The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice

What The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice does

The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice (legal name: Stiftung Kinder-Hospiz Sternenbrücke) is a Hamburg-based non-profit foundation operating Germany's recognized children's and youth hospice, founded in 2003 and governed by Chairman Peer-Uwe Gent and Deputy Chairwoman Sonja Albers. It delivers inpatient palliative care, respite stays (representing ~80% of activity), end-of-life support, grief counseling from diagnosis onward, and family/sibling support to families with children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 27 affected by life-limiting illnesses such as metabolic, muscular, neurological, and oncological conditions. Services are provided at no charge to families, with a 12-family simultaneous inpatient capacity (one room permanently reserved for last-life-phase admissions) and a multidisciplinary team of 78 full- and part-time staff including nursing, medical, psychosocial, educational, and housekeeping functions.

The business model is a hybrid of statutory reimbursement and charitable funding: approximately 55% of care costs are covered by German health and nursing insurance funds (Kranken- und Pflegekassen) under standard palliative-care frameworks, while the remaining ~45% of care costs plus all family accommodation costs are financed through donations, bequests, corporate partnerships, and in-kind giving. The Sternenbrücke Academy, established January 2011, generates a secondary revenue stream by delivering paid continuing education to healthcare professionals, families, volunteers, and psychosocial staff (757 instruction hours, 459 participants across 18 courses in 2024). Distribution is on-site at the Sandmoorweg 62, Hamburg facility, with families entering via a dedicated Family Office and through hospital/palliative-care referrals; community reach is amplified via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, newsletters, and a 3D virtual tour.

The organization is currently mid-execution on the approximately €5 million 'Lütte Herberge' new-building project (with 30% financed from the foundation's own funds), expanding into self-catering apartments for short family breaks, shared living for young adults with muscular diseases, and dedicated memorial-visit accommodation for bereaved parents. Strategic positioning is reinforced by an academic research collaboration with the University of Witten/Herdecke (producing the first reliable prevalence statistics for German children with life-limiting conditions), sustained medical referrals, and a Förderverein Friends Association founded in 1999 that provides ongoing fundraising and community advocacy.

Name

The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice

Legal name

Stiftung Kinder-Hospiz Sternenbrücke

Website

https://sternenbruecke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice is a Hamburg-based non-profit foundation operating a pediatric palliative care facility serving approximately 180 families annually with children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 27 affected by life-limiting illnesses, funded through statutory health-insurance reimbursement and donations, and operating the Sternenbrücke Academy for professional training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care (HLADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Hospice & Palliative Respite Care (HSABAGAG), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Pediatric palliative care
• Children's hospice services
• Respite care support
• Grief counseling programs
• Nonprofit healthcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Insurance Reimbursement: Approximately 55% of care costs are covered by health and nursing insurance providers (Kranken- und Pflegekassen). This statutory funding covers the core palliative care services provided to children with life-limiting conditions.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The remaining 45% of costs plus all family accommodation costs are financed through donations. This includes direct donations, monthly giving, legacy/bequest donations, corporate partnerships, and Sachspenden (in-kind donations). Donations fund the respite care services, family support, grief counseling, and capital projects including the current new building 'Lütte Herberge'.
3. Academy Training Programs: The in-house Academy provides continuing education and training courses to healthcare professionals, families, volunteers, and psychosocial staff, generating revenue through course fees. In 2024, the Academy provided 757 hours of instruction across 18 courses to 459 participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice delivers pediatric palliative care, nursing, and medical services to children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 27 with life-limiting illnesses, alongside respite stays (which account for 80% of its work), grief counseling from diagnosis through bereavement, and family/sibling support programs including on-site accommodation for relatives. Supplemented by an in-house Academy that trains healthcare professionals, an animal-assisted intervention program, and the Lütte Herberge new building expanding service capacity, all care is provided free of charge to families.

Product overview

The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice operates as a unified service providing palliative care for children, adolescents, and young adults with life-limiting illnesses. The core offering comprises palliative care services including nursing, medical care, and grief counseling, supplemented by family and sibling support programs. The portfolio includes an education arm (Sternenbrücke Academy) offering continuing education for healthcare professionals, and the Lütte Herberge new construction project expanding services with self-catering apartments and memorial visit spaces. Additional services encompass animal-assisted intervention, physiotherapy, volunteer programs, and a wish list program for in-kind donations. The organization serves approximately 180 families annually with 78 staff members across its Hamburg location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palliative Care and Nursing Services Comprehensive palliative care for children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 27 with life-limiting illnesses, including 24/7 nursing care (2:1 or 1:1 staffing ratios), medical care with daily doctor visits, and physiotherapy. Delivered at no cost to families; 55% covered by health and nursing insurance.
• Family and Sibling Support Comprehensive support services for families and siblings of seriously ill children, including rituals, celebrations, counseling sessions, and encounter opportunities. Includes on-site family accommodation (up to 40 relatives) and dedicated sibling activities during family stays.
• Grief Counseling Grief support services beginning at diagnosis of a life-shortening illness and continuing through loss and beyond, providing families with ongoing emotional support, new sources of strength, and bereavement care for parents and siblings.
• Sternenbrücke Academy Continuing education and training institution offering courses for healthcare professionals, families, volunteers, and psychosocial staff since January 2011, with both online and on-site programs. Delivered 18 courses, 757 instructional hours, and trained 459 participants in 2024. Friends association members receive 10% discount.
• Animal-Assisted Intervention Animal-assisted therapy program featuring resident pigs Timbo and Trüffel, therapy assistance dogs Willi and Anouk, and twice-monthly horseback riding therapy. Integrated into palliative care, respite stays, and family support services.
• Lütte Herberge (New Building) New building project featuring self-catering apartments for short breaks and medical visits, shared living spaces for young adults with muscular diseases, and memorial visit accommodations for bereaved parents. Expands the hospice's accommodation and respite capacity beyond the existing 12-family facility.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hamburger Hochbahn AGminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Hamburger Hochbahn AG donated a branded Sternenbrücke bus to the children's hospice on April 20, 2026. This represents corporate social responsibility engagement and public visibility partnership.
• University of Witten/HerdeckeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for generating statistics on children with life-limiting illnesses in Germany. The university's study using the FACT method provided the first reliable figures showing approximately 100,000 children and young adults under 19 living with life-limiting conditions.
• Förderverein für das Kinder-Hospiz Sternenbrücke e.V. (Friends Association)coreOthersFounded in 1999, the Friends Association provides ongoing support, fundraising, and advocacy for the hospice. Members receive 10% discount on Academy courses.
• Other Children's Hospices and Palliative ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization is a member of multiple associations at state and federal levels working to improve conditions for families with terminally ill children. Maintains close collaboration and networking with other children's hospices, palliative services, and hospitals across Germany.
• Hospitals and Healthcare ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral relationships with hospitals for transitioning patients to hospice care. Collaboration with palliative services for ongoing patient support and care coordination.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Together for Short Lives: UK-wide charity supporting children's palliative care services and hospice providers. Comparable mission and constituency, useful as an international benchmark for pediatric hospice operations and funding models.
• Malteser Kinderhospiz- und Familienbegleitdienste: National Malteser charitable network operating children's hospice accompaniment services across Germany. Comparable pediatric palliative offering but as part of a much broader healthcare and emergency services portfolio.

Regional players

• Helen & Douglas House: UK-based children's hospice operating in Oxfordshire. Comparable pediatric palliative and respite services with similar family support and bereavement programming, though UK-based and not directly competing in Germany.

Direct peers

• Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Löwenherz: Lower-Saxony-based children's and youth hospice offering palliative care, respite stays, and family support. Operates multiple hospice houses with similar interdisciplinary care model and donation-funded structure.
• CHAS – Children's Hospices Across Scotland: Scotland's national children's hospice charity operating residential hospices and a home-care service. Directly comparable pediatric palliative care delivery model, family support scope, and donation-funded revenue structure.
• Kinderhospiz St. Nikolaus: Bad Grönenbach-based children's hospice in southern Germany providing palliative care and respite stays for children with life-shortening illnesses. Comparable facility-based service model and family-centered programming.
• Kinderhospiz Regenbogenland: Düsseldorf-based children's hospice offering palliative and respite care. Closely comparable operating model, donor funding mix, and family support scope to Sternenbrücke.
• Björn Schulz Stiftung: Berlin-based foundation running inpatient children's hospice services and aftercare programs for families with seriously ill children. Directly comparable service portfolio including palliative nursing, respite, and family counseling.
• Kinderhospiz Bärenherz: Leipzig-based children's hospice providing palliative and respite care for children with life-limiting illnesses. Direct operating peer running multiple inpatient hospice houses with similar nursing, family support, and grief counseling services.

Others

• Deutscher Kinderhospizverein e.V. German umbrella association for children's hospice and palliative care providers. Functions as an advocacy, network, and policy body rather than a direct care provider, but closely intertwined with Sternenbrücke's operating environment and referral flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kinderhospizsternenbruecke%C2%A0%C2%A0
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sternenbruecke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/36845506
• Instagraminstagram.com/kinderhospizsternenbruecke
• TikToktiktok.com/@sternenbruecke
• Xx.com/sternenbruecke_

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice