and social skills development.
• Übergang Schule – Beruf / Jobcoaching (School-to-Work Transition) School-to-work transition programs providing career counseling, internship placement, and job coaching for young people entering vocational training or employment.
• HOPE Fußball (Hope Football) Football team and program providing team-based activities, sports, and mentorship for integration and social development of young people.
• GREMBOX Youth facility in Cologne-Gremberghoven focused on values education, anti-violence, anti-discrimination, and personal development through sports and movement for children and adolescents.
• Schulsozialarbeit (School Social Work) Social work services embedded in schools across the Rheinland, providing counseling, support, and intervention for students.
• Ganztag (All-Day School Programs) All-day educational and recreational programs extending school hours with sports, enrichment activities, and pedagogical supervision.
• Schulbegleitung (School Accompaniment) One-on-one support for students requiring additional assistance to succeed in their educational environment.
• Soziale Trainings (Social Skills Training) Structured programs developing social competencies, conflict resolution skills, and interpersonal abilities for youth.
• Außerschulische Lernorte (Extracurricular Learning Spaces) Learning environments outside traditional school settings that use sports and movement for educational purposes.
• Ausbildungsbörse Kick it! Table football-based vocational exchange connecting companies with students for apprenticeships and career orientation, having connected over 400 students from 9 schools with 22 companies and 5 trade guilds.
• Akademie (Academy) Educational platform offering workshops, seminars, and professional development for youth workers and young people, including current events such as expert conferences (Fachtag).
• HOPE Academy 3.0 Group and individual pedagogical educational program for life preparation, targeting young people from third countries and supporting integration through sports, health education, and key competency development; run jointly with Tages- und Abendschule Köln (TAS).
• HOPE Hub 3.0 Health-focused workshop program for youth and young adults with enhanced women's-specific programming, located at ESV Olympia in Cologne.
• BOOST (Sport for Social Impact) Erasmus+-funded European capacity-building initiative providing an accelerator and mentoring program for emerging leaders in Sport for Social Impact (S4SI), including a Youth Leadership program for teenagers, co-led with SPIN Sport Innovation.
• Bridge2Future Individual coaching program for 16–27 year-olds in Cologne facing particular challenges, providing personalized support for school, training, or employment pathways.
• BerufsEntdecker:innen Gender-sensitive career orientation project supporting girls and young women to discover their strengths and confidently pursue their professional paths, funded by RheinEnergie Stiftung.
• kümmern & kicken Sports-based rapid-assistance project supporting multiply disadvantaged students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including Ukraine aid and a 'No Child Without Breakfast' program.
• RheinFlanke Sportorientierte Erziehungshilfe (Sport-oriented Educational Assistance) Subsidiary company providing individual, sport-oriented educational assistance (Hilfen zur Erziehung) for young people with complex needs, combining counseling, care, and sports services from the RheinFlanke Campus in Cologne's Südstadt.

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2024, RheinFlanke reached 10,407 young people, with 35% young women participating in extracurricular offerings.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LacostecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2024Lacoste initiated a Self-Confidence Mentoring Program in cooperation with RheinFlanke, pairing 11 Lacoste employees with 11 RheinFlanke youth participants for 1:1 mentoring over several months, supplemented by discovery days and online workshops on strengths, self-confidence, and application training.
• Lukas Podolski StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lukas Podolski Foundation uses sport as a vehicle to give socially disadvantaged children and youth perspectives, from leisure activities to career preparation. Podolski himself is a vocal public supporter of RheinFlanke, having stated: 'Die RheinFlanke glaubt wie ich daran, dass man mit Sport gesellschaftliche Integration schaffen kann – vom Bolzplatz bis zum Ausbildungsplatz.'
• Emons Spedition GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmons, an international logistics company, hosted a career orientation day for approximately 70 RheinFlanke youth participants and donated €2,500 to the organization. This partnership combines vocational exposure with corporate philanthropy.
• Tages- und Abendschule Köln (TAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRheinFlanke and TAS jointly developed and operate the HOPE Academy (now in version 3.0), a group and individual pedagogical educational program for life-world preparation and orientation targeting young people from third countries, supporting their effective integration and social inclusion.
• SPIN Sport InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPIN Sport Innovation co-leads the BOOST (Boosting Social Impact Through Sports Mentoring) project — an Erasmus+-funded European initiative providing an accelerator and mentoring program for emerging leaders and practitioners in Sport for Social Impact (S4SI), targeting youth leaders across Europe.
• Common GoalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Goal, a Football for Good network, co-launched the 'Switch the Pitch' program with Soccer Without Borders, providing a racism-critical curriculum to equip coaches and practitioners with tools to create inclusive spaces in football.
• Bundesverband Deutscher StiftungenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German Association of Foundations represents the interests of foundations in Germany. RheinFlanke is listed as part of its network.
• Fuß-ballverband Mittelrhein (FVM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Football Association of Mittelrhein (a regional branch of the German Football Association) collaborated with RheinFlanke to develop a card set providing practical guidance for handling violence and discrimination incidents in football, under the DFB's national 'Football Unites Against Racism' campaign.
• Deutsche Sporthochschule KölnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGermany's only sports university, combining qualified teaching, international research, and elite sports. Listed as part of RheinFlanke's supporter network.
• Der Paritätische / Paritätisches Jugendwerk NRWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a member of Der Paritätische and its youth wing Paritätisches Jugendwerk NRW, RheinFlanke benefits from organizational representation, advocacy, and collaborative projects such as the documentary 'RheinFlanke – Ankommen durch Sport' documenting its integration work with refugees.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SOS-Kinderdorf e.V. Germany's largest non-governmental child welfare organization, providing residential care, youth work, and family support across many German locations. Comparable in scale and mission focus on vulnerable youth, though it operates a broader portfolio than RheinFlanke's sport-specialized approach.
• BVB-Stiftung 'leuchte auf': Borussia Dortmund's charitable foundation running sport-based youth programs in the Ruhr region. Comparable in combining professional football brand power with social-pedagogical youth work, and operating in the same NRW region as RheinFlanke.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest welfare confederation, with extensive youth welfare, education, and integration services across all German states. Comparable in funding model (public grants + donations) and mission, though much broader portfolio and not sport-specialized.
• AWO (Arbeiterwohlfahrt) Bezirk Westliches Westfalen: Major German welfare organization operating youth social work, school social work, and integration programs in NRW, including the Rheinland region. Comparable in target population, public funding model, and geographic overlap with RheinFlanke.
• FC Bayern Hilfe e.V. Charitable arm of FC Bayern Munich supporting disadvantaged children and youth through sport-based programs. Uses sports-club infrastructure and brand to deliver youth integration support, comparable to RheinFlanke's celebrity-endorsed, sport-embedded youth work.
• Kinderhilfswerk (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk): Leading German NGO for children's rights and participation, funding and operating projects across Germany. Comparable in target demographic and advocacy focus, though with a national funding and policy orientation rather than direct service delivery.

Direct peers

• Buntkicktgut: Munich-based street football league (interkulturelle Straßenfußball-Liga) using sport to promote integration and social participation of disadvantaged youth. Operates a near-identical sport-embedded social work model across multiple Bavarian cities, making it the most direct comparable peer to RheinFlanke.
• KICKFAIR: German non-profit using football as a tool for education, integration, and development cooperation. Highly comparable sport-for-development methodology, including educational curricula and international cooperation projects similar to RheinFlanke's HOPE Academy and BOOST.
• Die Arche e.V. Berlin-based Christian children's aid organization running open youth work, hot meals, tutoring, and after-school programs for disadvantaged children. Comparable in terms of target demographic, multi-site non-profit operations, and donor-funded youth welfare model.

Emerging players

• Streetfootballwork: International network using football for social impact, connecting grassroots sport-for-development organizations globally. Comparable in underlying methodology and partner network (Common Goal, SPIN Sport Innovation), and adjacent to RheinFlanke's BOOST work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RheinFlanke
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnJxMaotUfm4mIyblcmXEyA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RheinFlanke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rheinflanke
• Instagraminstagram.com/rheinflanke_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@rf.meckenheim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 RheinFlanke