Humanistischer Verband

What Humanistischer Verband does

The Humanistischer Verband Berlin-Brandenburg (legal name: Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Landesverband Berlin-Brandenburg KdöR) is a public-law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) and recognized Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft legally equivalent to religious communities under Article 140 of the German Basic Law. It operates a vertically integrated portfolio of secular social and educational services across the Berlin and Brandenburg federal states through nine wholly owned subsidiaries, including 27 humanistic Kindergartens (Kita Grabbeallee among others), the Freie Humanistische Grundschule, the Humanistische Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik, the Humanistische Hochschule Berlin, the Humanistische Akademie, the Junge Humanist*innen youth organization, multiple hospices (Berliner Herz, VISITE, Dong Ban Ja, Hospiz LudwigPark, TransPiz, HospizKind, MenschenKind), and Häuser des HUMANISMUS community venues.

Its core offerings span the full lifecycle: Humanistische Lebenskunde as a state-recognized ethics subject delivered in public schools to 66,000+ students since 1984 (Berlin) and 2007 (Brandenburg); non-religious Lebensfeiern (NamensFEIER, JugendFEIER, HochzeitsFEIER, TrauerFEIER); family, senior, homelessness, and prison pastoral care; and educational institutions producing trained social pedagogy professionals. The platform rests on no proprietary technology — operations are supported by standard SaaS (Matomo analytics, GA4, Mailjet newsletters, Softgarden recruiting, Stripe/PayPal/Micropayment donations, ConRat chatbot, Bookacamp youth travel booking).

Revenue is generated through four streams: public federal and state funding for Kindergartens, hospices, and Lebenskunde delivery; membership dues and donations; tuition at the Freie Humanistische Grundschule, Fachschule, and Hochschule; and fees for ceremonies and venue hire. Leadership is provided by Chairwoman Katrin Raczynski with board members David Driese and Anja Krüger-Chan, supported by six department heads. The organization is the regional association of the national Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (HVD) and is not venture-backed, PE-owned, or publicly traded.

Name

Humanistischer Verband

Legal name

Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Landesverband Berlin-Brandenburg KdöR

Website

https://humanistisch.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Humanistischer Verband Berlin-Brandenburg is a public-law worldview corporation operating 27 Kindergartens, schools, a university, hospices, and family and senior services for secular residents across the Berlin and Brandenburg federal states of Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Social and Educational Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Secular education services
• Humanist worldview community
• Hospice palliative care
• Early childhood education
• Non-religious life ceremonies

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants: The organization receives public funding from federal and state sources to operate social services including kindergartens, schools, hospice care, and counseling services. This forms the primary revenue base.
2. Membership Dues and Donations: Revenue generated from member contributions and charitable donations to support the organization's worldview and social mission.
3. Educational Services: Revenue from educational institutions including the Freie Humanistische Grundschule (tuition-based primary school), Humanistische Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik (vocational school for social pedagogy), and related educational offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Humanistischer Verband Berlin-Brandenburg operates as a legally recognized Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft (worldview community) constitutionally equivalent to religious communities under Article 140 of the German Basic Law. It delivers a comprehensive portfolio of secular educational and social services including 27 kindergartens, schools (primary, vocational, and university), hospice and palliative care, family and youth services, senior services, and non-religious lifecycle ceremonies (naming, coming-of-age, wedding, funeral). The organization is funded through public grants, membership dues, donations, and tuition fees at its schools.

Product overview

The Humanistischer Verband Berlin-Brandenburg is a worldview community (Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft) legally equal to religious communities under Article 140 of the German Basic Law. It operates a comprehensive portfolio of educational, social, and cultural services across Berlin and Brandenburg. The core offerings include: Humanistische Lebenskunde (school subject for 66,000+ students since 1984), 27 Humanistische Kindertagesstätten (kindergartens), Humanistische Hospize (hospice services including children's hospice Berliner Herz and VISITE), Lebensfeiern (non-religious life celebrations including JugendFEIER reaching thousands of youth annually), Soziale Angebote (family centers, senior services, homeless services, counseling), Kinder und Jugendliche services (leisure facilities, youth participation programs), and educational institutions (Freie Humanistische Grundschule, Humanistische Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik, Humanistische Hochschule Berlin, Humanistische Akademie Berlin-Brandenburg). The organization also operates Häuser des HUMANISMUS as community and event venues. Services are supported by approximately 1,200 volunteers and funded through membership fees, donations, and public funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Humanistische Lebenskunde: The main teaching subject offered in Berlin and Brandenburg schools since 1984, an alternative to religious education focused on humanistic values and ethics.
• JugendFEIER
• Berliner Herz
• VISITE
• Junge Humanist*innen (JuHu)
• Haus des HUMANISMUS
• NamensFEIER
• HochzeitsFEIER
• TrauerFEIER

Products and services

• Humanistische Kindertagesstätten (Humanistic Kindergartens) 27 kindergarten locations in Berlin and Brandenburg offering child-oriented pedagogy with mixed-age groups and an open work concept focused on independent learning and children's decision-making sovereignty, serving families seeking secular early childhood education.
• Humanistische Lebenskunde (Humanistic Life Studies) Voluntary ethics and worldview education class offered in Berlin schools since 1984 and Brandenburg since 2007, running parallel to religious instruction. The most popular subject in Berlin, taught without grades, covering humanist values, ethics, and life questions; serving over 66,000 enrolled students.
• Humanistische Hospize (Humanistic Hospices) Comprehensive hospice and palliative care services including Berliner Herz (children's hospice with ambulatory service), VISITE (volunteer death companionship), Hospiz LudwigPark, TransPiz Berlin, HospizKind Berlin, Dong Ban Ja (intercultural hospice), and MenschenKind. Services include palliative care, family support, music and art therapy, and grief counseling for seriously ill and terminally ill individuals.
• Lebensfeiern (Life Celebrations) Non-religious ceremonies marking life transitions including NamensFEIER (naming ceremonies), JugendFEIER (coming-of-age celebrations for youth), HochzeitsFEIER (weddings), and TrauerFEIER (funerals). Large-scale JugendFEIER programs operate in Berlin and Brandenburg as secular alternatives to religious ceremonies.
• Freie Humanistische Grundschule (Free Humanistic Primary School) Tuition-based primary school operated by the association, offering secular primary education aligned with the organization's humanistic values.
• Humanistische Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik (Humanistic Technical College for Social Pedagogy) Technical college for training educators (Erzieher*in), providing vocational education in social pedagogy.
• Humanistische Hochschule Berlin (Humanistic University of Applied Sciences) University of applied sciences offering degree programs in humanistic practice, distributing educational services directly to students.
• Soziale Angebote (Social Services) Comprehensive social support services including family centers (Familienzentrum Felix, Familienzentrum Mahlsdorf), senior services, internet cafés for seniors, mobility assistance, homeless services (TagesTreff), pregnancy counseling, self-help groups, nursing support points, and prison pastoral care.
• Kinder und Jugendliche (Children and Youth Services) Youth services including Junge Humanist*innen (young humanists organization), leisure facilities (BlueBox, FAIR, Orange Flip, TwentyTwo, JuKuZ Gérard Philipe, Mädchen*räume), youth participation programs (KiJuPa - children's and youth parliament), youth democracy academy, and holiday travel programs.
• Humanistische Akademie Berlin-Brandenburg (Humanistic Academy) Organizes scientific events, humanistic and political education, conducts research projects, archives, documents and publishes scientific work on modern humanism. Publishes E-Journal 'humanismus aktuell' and 'Schriftenreihe der Akademie'.
• Häuser des HUMANISMUS (Houses of Humanism) Community and event venues including Haus des HUMANISMUS Potsdamer Straße and Haus des HUMANISMUS Leipziger Straße, offering courses, workshops, lectures, and cultural events for members and the public.
• Seelsorgeangebote (Pastoral Care) Humanistic prison pastoral care and other spiritual support services provided as secular alternatives to religious pastoral care in institutional settings.
• Humanistischer Bestattungshain (Humanistic Funeral Grove) Humanistic funeral and memorial services at a dedicated natural burial site.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 66,000 students enrolled in Humanistische Lebenskunde
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Berlin (Parität Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Humanistischer Verband is a member of Parität Berlin, a major welfare association in Berlin. This membership provides organizational support, advocacy, and collaboration within the social services sector.
• Humanistische Hochschule Berlin AdöRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization shares the Softgarden e-recruiting platform with its educational partner, the Humanistic University of Applied Sciences Berlin, for joint recruitment of staff and educational personnel.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Humanists International: Global federation of humanist organizations, of which HVD is a member. Thematically comparable as an umbrella body representing secular worldview communities internationally.
• Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (HVD): National umbrella organization of which HVD-BB is the Berlin-Brandenburg regional association. Directly comparable as the parent federation coordinating humanist worldview activities, education, and policy representation at the federal level.

Emerging players

• Giordano Bruno Stiftung: Germany-based secular think tank and advocacy foundation promoting humanist values, with significant overlap in educational programming and ethical worldview content delivery to HVD-BB's constituency.

Regional players

• Bund für Geistesfreiheit (bfg) Bavaria: Regional secular worldview organization in Bavaria providing analogous Lebenskunde-style school instruction, counseling, and life ceremonies. Comparable as a state-level humanist organization with the same constitutional Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft status.
• Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin: Berlin Jewish community organization providing religious education, social services, and life-cycle ceremonies under equivalent constitutional standing. Comparable as another non-Christian Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft delivering lifecycle services in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major secular German welfare association operating Kitas, senior care, youth services, and social counseling nationwide. Comparable as a large, non-confessional competitor bidding for the same public-sector social service contracts.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Social welfare arm of the German Protestant church, operating an extensive national network of hospitals, hospices, Kitas, schools, and social services. Highly comparable as a faith-based welfare organization delivering an analogous portfolio of publicly funded lifecycle services.
• Deutscher Caritasverband: German Catholic welfare association operating a national network of Kitas, hospitals, hospices, counseling centers, and senior care. Closely comparable to HVD-BB in scope, public funding model, and constitutional standing as a faith-based Wohlfahrtsverband.

Direct peers

• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Berlin: Berlin welfare association of which HVD-BB is itself a member. Directly comparable as a regional umbrella organization coordinating social services delivery and policy advocacy across Berlin-Brandenburg.
• Malteser Deutschland: Faith-based German aid organization operating hospice services, youth programs, and social outreach nationwide. Closely comparable to HVD-BB's hospice and youth verticals, particularly Berliner Herz and VISITE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hvd_bb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@humanistisch
• Facebookfacebook.com/hvd.bb
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/humanistischer-verband-berlin-brandenburg-kd-r
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanist_innen

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Humanistischer Verband