Gangway

What Gangway does

Gangway e.V. is a registered non-profit charitable association (eingetragener gemeinnütziger Verein) headquartered at Schumannstr. 5, 10117 Berlin, founded on October 15, 1990, that delivers street-based social work (Straßensozialarbeit) to at-risk youth and homeless adults across 15 Berlin neighborhoods. Its core delivery model is low-threshold, mobile outreach: dedicated streetwork teams physically meet beneficiaries in streets, parks, and public spaces, applying an acceptance-based, voluntary-participation methodology that does not require clients to enter institutional settings. Specialized Drop Out teams serve homeless adults, while supplementary programs span employment counseling (JobInn Career Centers, Brücken Bauen, Career Center), education (Street College in music, film, and art), cultural initiatives (ZwischenWelten film project, GangwayBeatz music production), sports (Hoop Life basketball, Street League football), refugee/migrant support (Flucht & Migration), and reintegration for youth exiting detention (Startpunkt). Gangway also operates anonymous online counseling via WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook, alongside a digital Schnelle Hilfe resource portal for emergency and crisis information.

The organization runs approximately 15 youth streetwork teams, six or more Drop Out teams for homeless adults, and a layered portfolio of competence, sports, cultural, and international-exchange programs (BE-TROIT with Detroit, Peace of Art with Paris and New York, Exchange2Change with the United Kingdom). It is governed by a board chaired by Katrin Toptschian with Managing Director Elvira Berndt, employs roughly 80 staff, and operates as a member of the Parit\u00e4tischer Wohlfahrtsverband.

Name

Gangway

Legal name

Gangway e.V. – Verein für Straßensozialarbeit

Website

https://gangway.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gangway e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit founded in 1990 that delivers low-threshold, street-based social work to at-risk youth and homeless adults across 15 city districts, funded primarily by the Berlin Senate, district offices, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services (Street Social Work)

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Street social work
• Youth outreach services
• Homeless outreach programs
• Community social work
• Social services nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (Senat von Berlin): Primary funding from the Berlin Senate and Bezirksämter (district offices) to support streetwork operations, youth programs, and social services.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Financial support through individual donations, corporate donations, and charitable foundations to supplement public funding and support special projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Gangway e.V. is a Berlin-based street social work organization that provides low-threshold, mobile outreach services to at-risk youth and homeless adults across 15 Berlin neighborhoods. Through neighborhood-based streetwork teams and specialized project centers, the organization delivers counseling, employment support, education, cultural programs, sports activities, and anonymous online counseling to socially disadvantaged individuals free of charge.

Product overview

Gangway e.V. operates as a comprehensive street-based social work organization in Berlin, offering a multi-module service portfolio organized into core streetwork programs and specialized project offerings. The core consists of streetwork services targeting both youth (15 teams across Berlin neighborhoods) and homeless adults (Drop Out program with multiple district teams). Specialized programs include employment services (JobInn Career Centers, Brücken Bauen), educational initiatives (Street College with music, film, and art courses), cultural programs (ZwischenWelten film project, GangwayBeatz music production), sports programs (Hoop Life basketball, Street League football), and international youth exchanges (BE-TROIT with Detroit, Peace of Art with Paris and NYC, Exchange2Change with UK). Digital services include anonymous online counseling accessible via messaging platforms. The organization functions as a unified service delivery model where street teams serve as the primary touchpoint, connecting clients to specialized programs based on individual needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 youth successfully placed in jobs or training through Jobteam in first 5 years (reported 2004)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Detroit Streetwork OrganizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2024International exchange partnership for streetwork professionals between Berlin and Detroit. Fourth annual exchange program (June 8-18, 2024) where Berlin streetworkers travel to learn, exchange experiences, and optimize work with target populations.
• WeTeK Berlin gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for the BrückenBauen project providing outreach individual case work with young people to facilitate transitions into education and employment. Project supported by ESF funds from Senate administration for education, youth, and family.
• T_REST - Berlins soziales NetzwerkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCost center for children's and youth work in Berlin (T_REST. Berlins soziales Netzwerk). Gangway participates to advocate for improved conditions in youth social work.
• Berliner Beratungsnetz für ZugewanderteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline platform for Berlin professionals with approximately 300 multilingual counseling and support services for migrants, with interactive map filtering by topics, target groups, languages, and districts.
• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Parity Welfare Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGangway is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, one of Germany's largest welfare associations, providing institutional support and networking.
• Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized conferences and publications including 'Jugend und Armut' (Youth and Poverty) conference and professional development events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Notdienst für Suchtmittelgefährdete und -abhängige Berlin e.V. Berlin non-profit providing crisis intervention, addiction counseling, and low-threshold services for substance users, including street-based outreach. Direct peer in the specialized drug-and-homeless counseling space.
• Berliner Stadtmission: Major Berlin-based Protestant social welfare organization providing streetwork, homeless shelters, addiction services, and youth programs. Direct peer because it operates overlapping low-threshold services for homeless adults and at-risk youth in the same Berlin market.
• Fixpunkt Berlin e.V. Berlin-based non-profit operating mobile drug consumption rooms, needle exchanges, and street-based harm-reduction outreach. Direct peer in the specialized street-outreach space for marginalized adult populations in Berlin.

Broad incumbents

• AWO Berlin (Arbeiterwohlfahrt): Major German welfare association operating youth social work, migration services, and homelessness programs in Berlin. Broad incumbent with strong district-level government relationships analogous to Gangway's.
• EJF (Evangelisches Jugend- und Fürsorgewerk): Protestant social services organization active across Germany and in Berlin, running youth welfare, education, and social-inclusion programs. Broad incumbent comparable to Gangway in youth and family services mission.
• Diakonie Berlin: Regional Protestant welfare association delivering social counseling, refugee aid, addiction services, and youth welfare in Berlin. Broad incumbent with overlapping service categories and similar public-funding relationships with the Berlin Senate.
• Caritas Berlin: Regional branch of Germany's largest Catholic welfare association, providing streetwork, refugee services, addiction counseling, and youth programs across Berlin. Broad incumbent operating in the same social-services space with a much larger institutional footprint.

Regional players

• Condrobs e.V. (München): Bavarian non-profit providing streetwork, addiction services, and youth housing programs. Regional peer operating the same street-based low-threshold methodology in a different German state.
• Sozialwerk Berlin: Berlin-focused social services organization providing youth and family support, migration services, and streetwork-adjacent community work. Regional peer in the same city with overlapping target populations.

Emerging players

• Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. National hotline and online-counseling service for children, youth, and parents in Germany. Emerging player in the digital-anonymous counseling space that overlaps with Gangway's WhatsApp/Telegram/Instagram offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/gangwayev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP14gL6fk09omHIqyAerbqQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/GangwayeV
• Instagraminstagram.com/gangway_ev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gangway-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gangway