Emmaüs France

What Emmaüs France does

Emmaüs France is the French federation of the international Emmaüs movement founded by Abbé Pierre in 1949, operating as an association loi 1901 headquartered in Montreuil. The federation coordinates more than 200 Emmaüs groups across France spanning five activity types: communities (community living for people in exclusion), social action and housing organizations, SOS Familles associations (anti-over-indebtedness support, 60+ entities), insertion through economic activity (IAE) structures (51 entities), and friends' committees. Its core offering centers on the collection, sorting, repair, and resale of donated second-hand goods through physical centers and the Label Emmaüs online marketplace, complemented by social services including emergency housing, debt counseling, judicial reintegration programs (1,250 people accommodated in 2024), and employment insertion pathways. Auxiliary digital products include the Pilote Budget (2018) and Pilote Dépenses (2021) mobile applications for household budget management, both certified with the EDUCFI label by Banque de France. The federation also operates specialized social enterprises such as the Ferme Emmaüs agricultural network, CultiCime rooftop urban market garden in Aubervilliers, and the La Venelle solidarity reuse village opened in Montreuil in September 2025.

The business model is hybrid and non-commercial at the federation level. Revenue derives from individual financial donations, legacies and life insurance bequests, public grants and subsidies (ADEME, EU FSE, Ministry of Justice framework agreement), solidarity savings products, and second-hand goods sales at variable prices determined locally by each Emmaüs center. Go-to-market is community-led: supporters engage through financial donations, volunteering, summer work camps (chantiers d'été), Service Civique placements, partnership advocacy, and physical/online retail. Pricing for social services is largely free, with second-hand goods sold on a unit-pricing pay-as-you-go basis. The federation sits within a broader ecosystem of strategic alliances including the Union pour le Réemploi Solidaire (founded 2023), Collectif des Associations pour le Logement, Coalition Stop Fast-Fashion, and research collaborations with Fondation Jean-Jaurès and La Fabrique Écologique.

Name

Emmaüs France

Legal name

Emmaüs France

Website

https://emmaus-france.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Emmaüs France is a non-profit federation coordinating 200+ Emmaüs groups across France, delivering social services (housing, debt counseling, judicial reintegration, employment insertion) and operating a reuse/second-hand goods network via physical centers and the Label Emmaüs marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Solidarity and Reuse Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Social solidarity services
• Second-hand reuse
• Social housing support
• Budget management apps
• Employment insertion

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreuil

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sale of Second-hand Goods: Emmaüs generates revenue through the collection, sorting, repair and resale of donated objects, clothing, and furniture. This includes physical shops at Emmaüs centers and the online Label Emmaüs marketplace.
2. Financial Donations: Individual donors contribute financial support through the organization's website and fundraising campaigns.
3. Legacies and Bequests: Emmaüs France accepts legacies (legs) and life insurance donations as part of its legacy program.
4. Solidarity Savings Products: Emmaüs offers solidarity savings products through a dedicated platform (emmaus-epargne-solidaire.fr) where savers' funds are used to support social projects.
5. Public Grants and Subsidies: Emmaüs receives government funding and subsidies, particularly for social insertion programs, accommodation services, and integration through economic activity (IAE).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Emmaüs France coordinates a federation of social solidarity organizations that collect, sort, repair, and resell donated second-hand objects through physical Emmaüs centers and the Label Emmaüs online marketplace. The federation provides social housing and community living spaces, budget counseling via SOS Familles Emmaüs, financial inclusion mobile applications (Pilote Budget and Pilote Dépenses), and employment insertion programs for people distant from the labor market.

Product overview

Emmaüs France is a federation of social solidarity organizations operating a diversified portfolio of programs. The core offering centers on second-hand goods collection and resale through Label Emmaüs (online marketplace) and physical Emmaüs centers. Financial inclusion services include Pilote Budget and Pilote Dépenses applications (mobile tools with EDUCFI certification) for household budget management. The social insertion ecosystem encompasses urban and agricultural enterprises (Ferme Emmaüs farms, CultiCime rooftop garden, La Venelle reuse village) providing employment pathways for disadvantaged populations. Research and advocacy is conducted through the Observatoire Emmaüs des budgets contraints. Budget counseling is delivered via the SOS Familles Emmaüs network of 60+ volunteer-run associations. The organization also provides professional training programs such as 'Cuisiner en collectivité' for kitchen staff across the network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pilote Budget: Mobile application launched in 2018 to help users calculate their remaining living budget ('reste à vivre') after fixed charges.
• Pilote Dépenses
• Observatoire Emmaüs des budgets contraints
• Le Journal de dans un an

Products and services

• Label Emmaüs

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,250 people placed under judicial supervision supported in 2024 across 130 groups
• +4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fédération nationale des CIDFF (FN CIDFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Emmaüs France and the Fédération nationale des CIDFF signed a national partnership in October 2025 inviting structures from both networks to collaborate. This partnership facilitates orientation of people towards partner structures, joint training, prevention actions, and participation in common projects. At national level, both federations aim to conduct joint studies and advocacy on access to rights for the most vulnerable populations.
• Union pour le Réemploi SolidairecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Created in 2023, the Union federates 6 major networks (Coorace, Emmaüs France, Fédération Envie, ESS France, L'Heureux Cyclage, Réseau National des Ressourceries) to defend and promote solidarity reuse. Emmaüs France is a founding member.
• Agence Nouvelle des Solidarités Actives (ANSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021ANSA coordinated the development of the Pilote Dépenses application, bringing together public and private actors in financial inclusion. Emmaüs France and SOS Familles Emmaüs Nanterre were development partners.
• Banque de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner in the development of Pilote Budget and Pilote Dépenses applications. Attributed the EDUCFI label to both applications, guaranteeing neutrality, accessibility, and content reliability.
• Centres d'Information sur les Droits des Femmes et des Familles (CIDFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner98 CIDFF centers across France (metropolitan and overseas) provide confidential and free information, accompaniment, and orientation on various subjects from health to job search. Their teams of jurists complement the work of Emmaüs social workers, and they can refer people they accompany towards Emmaüs IAE structures.
• Collectif des Associations pour le Logement (CAL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaüs France is a member of the Collectif des Associations pour le Logement, which includes 18 organizations working together on housing rights and anti-discrimination advocacy. The collective has taken legal action against anti-begging measures and advocated for the rights of homeless and precarious populations.
• Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LDH has contested anti-begging ordinances through annulment proceedings and emergency suspension requests. Emmaüs France is a signatory of the complaint filed with the Défenseure des droits.
• Fondation Jean-JaurèscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaüs France collaborated with the Fondation Jean-Jaurès on a study about 'everyday ecology' following two years of citizen conventions within the Movement. The foundation co-published the study with La Fabrique Écologique.
• La Fabrique ÉcologiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Fabrique Écologique collaborated with Emmaüs and the Fondation Jean-Jaurès on a study of 'everyday ecology' based on citizen conventions. The organization proposes recommendations to amplify solidarity-based sobriety dynamics.
• Coalition Stop Fast-FashioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaüs France is part of the Coalition Stop Fast-Fashion, which campaigns for regulation of the fast-fashion industry. The coalition advocates for environmental and social standards in textile production and opposes the weakening of anti fast-fashion legislation.
• Les Jardins de CocagneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Jardins de Cocagne delivers monthly baskets of organic seasonal fruits and vegetables to Emmaüs Toulouse and provides collective workshops on topics ranging from budget management to preparing 'ugly' vegetables.
• Mouvement des Cuisines NourricièresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Cuisiner en collectivité' (Cooking in Community) training program launched by Emmaüs France. Provides HACCP certification module as part of the one-year accompaniment program.
• Observatoire International des Prisons (OIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaüs France collaborated with OIP on a guide to deconstruct 5 stereotypes about detained persons and their living conditions. The guide provides factual information about prison overcrowding and alternatives to incarceration.
• Association Espaces (CultiCime)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation Espaces operates CultiCime, an urban market gardening insertion project on a shopping center rooftop in Aubervilliers. A member of the Emmaüs Movement, the structure welcomes 9 people annually on CDDI contracts with individualized accompaniment.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fédération Envie: Federation of insertion enterprises specializing in reuse, repair, and recycling of appliances and equipment. Co-founding member of the Union pour le Réemploi Solidaire alongside Emmaüs France; directly comparable in social-solidarity reuse business model.
• Restos du Cœur: Major French food aid and anti-poverty NGO founded in 1985. Comparable scale and mission around fighting exclusion; differs in primary focus on food distribution versus Emmaüs’s reuse/housing/insertion model.
• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Housing-focused NGO carrying on Abbé Pierre’s legacy. Directly comparable as a sibling organization founded on the same heritage, with overlapping focus on homelessness, housing rights, and advocacy against inadequate housing.
• Coorace: Federation of social and solidarity economy enterprises, many operating in reuse/recycling and insertion. Co-founding member of the Union pour le Réemploi Solidaire alongside Emmaüs France; directly comparable in insertion-through-economic-activity model.
• ATD Quart Monde: Anti-extreme-poverty movement founded by Father Joseph Wresinski, focused on enabling the most excluded populations to participate in society. Comparable in mission depth and rights-based advocacy approach.
• Secours Catholique (Caritas France): French branch of Caritas International, fighting poverty and exclusion across France through social accompaniment, housing aid, and financial support. Closest direct peer in terms of social services mission, volunteer mobilization, and advocacy for marginalized populations.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge française: Largest French humanitarian NGO operating emergency shelters, social aid, and insertion programs. Comparable in scale and breadth of social services, though more diversified across health and emergency response.
• Emmaüs International: Global umbrella of the Emmaüs movement founded by Abbé Pierre in 1949. Directly comparable as the parent federation coordinating Emmaüs groups worldwide; Emmaüs France is the largest national federation.

Others

• Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité: National federation of associations working on social inclusion, housing, and insertion through economic activity. Comparable as a coordination body for solidarity-sector actors and a potential partner/peer in policy advocacy.

Emerging players

• Les Petits Frères des Pauvres: French NGO fighting isolation and poverty among the elderly. Comparable as a volunteer-driven social services organization with advocacy elements, but narrower focus on aging populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/emmaus_france
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/emmausfrance
• Facebookfacebook.com/emmausfrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmaüs-france
• Instagraminstagram.com/emmausfrance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Emmaüs France