What Erikshjälpen does

Erikshjälpen is a Swedish non-profit charitable foundation (insamlingsstiftelse) founded in 1945 by then-16-year-old Erik Nilsson to support children in need. Operating from its headquarters in Huskvarna, Sweden, the organization pursues a dual social-enterprise model: it runs approximately 50 Second Hand retail stores across Sweden and Norway that resell donated goods, with surplus proceeds funding children's rights programs in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The organization holds a 90-account from Swedish Fundraising Control (92.9% of funds reaching charitable causes over three years) and is a Giva Sverige member, providing institutional credibility for tax-deductible donations.

The organization's core products and programs are organized around three pillars: (1) Erikshjälpen Second Hand — a chain of ~50 thrift stores that act as both fundraising engines and community hubs providing job training and volunteer pathways; (2) Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad and related domestic interventions (Föräldrakraft, Ungagerad, Football For All Global) supporting vulnerable children and families in Sweden; and (3) international operations under the brand ERIKS Development Partner, delivering education, health, safety/protection, and humanitarian aid programs through ~70 local partner organizations. Donation products include monthly donor programs (100/250/500 SEK tiers), Sponsor/Country Sponsor/Young Sponsor child sponsorship, one-time and disaster relief donations, honor and memorial gifts, and corporate giving instruments. The technology stack is conventional nonprofit infrastructure: Swish and BankID for Swedish payments, NGO|PRO for donation processing, Google Analytics and Hotjar for web analytics, ReadSpeaker for accessibility, and Tradera for online auctions — no proprietary technology platform is referenced.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across six streams: Second Hand store surplus, recurring monthly sponsorships, one-time donations, institutional funding (notably the 41.8M SEK/year Sida agreement for the Safer Futures program signed April 2026), corporate partnerships, and foundation/private fund support. The organization is a private non-profit with 11-50 headquarters employees, no parent company, and is governed by a board that approved the privacy policy in November 2025. Its most significant recent commercial/operational move was securing the first direct Sida funding agreement in its 80-year history.

Name

Erikshjälpen

Legal name

Insamlingsstiftelsen Farbror Eriks barn- och hjälpverksamhet (Stiftelsen Erikshjälpen)

Website

https://erikshjalpen.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Erikshjälpen is a Swedish non-profit children's rights foundation operating ~50 Second Hand retail stores across Sweden and Norway, with surplus funding child rights programs in 15 countries via ~70 local partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Child Rights and Charitable Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

Keywords

• Secondhand retail charity
• Child rights nonprofit
• Monthly donor programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• Corporate social partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Huskvarna

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Second Hand Store Surplus: Surplus revenue from approximately 50 Erikshjälpen Second Hand stores in Sweden and Norway. The stores sell donated second-hand goods, with proceeds funding child rights work domestically and internationally. Stores also provide job training and community integration.
2. Monthly Sponsorship Programs: Monthly donor programs including Sponsor (supporting a specific region/ambassador child), Country Sponsor, and Young Sponsor. Donations are collected via autogiro, Swish recurring payments, or card. Tax reduction is available for donations of at least 200 SEK/month.
3. One-time Donations: One-time donations for general operations or targeted causes (education, health, safety/protection, disaster relief). Accepts donations via Swish, card, autogiro, invoice, and bank transfer.
4. Institutional Funding (Sida): Direct funding agreement with Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) worth 125.4 million SEK over three years (41.8 million SEK/year). Funding supports the Safer Futures program — Empowering Civil Society for Child Protection, implemented with partner Cord.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations, cooperation agreements, employee volunteering, and matching programs. Examples include Stålgross contributing 50,000 SEK annually and Postnummerlotteriet funding Föräldrakraft.
6. Foundations and Private Funds: Support from foundations and funds, including Humanfonden and disaster relief funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Erikshjälpen is a Swedish non-profit children's rights organization that operates a chain of approximately 50 Second Hand retail stores in Sweden and Norway, with proceeds funding the organization's charitable work. It sells donated second-hand goods, offers recurring and one-time donation products (monthly donor, sponsorship, honor/memorial gifts), and delivers international child rights programs in 15-16 countries through local partner organizations, alongside domestic family support and youth engagement programs in Sweden.

Product overview

Erikshjälpen is a Swedish children's rights organization offering a portfolio of donation products and social programs. The core offering consists of Erikshjälpen Second Hand (approximately 50 thrift stores in Sweden and Norway funding children's rights work) and Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad (future workshops supporting families in Sweden). Donation products include Monthly Donor, Sponsor, Country Sponsor, and Young Sponsor programs, along with Honor Gifts and Memorial Gifts for special occasions. International operations under ERIKS Development Partner work with local partner organizations in 15-16 countries across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The organization also runs humanitarian aid programs, youth engagement through Ungagerad, and special initiatives like Eriksdagen annual fundraising day.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad: Programs in Sweden focusing on children's rights, parental support, and community engagement.
• Erikshjälpen Ungagerad
• Football For All Global
• ERIKS Development Partner
• Safer Futures

Products and services

• Erikshjälpen Second Hand Chain of approximately 50 second-hand retail stores in Sweden and Norway selling donated goods. Proceeds fund Erikshjälpen's children's rights work. Stores also serve as community hubs and provide job training and pathways to employment for people distant from the job market.
• Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad
• Erikshjälpen Ungagerad Youth engagement program that empowers young people in Sweden to take action for children's rights through fundraising, events, advocacy, and the Young Sponsor / Youth Fundraising Ambassador programs.
• Monthly Donor Program Recurring monthly donation program for Swedish individual donors contributing via Autogiro, Swish, or card to support Erikshjälpen's general child rights work. Tax reduction is available for contributions of at least 200 SEK/month.
• Sponsorship Programs Child sponsorship programs including Sponsor (supports a specific region with an ambassador child connection), Country Sponsor (supports all work in a selected country), and Young Sponsor (for youth donors aged 13-30, launched 2006).
• Honor and Memorial Gifts Gift certificates for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, graduations, and holidays (Honor Gifts), and tribute donations in memory of deceased loved ones (Memorial Gifts). Recipients receive a card while the donation funds Erikshjälpen's work.
• Humanitarian Aid Emergency response and disaster relief operations providing immediate assistance to children and families affected by crises. Includes the Disaster Relief Fund for rapid deployment and the Safer Futures program for civil society child protection in conflict-affected regions.
• Football For All Global Sports-based intervention program promoting children's rights and development through football activities delivered in communities globally.
• Erikshjälpen Rafiki Child rights education program teaching children about their rights through interactive learning experiences.
• Safer Futures Program International program empowering civil society for child protection, combining Erikshjälpen's child rights work with British organization Cord's peacebuilding expertise. Covers 17 partner organizations across 9 countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Funded by Sida at 41.8 million SEK/year for 3 years.
• ERIKS Development Partner (International Programs) International brand for Erikshjälpen's work abroad, funding and partnering with ~70 local organizations in 15-16 countries across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe on long-term child rights and development programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92.9% of funds raised go to charitable causes (3-year average)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025British peacebuilding organization with extensive experience navigating conflict contexts. Collaborating with Erikshjälpen on the Safer Futures program, contributing peacebuilding components to strengthen children's right to safety and protection. The partnership complements Erikshjälpen's child rights work in countries where conflict is escalating and civil society is being restricted.
• Local Partner Organisations (~70 organisations in 15 countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErikshjälpen works exclusively through ~70 local partner organisations in 15 countries across Africa (e.g., Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin), Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia), and Eastern Europe (Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania). Partners work close to local culture and context, building trust and long-term sustainability. The Safer Futures program involves 17 partner organisations in 9 countries.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plan International Sverige: Swedish branch of a global child-rights and girls' rights organisation with comparable monthly sponsorship, corporate partnership, and individual-donor fundraising rails across international programs.
• Bris: Swedish children's rights organisation focused on the domestic support side (help line for children) — comparable Swedish-brand recognition and a shared 90-account quality regime with Erikshjälpen's child-rights positioning.
• Barnfonden: Swedish child-rights nonprofit that also runs international programs almost exclusively via local partner organisations in Africa and Asia — directly comparable partner-network operating model and child-sponsor fundraising approach.
• World Vision Sverige: Child sponsorship-driven international NGO with comparable monthly donor tiers (sponsor a child), institutional grant relationships, and emergency humanitarian response programming in similar geographies.
• Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden): Sweden's largest child-rights NGO with a parallel secondhand retail operation (Myrorna) — closely comparable to Erikshjälpen's dual model of monthly sponsorship plus 50-store thrift chain funding international programs.
• Myrorna: Sweden's largest charity secondhand retail chain (operated by Rädda Barnen) — the most directly comparable revenue engine to Erikshjälpen Second Hand, competing for the same donated goods and same thrift-store customer base.
• SOS Barnbyar Sverige: Swedish affiliate running long-term international child welfare and family strengthening programs through local partners — directly comparable program design, sponsor/donor model, and Swedish fundraising brand.

Emerging players

• WaterAid Sverige: Mid-size Swedish international development nonprofit with similar monthly donor, corporate partnership, and Sida-aligned institutional funding profile — a relevant peer on the funding-mix and Swedish-NGO-advocacy axis.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Sverige: Broader incumbent global child-rights organisation with significantly larger scale; competes for the same Swedish monthly donor and corporate partnership wallet for child-rights funding.
• Läkare Utan Gränser (MSF Sweden): Swedish fundraising affiliate of a major humanitarian organisation — comparable recurring individual donor infrastructure and institutional funding advocacy, though focused on health emergencies rather than children's rights.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Erikshjalpen
• Facebookfacebook.com/ErikshjalpenSH
• LinkedInse.linkedin.com/company/erikshj%C3%A4lpen
• Instagraminstagram.com/erikshjalpen
• Xx.com/erikshjalpen

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Erikshjälpen