Sukuma

What Sukuma does

Sukuma arts e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, VR 4708, Amtsgericht Dresden) founded in 2006 in Dresden, Germany, operating under sociocratic governance and guided by Transition Town, Commoning, and Sociocracy principles. Its mission is Education for Sustainable Development (Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung, BNE) and Global Learning, delivered through cultural programming, film, art, and youth engagement rather than traditional classroom instruction. The organization's product portfolio includes the Seeds of Change sustainable-event program, the #everydayforfuture youth project, the Weites Feld Festival (first held August 29-31, 2025 in Struppen), the 48-hour film competition (48-h-Filmwettbewerb) with prize money up to €1,000, the Stories of Change documentary platform, the Sukuma Award, the Planet Future creative action days, the Nachhaltig Veranstalten workshop series and brochure, the 17 Ziele Memory SDG card game, and Klimabeama sustainability counseling for schools.

The technology layer is intentionally lightweight and privacy-preserving: a WordPress CMS hosted by datenkollektiv.net GmbH & Co. KG in Dresden, with Burst Statistics for on-premise analytics, PeerTube as a decentralized YouTube alternative, MailPoet for newsletters (2-4 per year), Mastodon for federated social reach, and OpenStreetMap for embedded mapping. No proprietary platform, no mobile app, and no AI/ML components are part of the stack.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit: core funding comes from grants (Drosos-Stiftung, Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendbildung (BKJ) via 'Künste öffnen Welten', and the Sächsischer Landtag via the state budget), supplemented by donations (bank transfer to GLS Bank) and member contributions. Distribution is community-led and regional (Dresden and Saxony), delivered through free public events, school/youth-center partnerships, partner venues (Schauburg, JugendKunstschule, Sternenhof), and digital content. A small BFD/FÖJ national-service volunteer program provides operational capacity, with €250-285 monthly stipends. Pricing to participants is freemium — events are free, some workshops carry nominal fees, and donations are voluntary — meaning revenue predictability is tightly coupled to grant cycles and donor sentiment rather than commercial contracts.

Name

Sukuma

Legal name

Sukuma arts e.V.

Website

https://sukuma.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sukuma arts e.V. is a Dresden-based non-profit (founded 2006) delivering Education for Sustainable Development through youth projects, festivals, film competitions, and workshops for children, schools, and the Dresden/Saxony community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Cultural Education

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAC

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGAHAG

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAIAGAB

Environmental Conservation & Sustainability Volunteering

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

Keywords

• Sustainability education programs
• Youth environmental engagement
• Cultural event management
• Community film workshops
• Non-profit association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Sukuma arts e.V. receives government and foundation grants for project funding, including support from Drosos-Stiftung, Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendbildung (BKJ), and the Sächsischer Landtag (via state budget).
2. Donations and Memberships: The organization accepts donations via bank transfer to GLS Bank (DE89 4306 0967 1116 7703 04) and operates as a registered association (VR 4708) supported by member contributions.
3. Free Events with Voluntary Support: Many events are free to attend (e.g., film screenings, festivals), supported by donations and volunteer contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sukuma arts e.V. is a non-profit cultural association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2006 in Dresden, Germany, that delivers sustainability education, youth engagement, cultural production (film, festivals, workshops), and social-ecological transformation programs. The association runs workshops, film competitions, festivals, youth projects, and community events across the Dresden/Saxony region, working at the intersection of arts, environmental education, and civic participation.

Product overview

Sukuma arts e.V. is a non-profit cultural education organization based in Dresden, Germany, focused on sustainability, social-ecological transformation, and youth empowerment. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including the Seeds of Change project (sustainable event management), the #everydayforfuture youth project, the Weites Feld Festival, film competitions (48-h-Filmwettbewerb), film documentation projects (Stories of Change), and various educational workshops and publications on sustainable event planning. The portfolio centers on using cultural production, film, art, and education to promote sustainable lifestyles and participation. Key offerings include the Planet Future theater/hip-hop programs, the Nachhaltig Veranstalten workshop series and publication, educational games like the 17 Ziele Memory, and the annual film call for filmmakers to create content about equality and marginalized groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seeds of Change: Project focusing on sustainable event organization and transformation towards sustainable lifestyles, includes Weites Feld Festival and workshop series on sustainable event planning.
• #everydayforfuture
• Sukuma Award
• Stories of Change
• 48-h-Filmwettbewerb

Products and services

• Weites Feld Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• First Weites Feld Festival held August 29-31, 2025 with international musicians and sustainability workshops
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kooperative Landwirtschaft Weites FeldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary co-host of the Weites Feld Festival, providing the venue at Sternenhof in Struppen. This CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm with approximately 60 families serves as a living laboratory for sustainable agriculture and community building.
• Kinder- und Jugendbüro DresdencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner for youth projects including #everydayforfuture, educational workshops, and community events. Joint organizer of youth sustainability initiatives.
• JugendKunstschule DresdencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in youth cultural education projects including the 'LebensKunst – Nachhaltigkeitsheld:innen für Dresden' project, combining art and sustainability education.
• Schauburg DresdencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegular venue for film premieres, 48-h film competition awards, and other cultural events. The cinema hosts Sukuma's film programming.
• Move IT! YoungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm festival partner for youth film programming, co-organizing short film events and screenings.
• GartenNetzwerk DresdenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject of 'Stories of Change' documentary film project, part of the Seeds of Change initiative showcasing urban gardening and community building.
• Sonnige Aussichten e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject of documentary film project focusing on community building in Pirna-Sonnenstein neighborhood, showcasing grassroots sustainability initiatives.
• Paradiesisch MusizierenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject of documentary film showcasing music as a connecting element across cultures. Their orchestra performed at Weites Feld Festival.
• Dr. Nadja MüllerminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal expert facilitating the 'Nachhaltig Veranstalten' workshop series. Promoted biologist and sustainability management consultant with expertise in sustainable event management.
• Futur 2 Festival HamburgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBest practice partner for online workshop on sustainable festival management, sharing expertise on circular economy and zero-waste events.
• Greener Fête de la Musique BerlinminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBest practice partner sharing knowledge on sustainable use of public spaces for cultural events.
• datenkollektiv.net GmbH & Co. KGminorOthersWebsite hosting provider located in Dresden, processing visitor data in compliance with GDPR.
• Various local initiativesminorOthersPartners including Foodsharing Dresden, Tafel Dresden, Zur Tonne, Mobile Arbeit Friedrichstadt, and other local sustainability organizations for events and programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Large incumbent environmental association providing youth education, festivals, and member-supported nature programming across Germany - comparable mission, vastly larger national infrastructure.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Political foundation affiliated with the Greens running cultural and educational programming on sustainability, democracy, and global learning; comparable thematic overlap with Sukuma's BNE/Global Learning focus, but at national scale.
• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland): Germany's largest environmental nonprofit association offering nationwide sustainability education, youth programs, and event programming; much broader in scope and resources but operates in overlapping education-for-sustainability territory.

Direct peers

• Umweltzentrum Dresden: Local Dresden-based environmental education center offering sustainability workshops, school programs, and community events - the closest geographic and mission-aligned peer to Sukuma arts e.V. in the Saxony region.
• Transition Town Netzwerk Deutschland: National network of Transition Town initiatives explicitly cited by Sukuma as a guiding movement; comparable in promoting community-based sustainability education and grassroots organizing across Germany.
• Kinder- und Jugendbüro Dresden: Core partner of Sukuma in #everydayforfuture and other youth sustainability projects; both organizations serve overlapping youth audiences in Dresden with sustainability and civic engagement programming.
• Welthaus Bielefeld: Non-profit education center offering Global Learning and BNE workshops, cultural events, and sustainability festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia - comparable methodology and program mix to Sukuma.
• JugendKunstschule Dresden: Active partner of Sukuma in the LebensKunst project; comparable in combining arts education with youth engagement in Dresden, though with a broader creative-curriculum focus rather than sustainability-led programming.
• Move IT! Young Filmfestival: Youth film festival partner of Sukuma, focused on short film programming for young audiences - directly comparable in format and audience even if Sukuma's competitions are sustainability-themed.

Emerging players

• Greener Festival: International initiative certifying and advising festivals on sustainability practices - comparable to Sukuma's Seeds of Change/Nachhaltig Veranstalten methodology but operating as a certification body rather than a regional operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SukumaArtsEv
• Instagraminstagram.com/4future_dd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sukuma-arts-e.v.

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 Sukuma