Deutsche Rheuma-Liga

What Deutsche Rheuma-Liga does

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga is Germany's largest self-help organization in the healthcare sector, serving approximately 17 million people living with chronic rheumatic diseases in Germany. Founded in 1970 in Frankfurt am Main and now headquartered in Bonn, the association operates as a registered nonprofit (eingetragener Verein) with a federal structure comprising 16 state associations (Landesverbände), three specialized member organizations (Sklerodermie Selbsthilfe, Deutsche Vereinigung Morbus Bechterew, and Lupus Erythematodes Selbsthilfegemeinschaft), and approximately 770 local working groups. The organization is sustained by roughly 10,000 mostly self-affected volunteers and an installed base of approximately 250,000 members.

The service portfolio centers on independent patient education, peer counseling, and supervised exercise therapy. Core offerings include Funktionstraining (more than 19,000 functional training groups nationwide, split between dry and warm-water gymnastics), the Herausforderung Rheuma self-management course program (60+ trained peer trainers since 2012), the Rheumaphone telephone counseling line, the Team Rheuma online community platform, the Versorgungslandkarte specialist-finder map, and the bimonthly 'mobil' members' magazine published since 1974. The Patient Partners program, initiated in 2007, embeds trained patients into medical education; 166 were active as of 2019. Politically, the organization has held formal advisory seats in the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA) since 2004 and actively campaigns on healthcare policy — most recently with the 2025 federal election action plan.

The revenue model is membership-dues-led with supplementary donations and foundation support. Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Pricing details (annual membership fees) are not stated publicly. The association is governed by its members through a Delegates' Assembly, with Rotraut Schmale-Grede serving as honorary president since 2016 and Ursula Faubel as managing director. There is no parent company, no investors, and no equity structure.

Name

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga

Legal name

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga Bundesverband e.V.

Website

https://rheuma-liga.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga is Germany's largest healthcare self-help organization, providing education, peer counseling, functional training, and political advocacy for approximately 250,000 members affected by rheumatic diseases through 16 state associations and 770 local working groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Rheumatic patient support
• Patient self-help organization
• Functional training programs
• Self-management courses
• Patient advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership dues from approximately 250,000 members across 16 state associations and 3 member organizations. Membership fees and voluntary contributions from members form the financial foundation of the association's work.
2. Donations: General donations, specific donations for children and youth work, research donations, donations for publications, and political advocacy work. The organization also receives testamentary donations (testamentsspende) and condolenary donations (Kondolenzspende).
3. Foundation support: Support from the Rheuma-Stiftung and various foundations within state and member associations. The organization accepts support from donors who prefer foundation structures for tax reasons.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga is Germany's largest patient self-help organization in the healthcare sector, providing functional training (water and dry gymnastics), telephone and peer counseling, self-management courses, educational publications, and digital community platforms for approximately 250,000 members affected by rheumatic diseases. The organization operates through 16 state associations, 3 specialized member organizations, and 770 local working groups, supported by around 10,000 volunteers who deliver services and advocacy on behalf of people with rheumatic conditions.

Product overview

Deutsche Rheuma-Liga operates as a comprehensive self-help organization offering multiple interconnected services for people with rheumatism. The core offerings include: Team Rheuma (digital community platform), Versorgungslandkarte (healthcare provider locator), Rheumaphone (telephone counseling), and Funktionstraining (supervised exercise programs). Additional services include Selbstmanagement-Kurse for self-management skills, aktiv-hoch-r branded exercise programs, a Rheuma-Podcast for audio content, the mobil member magazine, an online Forum for peer discussions, and various Publikationen including brochures and guides. These services work together to provide information, counseling, community connection, and practical support for people affected by rheumatism throughout Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Team Rheuma: Digital exchange platform for the Rheuma-Liga community, allowing members to chat, network, and exchange experiences.
• aktiv-hoch-r
• Rheumafoon
• mobil
• Rheuma-Auszeit
• Herausforderung Rheuma – nimm dein Leben in die Hand

Products and services

• Funktionstraining (Functional Training) Supervised exercise and gymnastics programs, both in water and on dry land, specifically designed for people with rheumatism to maintain mobility, manage pain, and preserve physical function. Delivered nationwide through state associations and local working groups.
• Selbstmanagement-Kurse "Herausforderung Rheuma" (Self-Management Courses) Self-management courses led by trained rheumatism-affected peers that teach participants how to better cope with pain, emotional burden, and daily life limitations caused by rheumatic disease. More than 60 trainers have been trained since program inception.
• Rheumaphone (Telephone Counseling) Telephone-based peer counseling service where trained Rheuma-Liga volunteers provide advice and emotional support to people with rheumatic diseases, including dedicated lines for parents of rheumatic children and young rheumatics.
• aktiv-hoch-r (Movement Program) A branded exercise and movement program offering additional physical activity options beyond core Funktionstraining, including Nordic Walking, Tai Chi, and Yoga programs for people with rheumatism.
• Team Rheuma (Digital Community Platform) A digital community platform that enables people with rheumatism to chat, network, and exchange experiences with peers and experts across Germany. Includes expert forums with medical professionals.
• Versorgungslandkarte (Healthcare Provider Locator)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 19,000 functional training groups offered nationwide, including 8,000 dry gymnastics and 11,000 warm water gymnastics courses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Research Partners (Forschungspartner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization partners with scientists and researchers in participative research projects (Partizipative Forschung) where patients work as equals with researchers, contributing their experiences throughout all project phases. This enables patient-oriented research and science strengthening.
• Medical Experts (Ärzte und Fachärzte)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical professionals participate in expert forums on the Team Rheuma platform and engage in telephone counseling. Rheumatologists and specialists support the organization's educational mission and provide expert input for patient materials.
• Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA)coreOthersSince 2004, patient representatives of the Rheuma-Liga have been advising in the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (the highest decision-making body of the joint self-administration of physicians, dentists, hospitals and health insurance funds in Germany), contributing to healthcare policy decisions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Hinge Health: Digital musculoskeletal care platform delivering app-based exercise therapy and remote coaching for back, joint, and chronic pain conditions—an emerging commercial alternative to Rheuma-Liga's functional training model.
• CreakyJoints: A digital-first global arthritis patient community (part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation), providing online education, podcasts, and peer-support—representing a digitally native competing format for younger rheumatic patients.

Direct peers

• The Arthritis Society (Canada): Canada's premier charity funding arthritis research and providing patient education, support, and advocacy—analogous in mission, funding model, and disease scope to Deutsche Rheuma-Liga.
• Arthritis Foundation: The largest US national voluntary health agency focused on arthritis, delivering advocacy, research, and community programs (including Walk With Ease and JA camps) that closely mirror the Rheuma-Liga's service mix.
• National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS): UK charity focused specifically on rheumatoid arthritis, providing peer support, self-management programs (similar to 'Herausforderung Rheuma'), and policy engagement analogous to Deutsche Rheuma-Liga's RA-specific work.
• Deutsche Krebshilfe: Germany's leading disease-specific health nonprofit for cancer, with comparable scale, donation-driven funding model, federal structure, and policy advocacy footprint as Deutsche Rheuma-Liga.
• Versus Arthritis: UK's largest national charity dedicated to arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, providing research funding, support services, and policy advocacy—structurally parallel to Deutsche Rheuma-Liga's mission.
• Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft (DMSG): Germany's largest chronic-disease self-help organization for multiple sclerosis; offers comparable counselling, functional training, research funding, and policy advocacy, often referenced as a benchmark for chronically ill patient-led German NGOs.

Broad incumbents

• European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR): European umbrella body representing rheumatology professionals and patient organizations (including via the Edgar Stene Prize); operates as a higher-order incumbent that Deutsche Rheuma-Liga interacts with through its international engagement.
• BAG SELBSTHILFE: German umbrella federation of ~127 self-help organizations for the disabled and chronically ill, providing cross-disease advocacy and policy representation that complements and overlaps with disease-specific bodies like Deutsche Rheuma-Liga.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/RheumaLiga
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeutscheRheumaLiga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-rheuma-liga-bundesverband-e-v-
• Instagraminstagram.com/deutsche_rheuma_liga
• Xx.com/dtrheumaliga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Rheuma-Liga