Associazione Luca Coscioni

What Associazione Luca Coscioni does

Associazione Luca Coscioni (legal name: Associazione Luca Coscioni per la libertà di ricerca scientifica APS) is an Italian non-profit association founded in 2002 in Rome by economist Luca Coscioni, who was living with ALS, alongside Marco Pannella and the Radicali Italiani movement. Coscioni died in February 2006, but the organization has since grown into the country's most prominent civil-liberties advocacy body for scientific freedom, end-of-life choice, disability rights, medically assisted reproduction, and drug policy reform. The association operates a community-led and direct-to-consumer model: it mobilizes citizens through petitions, popular legislative proposals, civil disobedience actions (Soccorso Civile), legal challenges to the Constitutional Court, and international advocacy at UN bodies. Revenue is generated via annual membership subscriptions (5,400+ members for 2025 with suggested tiers of €10/€50/€150), one-time and recurring donations (64,000+ cumulative supporters), the Italian 5x1000 tax designation (41,000+ supporters under fiscal code 97283890586), legacy bequests, and crypto donations.

Its service portfolio combines information products and civic-engagement tools. Core offerings include the Numero Bianco hotline (06 99313409), the first free service in Italy providing end-of-life rights information; downloadable advance treatment directive (biotestamento) templates with 150,000+ downloads; the Osservatorio DAT observatory tracking deposits at Italian municipalities; an interactive Psichedelici World Map on regulatory status; the Agenda Coscioni quarterly publication; La Rivista Luca journal; the Il Maratoneta radio program on Radio Radicale; podcast series including 'Affittasi utero' and 'Sei stato felice?'; and a digital signature petition platform. Marketing and distribution run through a website, email newsletter ('Prendiamoci i diritti'), podcasts on Spreaker/Spotify/Apple/CastBox/Google, social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube), a dedicated press office, annual congresses (XXIII held in 2025), the World Congress on Freedom of Scientific Research (five editions since 2004), and territorial 'Cellule Coscioni' community organizing.

Notable institutional achievements include Constitutional Court Sentence 242/2019 partially decriminalizing assisted suicide following the association's civil disobedience actions; collection of 1,235,470+ signatures on the referendum for legal euthanasia and 630,000+ on the referendum for legal cannabis; recognition under DPCM 08/04/2026 of legal standing to sue on behalf of people with disabilities facing discrimination; and EU Transparency Register membership since 21 July 2011. Leadership consists of co-presidents Michele De Luca, Marco Gentili, and Mina Welby, Secretary Filomena Gallo, and Treasurer Marco Cappato, operating from the Rome headquarters at Via di San Basilio 64.

Name

Associazione Luca Coscioni

Legal name

Associazione Luca Coscioni per la libertà di ricerca scientifica APS

Website

https://associazionelucacoscioni.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Associazione Luca Coscioni is an Italian non-profit association (APS) that advocates for scientific freedom, end-of-life rights, disability rights, reproductive rights, and drug policy reform through legal challenges, referendum campaigns, and direct citizen services such as the Numero Bianco hotline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Liberties Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Civil liberties advocacy
• Human rights association
• End-of-life rights
• Scientific research freedom
• Disability rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership subscriptions (tessera) sold to individuals, available via credit card, bank transfer, or postal payment. Members receive access to reserved areas, event information, and downloadable publications.
2. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from supporters, available via credit card (including online), bank transfer (IBAN: IT79E0832703221000000002549), and postal payment (CCP n. 41025677). The association accepts cryptocurrency donations and commemorative in-memory donations.
3. 5x1000 tax designation: Italian taxpayers can designate 5x1000 of their income tax to the association using fiscal code 97283890586. The organization reports over 41,000 supporters who use this mechanism.
4. Legacy bequests: The association accepts testamentary bequests (lascito testamentario) from supporters wishing to leave contributions after death.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Associazione Luca Coscioni is an Italian non-profit association (APS) that conducts advocacy and provides informational and legal support services for civil liberties, including freedom of scientific research, end-of-life rights, assisted reproduction, disability rights, and drug policy reform. Its offerings include a free end-of-life rights hotline (Numero Bianco), downloadable advance treatment directives, digital signature petition tools, legal representation in court for disability discrimination cases, publications, podcasts, and a radio program.

Product overview

Associazione Luca Coscioni is a non-profit organization (APS) that functions as an advocacy and civic engagement platform rather than a traditional product company. The association offers a portfolio of informational services, publications, and digital democracy tools centered on civil liberties and human rights. Core offerings include the Numero Bianco hotline for end-of-life rights information, the Agenda Coscioni quarterly publication, La Rivista Luca magazine, the Il Maratoneta radio program, podcast series, digital signature petition tools, and the Osservatorio DAT research observatory. These services support the association's mission to advocate for freedom of scientific research, end-of-life choices, reproductive rights, drug policy reform, and disability rights through information dissemination, political campaigns, and legal actions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Il Maratoneta: Weekly radio show on Radio Radicale covering civil rights topics
• Agenda Coscioni
• La Rivista Luca
• Numero Bianco
• Soccorso Civile

Products and services

• Numero Bianco Hotline A free telephone hotline service (06 99313409) providing information on end-of-life rights in Italy, the first of its kind in the country, serving patients, families, and citizens navigating end-of-life legal questions.
• Agenda Coscioni A quarterly newsletter/magazine publication covering the association's campaigns, activities, and updates on civil liberties and rights, distributed to members and supporters.
• La Rivista Luca A magazine featuring articles on democracy, Italian affairs, European diary entries, cultural reviews, and association activities, published for members and civil liberties audiences.
• Il Maratoneta Radio Program A weekly radio program broadcast on Radio Radicale covering end-of-life issues, disability rights, assisted reproduction, and civil liberties topics with various guests including politicians, lawyers, and activists.
• Podcast Series Audio podcast series including 'Affittasi utero' (on surrogacy) by Chiara Lalli and 'Sei stato felice?' (on Piero Welby's end-of-life story), distributed via Spreaker and other podcast platforms.
• Testamento Biologico (Living Will) Service Free downloadable templates and guidance for creating advance healthcare directives (biotestamento/DAT), with over 150,000 downloads, helping Italian citizens document their end-of-life medical treatment preferences.
• Digital Signature Petitions Online petition platform enabling Italian citizens to digitally sign popular legislative proposals and referendum initiatives on civil rights topics such as euthanasia, assisted reproduction, and drug policy reform.
• Osservatorio DAT An observatory tracking the number of living wills (Direttive Anticipate di Trattamento) deposited in Italian municipalities, providing research data on end-of-life rights uptake.
• Psichedelici World Map An interactive map showing the global regulatory status of psychedelic substances, providing policy information supporting advocacy for psychedelic therapy legalization.
• Soccorso Civile Civil disobedience service assisting individuals in accessing rights that are legally established but obstructed in practice by authorities, particularly in end-of-life and reproductive rights contexts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,235,470 citizen signatures collected for referendum on legal euthanasia
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Radio RadicalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for the 'Il Maratoneta' radio program covering end-of-life issues, disability rights, and civil liberties. Radio Radicale provides broadcast infrastructure and audience access while the association provides content and expertise on civil liberties topics.
• Giuristi per le libertà (Jurists for Liberties)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of legal professionals collaborating with the association on popular legislative proposals and legal challenges to Italian law on civil liberties issues including end-of-life choices and reproductive rights.
• Fandango PodcastminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of the 'Affittasi utero' podcast series produced in collaboration with the association. The podcast is distributed by Fandango Podcast to reach broader audiences.
• Miyagi EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for the 'Sei stato felice?' podcast series written by Chiara Lalli and produced in collaboration with the association, telling the story of Piero and Mina Welby's end-of-life struggle.
• Science for DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative working on the right to science at UN level, collaborating with the association on monitoring worldwide laws and policies on science and self-determination.
• Freedom of ResearchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRelated organization focused on scientific freedom advocacy, sharing campaigns and advocacy goals with the association.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• World Federation of Right to Die Societies: Umbrella association of national right-to-die organizations globally. The association participates in affiliated advocacy networks; comparable as an international coordination body for the same end-of-life rights cause.

Direct peers

• AISLA (Associazione Italiana Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica): Italian ALS association founded in the wake of Luca Coscioni's death. Directly comparable as a disease-specific and disability-rights Italian NGO; shares overlapping patient communities and policy concerns around ALS/end-of-life care.
• Cittadinanzattiva: Italy's leading civic participation and patient advocacy organization. Comparable in its Italian civic-activism mission, citizen petition mobilization, and policy advocacy on health/civil rights, though focused more on healthcare quality than on end-of-life and scientific freedom.
• Amnesty International Italia: Italian branch of Amnesty International, operating in the same human-rights advocacy space with comparable petitioning, legal campaigning, and donor-driven funding model. Differentiated by broader global remit versus ALC's Italy-focused single-issue depth.
• Radicali Italiani: The Italian Radical party movement out of which Associazione Luca Coscioni was founded in 2002. Shares the same civil-liberties agenda (end-of-life, reproductive rights, drug policy), overlapping leadership (Marco Cappato), and petition-driven advocacy methodology, making it the most directly comparable organization.
• FISH (Federazione Italiana per il Superamento dell'Handicap): Italy's principal disability-rights federation. Comparable in its legal advocacy on disability discrimination, barrier-free access, and assistive device rights — overlapping directly with ALC's DPCM-recognized mandate to bring judicial cases on disability discrimination.

Regional players

• Dignitas: Swiss right-to-die organization focused on assisted suicide for individuals with terminal or severe conditions. Directly comparable on end-of-life rights advocacy but operates as a service provider in Switzerland rather than as an Italy-based advocacy NGO.
• Exit International: Australia-based right-to-die organization led by Philip Nitschke, focused on rational end-of-life choice and voluntary euthanasia. Comparable cause and advocacy framing but operates internationally outside Italy.

Emerging players

• Federazione Italiana per il Diritto alla Fine della Vita: Smaller Italian federation focused specifically on end-of-life rights, with overlapping constituency (terminal patients and families) and policy positions on euthanasia/assisted suicide. Operates in the same niche with less institutional weight than ALC.
• Fondazione Telethon: Major Italian biomedical research foundation funding genetic disease and rare-disease research. Comparable in advocating for scientific research freedom in Italy and operating a large Italian donor base, though focused on funding research rather than civil-liberties litigation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/subscription_center?add_user=associazionecoscioni
• Facebookfacebook.com/associazionecoscioni
• Instagraminstagram.com/associazione_luca_coscioni
• Xx.com/ass_coscioni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/associazione-luca-coscioni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Associazione Luca Coscioni