Heinrich Kimmle Foundation

What Heinrich Kimmle Foundation does

Heinrich Kimmle Foundation (Heinrich Kimmle Stiftung Pirmasens) is a rechtsfähige kirchliche Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts founded in 1965 by Prälat Heinrich Kimmle, headquartered in Pirmasens, Germany. The foundation operates as the regional Träger der Behindertenhilfe (disability services provider) for the Pirmasens-Zweibrücken-Südwestpfalz area, serving people with physical, intellectual, sensory, and mental health disabilities through an integrated portfolio that includes sheltered workshops (WfbM) at eight locations employing 900+ beneficiaries, residential care (Wohnanlage Pirminius, Villa Schwinn), ambulatory assisted living (DiB), an integrative kindergarten (St. Elisabeth), and the Pirminiusschule special-needs school. The foundation also runs commercial contract manufacturing and services for industrial, trade, and municipal clients — covering packaging, assembly, powder coating, digitization, large-format printing, carpentry, metalwork, gardening, laundry, and catering (~1,400 meals/day).

The foundation's commercial and integration subsidiary, Pirminius-Werk gGmbH (founded 2004), operates two CAP supermarkets, two iD drugstores (iD-Märkte), a mobile supermarket (CAP-Mobil), and a Capito store, providing inclusive general-labor-market employment for 24+ people with disabilities under collective-bargaining terms. In April 2024 the foundation became sole operator of the Bilder.de personalized photo-gift e-commerce platform (~50 employees at Höhfröschen), and in 2025 launched the Westpfalzrösterei drum-roasted coffee line and a DIN 66399-certified document destruction facility (Schredderwerk). Real estate is consolidated under the HKS Immobilien GmbH subsidiary (founded 2023).

The revenue model combines three streams: statutory reimbursements under SGB IX §§56-132 from pension, health, and long-term care insurance for social services; transaction-based commercial contract manufacturing with the §140 SGB IX 50% Ausgleichsabgabe offset mechanism for B2B clients (VAT 7%); and unit-pricing retail sales plus e-commerce revenue through Pirminius-Werk gGmbH. Customers span regional industrial firms, municipalities, gastronomy, automotive suppliers, retail consumers, and national e-commerce buyers (Bilder.de). The foundation holds ISO 9001:2015, AZAV, DIN 66399, and EU Bio certifications and operates within the Diocese of Speyer and Caritas welfare network.

Name

Heinrich Kimmle Foundation

Legal name

Heinrich Kimmle Stiftung Pirmasens

Website

https://hk-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Heinrich Kimmle Foundation is a German church foundation operating sheltered workshops, residential care, schools, and integration services for 900+ people with disabilities across the Pirmasens-Zweibrücken-Südwestpfalz region, complemented by commercial contract manufacturing, retail (CAP supermarkets, iD drugstores), and the Bilder.de e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability & Social Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB), Down Syndrome & Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Childcare (HSAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Disability social services
• Sheltered workshop services
• Inclusive employment services
• Contract manufacturing services
• Special education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pirmasens

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Disability Services ( Eingliederungshilfe ): Core funding through §§ 56–132 SGB IX (rehabilitation and participation of disabled persons) for Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen (WfbM), residential care (besonderen Wohnform), integrative kindergarten, and Pirminiusschule. These are statutory health/rehabilitation insurance and social welfare funded services.
2. Industrial and Commercial Contract Services: Contract manufacturing and services to industry, trade, craft, commerce, and municipal/private clients across packaging, assembly, powder coating, digitization, printing, gardening, laundry, carpentry, metalwork, and food production. Revenue is transaction-based per contract or ongoing service agreements.
3. CAP Supermarket and iD Drugstore Retail Operations: Pirminius-Werk gGmbH operates two CAP Lebensmittelmärkte (supermarkets) in Thaleischweiler-Fröschen and Zweibrücken, a rolling supermarket (CAP-Mobil), a Capito store, and two iD drugstores in Contwig and Waldfischbach-Burgalben. These are standard retail operations providing employment to people with disabilities.
4. Bilder.de Photo Gift E-commerce: Since 2024, the foundation operates Bilder.de, an e-commerce platform producing personalized photo gifts (acrylic glass, Alu-Dibond, canvases, posters, mugs, thermal mugs, floor mats, mousepads, photo cushions, photo puzzles). Approximately 50 employees work at the Höhfröschen facility for this platform.
5. Offset Levy Credit (Ausgleichsabgabe §140 SGB IX): Clients contracting services can offset 50% of the labor costs against their statutory Schwerbehindertenausgleichsabgabe (employer levy for not meeting disabled employee quota). This drives demand for workshop services. The foundation's VAT rate is 7%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Heinrich Kimmle Foundation is a church foundation under public law that provides comprehensive disability services — including sheltered workshops (WfbM), residential care, an integrative kindergarten, and a special-needs school — alongside commercial contract manufacturing (packaging, assembly, powder coating, printing, metalwork, carpentry, digitization, laundry, garden services) and consumer retail operations (CAP supermarkets, iD drugstores, Bilder.de photo gift e-commerce platform) across the Pirmasens, Zweibrücken, and Südwestpfalz regions of Germany. Its subsidiary Pirminius-Werk gGmbH operates inclusive retail businesses integrating people with disabilities into the general labor market.

Product overview

Heinrich Kimmle Stiftung operates a diversified portfolio of social services and commercial businesses for people with disabilities. The foundation's core services include an integrative kindergarten (Integrative Kindertagesstätte St. Elisabeth), a special needs school (Pirminiusschule), residential facilities (Wohnanlage Pirminius), ambulatory support services (DiB), vocational workshops at 8 locations (Pirminius Werkstätten), integration services, and the subsidiary Pirminius-Werk gGmbH operating retail businesses (CAP-Märkte, iD-Märkte). Commercial services include digitization, fulfillment, assembly/packaging, powder coating, advertising technology (Zeichensetzen), garden services, catering, carpentry, metalworking, laundry, coffee roasting, and the Bilder.de photo gift e-commerce platform. Products include folding festival tables and bottle carriers. All operations support the foundation's mission of enabling people with disabilities to live independently and participate in society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zeichensetzen: Textile finishing, advertising technology, and sign-making services
• CAP-Märkte
• CAP-Mobil
• iD-Märkte
• bilder.de

Products and services

• Integrative Kindertagesstätte St. Elisabeth Integrative kindergarten offering 99 places in 8 groups for children aged 2 to school entry, combining 5 integrative groups with 3 heilpädagogische groups for children with special educational needs. Quality seal holder as Bewegungskindergarten since 2011.
• Pirminiusschule Twelve-year school for students with holistic support needs (Förderschwerpunkt ganzheitliche Entwicklung), operating as an all-day school with primary, secondary, and vocational training sections. Designated as Biosphärenschule since 2021/22.
• Wohnanlage Pirminius (Residential Care) Residential facility providing group living for adults with intellectual disabilities, offering support for independent living within a supportive community environment. Funded under §§56–132 SGB IX.
• Dienst zur individuellen Begleitung (DiB) Ambulatory support service offering assisted independent living within and outside family settings, including support with daily living, financial matters, medical appointments, and social relationships.
• Pirminius Werkstätten (Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen) Eight workshop facilities (Betriebsstätten) employing approximately 900 people with disabilities in industrial contract work, general services, and own production across Pirmasens, Petersberg, Zweibrücken, Münchweiler, and Höhfröschen locations.
• Integrationsdienst (Integration Service) Integration service with two pillars: integration management for transitioning workshop employees to the general labor market, and employment market services including InbeQ (individualized vocational qualification) under supported employment programs.
• Pirminius-Werk gGmbH (Integration Company) Non-profit integration company (wholly-owned subsidiary) operating CAP supermarkets, a mobile supermarket, Capito store, and iD drugstores to integrate people with disabilities into the general labor market under standard labor contracts.
• CAP-Märkte (CAP Supermarkets) Full-range grocery supermarkets (Vollsortimenter) operated in Thaleischweiler-Fröschen and Zweibrücken (Hallplatz-Galerie), staffed by people with and without disabilities working together as integration businesses.
• CAP-Mobil (Mobile Supermarket) Mobile supermarket serving the Südwestpfalz district as a rolling supermarket concept, providing grocery access in rural areas while creating employment for people with disabilities.
• iD-Märkte (Drugstores) Drugstores operated in Contwig (2012) and Waldfischbach-Burgalben (2013) as integration businesses employing people with disabilities.
• Bilder.de (Photo Gift E-commerce Platform) Online platform for personalized photo gifts including acrylic prints, aluminum dibond, canvases, posters, drinkware, floor mats, mouse pads, photo cushions, and photo puzzles, operated since April 2024 with approximately 50 employees.
• Contract Manufacturing Services (Packaging, Assembly, Powder Coating, Digital Printing) Industrial and commercial contract manufacturing services for industrial, trade, craft, commerce, and municipal/private clients across packaging, assembly, powder coating, digitization, printing, gardening, laundry, carpentry, metalwork, and food production. Clients can offset 50% of labor costs against §140 SGB IX equalization levy.
• Schredderwerk (Secure Document Destruction)

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ Menschen mit Beeinträchtigungen sind in den Werkstätten beschäftigt — diese Menschen erhalten sinnvolle Beschäftigung, berufliche Bildung und ein stabiles soziales Umfeld
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kolping Röstwerkstatt Brakel gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee bean supplier for the Westpfalzrösterei by Heinrich Kimmle Stiftung, operational since 2025 at the Höhfröschen facility. Kolping supplies the green coffee beans which are then drum-roasted on-site at the foundation's facility. This partnership ensures quality and sustainability in the coffee supply chain.
• WZB gGmbH (Animano)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partnership for the Animano product line. WZB gGmbH specializes in vocational qualification and product development for people with disabilities, producing high-quality innovative products sold under the Animano Eigenproduktlinie (own product line). The partnership leverages WZB's product development expertise with the foundation's production capacity.
• Diözese Speyer (Diocese of Speyer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is embedded in the charitable work of the Diocese of Speyer (Diözese Speyer). As a rechtsfähige kirchliche Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts, the foundation operates under the ecclesiastical authority and network of the diocese, which provides institutional oversight, funding alignment, and integration into the Catholic welfare system (Caritasverband).
• Caritasverband Speyer (Caritas Association for the Diocese of Speyer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Caritasverband Speyer is the central coordinating body (Zentralstelle) for BFD and FSJ volunteer placements at the foundation. The foundation is part of the broader Caritas network — the German Catholic charitable federation — and displays the Caritas logo as a partner. The foundation also adopted the Caritas Children Relief (Caritas Kinderhilfe) model founded by Prälat Kimmle.
• Ökumenisches Gemeinschaftswerk Pfalz REHA-Westpfalz LandstuhlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTherapy partner for the Pirminiusschule and Integrative Kindertagesstätte St. Elisabeth. Provides on-site therapeutic services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and autism therapy within the school premises. Since over 25 years of cooperation with the Kita.
• CAP-Markt Partner (CAP Supermarket Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Pirminius-Werk gGmbH operates CAP supermarkets under a franchise/partnership model with the CAP-Markt network. CAP (Der Lebensmittelpunkt) is a recognized brand for inclusive supermarkets in Germany where people with and without disabilities work together. The foundation's two CAP markets (Thaleischweiler-Fröschen and Zweibrücken) are branded and supported by the CAP network.
• Special Olympics Rheinland-PfalzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1995, the foundation has regularly participated in Special Olympics national games. The foundation sponsors athletes with disabilities through a Public Social Private Partnership (PSPP) model, supporting 30+ athletes in four sports. Special Olympics provides the competition platform and framework; the foundation supports athlete participation.
• Biosphärenreservat Pfälzerwald-Nordvogesen (Biosphere Reserve Palatinate Forest-North Vosges)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pirminiusschule is designated as a Biosphärenschule (Biosphere School) within the Biosphere Reserve network. As one of three model schools (since 2021/22), it has developed a cooperation agreement based on minimum standards for all protected areas. The school implements Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) by connecting to real-life contexts and building partnerships with local businesses (crafts, farming, beekeeping).
• Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partner for dual study programs. The foundation offers study places in Soziale Arbeit – Menschen mit Behinderung (B.A.) in partnership with DHBW. Students alternate between theory phases at DHBW and practical phases at the foundation over a three-year program, receiving a monthly salary according to AVR guidelines.
• Südwestpfalz District (Landkreis Südwestpfalz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation operates in the Einzugsgebiet (service area) of the Landkreis Südwestpfalz, serving as a primary regional provider of disability services, workshops, and inclusive employment. The CAP-Mobil rolling supermarket specifically serves this rural district. The district is a key partner in the disability services network.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel: One of Germany's largest Protestant church-based disability foundations, operating 2,000+ residential places and extensive workshop services across northern Germany. Comparable vertical integration (housing, work, education) but at materially larger scale.
• CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA: Germany's dominant personalized photo-gift e-commerce operator (CEWE FOTOBUCH and related products). Direct competitor to the Bilder.de platform across the same German consumer market.
• Lebenshilfe e.V. (Bundesvereinigung): Germany's national federation for people with intellectual disabilities, with ~530 local chapters operating sheltered workshops, kindergartens, residential care, and integration services. Most directly comparable peer given similar service breadth and target population.
• Josefsheim Bigge gGmbH: Catholic church-affiliated disability services provider in North Rhine-Westphalia operating residential care, workshops, school, and integration services under a comparable rechtsfähige Stiftung structure. Closely mirrors the Heinrich Kimmle service portfolio.
• Stiftung Liebenau: Church-affiliated foundation in Baden-Württemberg providing residential care, sheltered workshops, school services, and integration company operations. Comparable mix of social services and contract manufacturing workshops.
• Lebenshilfe Marburg-Biedenkopf e.V. Local Lebenshilfe chapter that operates CAP supermarkets and CAP-Mobil mobile supermarkets under the same inclusive-retail model as Pirminius-Werk gGmbH. Comparable peer specifically for the CAP supermarket integration business.
• CAB Caritas Augsburg Betriebsträger gGmbH: Caritas-affiliated integration company in Bavaria providing sheltered workshops, contract manufacturing, retail, and integration services for people with disabilities. Directly comparable to the Pirminius-Werk gGmbH subsidiary model.

Others

• Aktion Mensch e.V. Germany's largest social funding organization, providing grants and project funding to disability inclusion initiatives including WfbM operators. Not a direct peer but a key funding-counterparty in the same ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Deutschland: National Catholic welfare federation under which Heinrich Kimmle operates as a rechtsfähige kirchliche Stiftung. Larger and broader portfolio but provides institutional network, BFD/FSJ volunteer pipeline, and funding-channel access.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant counterpart to Caritas; operates the largest network of disability service providers, sheltered workshops, schools, and hospitals in Germany. Comparable in mission but at far larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HKStiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/hks_pirmasens

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Heinrich Kimmle Foundation