What Impact Circles does

Impact Circles e.V. is a Berlin-registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2021 and operating with 11-50 staff across Europe and Africa. The organization delivers social impact through two standing internship-style programs — the Impact Consultants Program (hybrid) and the Impact Researchers Program (virtual) — and a portfolio of multi-country consortium projects including STAGE (migrant integration via web app and dynamic map), Frauenkurs (group coaching for women with migration background, BAMF-funded), YOU GO (digital entrepreneurship for young women), SEA (social entrepreneurship academy for adult educators), SCSH (EU-Africa smart cities innovation hub, Horizon Europe-funded), Route2020 (ethnic minority inclusion), TOC (cyberbullying prevention), MINDSET (gaming disorder prevention), and ICCC (sustainable African urbanism research via the Cairo Chapter). Delivery combines coaching, training, digital tools, and applied research across verticals aligned with the SDGs.

The organization has no commercial technology platform; its core technology footprint is limited to project-specific digital tools (e.g., STAGE web app, YouGo e-commerce platform, dynamic migration mapping). Research output is published in peer-reviewed outlets including Journal of Urban Technology, Nature Cities, AI & Society, and European Planning Studies, which functions as thought-leadership capital rather than a revenue product.

The business model is grant-funded: Impact Circles receives co-funding from European Union programs (Erasmus+ for projects such as MINDSET; Horizon Europe for SCSH) and from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF for Frauenkurs). Revenue is project-based and consortium-mediated, with Impact Circles often acting as coordinator across multi-country partnerships. There is no disclosed pricing, membership fee structure, or commercial revenue line. End beneficiaries — migrants, women with migration backgrounds, adult educators, junior researchers, junior impact consultants, young women aged 18-30, and urban planning stakeholders — receive services free of charge. Customer concentration risk on the funder side is high, as nearly all inflows trace to a small set of EU institutional sources plus one German federal body.

Name

Impact Circles

Legal name

Impact Circles e.V.

Website

https://impactcircles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Impact Circles is a Berlin-based nonprofit that delivers social impact through grant-funded, multi-country consortium projects and internship programs across Europe and Africa, serving migrants, women, youth, adult educators, and junior researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact / Nonprofit Program Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Development & Social Impact Programs (EDAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Social impact consulting
• Migrant integration programs
• Youth employability training
• Women empowerment services
• Sustainable urban development

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. European Union Funding: Impact Circles receives co-funding from EU programs including Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe for various international collaborative projects focused on social impact, youth empowerment, and urban development.
2. German Federal Government Funding: Funding from German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) for programs supporting migrant integration and women empowerment.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Impact Circles is a Berlin-based social-impact organization that designs and runs programs — including its Impact Consultants and Impact Researchers cohorts — and field projects in migrant integration, women's empowerment, youth employability, and sustainable urban development. It combines direct program delivery to beneficiaries with applied research and consulting services for funders and institutional partners. Funding for activities comes from grants, donations, sponsorships, and paid engagements.

Product overview

Impact Circles is a decentralized organization offering an ecosystem of programs and projects focused on driving sustainable social impact globally. The portfolio includes two internship programs (Impact Consultants Program for hybrid project management training and Impact Researchers Program for virtual research experience) as well as nine collaborative international projects spanning migrant inclusion (STAGE, Route2020), women's empowerment (Frauenkurs, YouGo), youth development (TOC, MINDSET), social entrepreneurship (SEA), smart cities innovation (SCSH), and urban research (ICCC). These offerings are interconnected through shared focus on the SDGs and use coaching, training, and digital tools as intervention mechanisms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impact Consultants Program A cohort-based training program that equips participants with consulting skills to support Impact Circles' social-impact delivery across migration, gender, youth, and sustainability themes. Intended for aspiring consultants seeking applied experience in the social-impact sector.
• Impact Researchers Program A cohort-based applied research program that builds research capacity and contributes to Impact Circles' evidence base on migration, gender, youth employability, and sustainable urban development. Intended for early-career researchers interested in applied social-impact work.
• Migrant Integration Projects Project-based interventions supporting migrant and refugee integration through employability, language, and social participation activities. Delivered for migrant communities and in partnership with funders and municipalities.
• Women's Empowerment Projects Project-based programs advancing gender equity and economic participation for women, delivered for women beneficiaries in partnership with funders and civil-society actors.
• Youth Employability Projects Project-based interventions improving labor-market outcomes for young people through training, mentorship, and employer engagement. Delivered for youth beneficiaries and partner institutions.
• Sustainable Urban Development Projects Project-based work supporting inclusive, sustainable urban development, delivered in partnership with municipalities, civil society, and research collaborators.
• Social-Impact Consulting and Applied Research Consulting and applied research services for foundations, public-sector bodies, and mission-aligned organizations needing evidence-based support on migration, gender, youth, and sustainability themes.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lithuania, Italy, and Germany (Route 2020 Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership project supporting exchange of good practices in Youth field between Lithuania, Italy, and Germany, focusing on contrasting discrimination against ethnic minorities.
• Germany, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Lithuania (YOU GO Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-country partnership implementing the YOU GO project empowering young women (18-30) with digital marketing and entrepreneurship skills.
• France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus (STAGE Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership implementing STAGE project supporting migrant integration and inclusion through web app, dynamic map, and 30-hour capacity-building training program.
• Germany, Romania, Spain, Italy, and Serbia (TOC Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner24-month project consortium developing educational methodology and training format for youth workers to raise awareness and prevent cyberbullying.
• Germany, Italy, Belgium (SEA Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Entrepreneurship Academy project equipping adult educators with social entrepreneurship knowledge to teach to adult migrants.
• Germany, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, France, Austria (MINDSET Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-country partnership preparing youth organizations and workers to identify early signs and prevent gaming disorders among young people.
• Germany, Egypt, South Africa (SCSH Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart City Startup Hub bridging knowledge gap between Europe and Africa in digital innovation and smart cities, connecting startups for cross-border collaboration.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused co-working spaces and innovation hubs spanning 100+ locations. Both organizations use entrepreneurial innovation and sustainable digitization as primary impact mechanisms, both have chapters across Europe and emerging markets, and both serve mission-driven entrepreneurs and impact projects.
• Purpose: Global social impact agency that builds movements, campaigns, and organizations addressing social challenges. Comparable in mission-driven, impact-measurement orientation and use of digital tools and storytelling; both operate across multiple countries and focus on social innovation as a core methodology.
• Migration Policy Institute (MPI): Washington-based think tank studying migration and integration globally. Comparable through its combination of policy research, publication output in migration journals, and evidence-based program design for migrant integration — overlapping with Impact Circles' STAGE project and Cairo urban research on migration.
• Ashoka: Global network supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Highly comparable: both operate internationally, both focus on entrepreneurial innovation as a tool for social impact, and both run capacity-building programs aimed at social change leaders — though Ashoka is significantly larger and focuses on individual changemakers rather than programmatic delivery.
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE): Brussels-based pan-European NGO advocating for refugee rights and supporting member organizations across Europe. Comparable as a Europe-focused NGO that implements EU-funded projects on migrant integration and inclusion — both run multi-country consortium projects (AMIF/Erasmus+ style) targeting third-country nationals and asylum seekers.
• Social Impact International: European social impact consultancy and program implementer focused on impact measurement, social innovation, and capacity building. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized European entity delivering impact consulting, training programs, and project management in EU-funded social innovation projects.

Broad incumbents

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): The UN's global development network operating in 170+ countries. Both organizations focus on SDG-aligned programming, capacity building, and inclusive development across migration, women empowerment, climate, and youth — though UNDP operates at vastly greater scale with sovereign mandate.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal development agency, headquartered in Bonn. Comparable as a major implementer of EU and German federal development projects globally, but at vastly larger scale with a full government mandate. Both GIZ and Impact Circles execute migration, youth, and capacity-building programs in EU-funded consortia.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Impact Circles