Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung

What Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung does

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung is a German nonprofit foundation (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) established in 2002 and seated in Grasleben at the offices of Sport-Thieme GmbH. Its mission is to promote the Snoezelen multisensory stimulation concept — developed in the Netherlands in the late 1970s — for people with severe intellectual disabilities, seniors, and children, through public relations, training, research, and certification. Operationally the foundation runs an annual nationwide seminar program (Aus- und Weiterbildung), bespoke inhouse trainings (Inhouse-Fortbildungen) for care and educational institutions, individual Raumplanung (room planning) consulting for Snoezelen rooms, and a Fachschule certification scheme (Basisqualifikation and Zusatzqualifikation für Lehrpersonen) administered through its internal Fachausschuss Fachschulen.

The foundation's core 'technology' is a methodology rather than a software or hardware platform: it combines a curated set of sensory equipment configurations, a documented non-directive therapeutic approach, and a certification framework for vocational schools in nursing care, occupational therapy, curative education, and social pedagogy. Service delivery is human-mediated and in-person, supported by a small Referenten team and a curated literature bibliography plus specialist papers (Beiträge und Facharbeiten). There is no public API, software platform, or app; digital presence is limited to a static website.

Commercially the foundation operates as a registered charity under German tax law, with no public price list and quote-based, pay-as-you-go pricing across all service lines. Revenue streams are donations (the primary sustainer via a dedicated Nord/LB account), professional-services fees for inhouse seminars and Raumplanung consulting, certification revenue from Fachschulen, and grants/donations earmarked for statutory purposes. Since 2024, Snoezelen training inquiries have been routed through Sport-Thieme GmbH in cooperation with a qualified Referent, with all existing foundation offers and orders continuing to be processed by the foundation itself. Headcount is 1-10, with three named Referenten (Helmut Wrede, Bernd Eisvogel, Udo Nickel) and a named administrative contact (Anika Schmittke); no revenue, headcount growth, or fundraising totals are publicly disclosed.

Name

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung

Legal name

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung

Website

https://snoezelen-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung is a German nonprofit foundation that promotes the Snoezelen multisensory stimulation method, delivering nationwide training, certification, and room-planning consulting to care, therapy, and educational institutions serving people with disabilities, seniors, and children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multisensory therapy training and certification services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Gross Motor, Postural Control & Motor Planning (Praxis) (EDAKAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Inclusive Classroom Environment & Sensory-Friendly Design Support (EDAKABAJ), Assistive Technology (AT) Access & AAC Access Support (OT-Led) (EDAKAFAG)

Keywords

• Multisensory stimulation therapy
• Disability care training
• Vocational school certification
• Sensory room consulting
• Therapeutic room planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Grasleben

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations / Spenden (Foundation fundraising): The Stiftung is a charitable foundation (gemeinnützig) under German tax law; donations accepted via bank transfer (Konto 5054739, BLZ 25050000, IBAN DE93 2505 0000 0005 0547 39 at Nord/LB) or direct debit authorization. Mittel der Stiftung dürfen ausschließlich für satzungsmäßige Zwecke verwendet werden.
2. Inhouse-Schulungen / Seminar fees (Training & certification revenue): Revenue from Inhouse-Fortbildungen (customized on-site seminars for institutions), Grundlagen- and Fachintensivseminare delivered by qualified referenten. Annual program of seminars across Germany routed through Sport-Thieme GmbH.
3. Certification fees for Fachschulen (Vocational-school certification program): Revenue from certifying vocational schools (Fachschulen) for Altenpflege, Ergotherapie, Heilerziehungspflege, Heilpädagogik, Motopädie and Sozialpädagogik; students receive the 'Basisqualifikation' certificate upon completion.
4. Snoezelen-Raumplanung Beratung (Room planning consultation): Individual consulting revenue for planning and outfitting Snoezelen rooms and centers; technical and spatial advice tailored to user group, plus recommendations on specialized equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung promotes and operationalizes the Snoezelen multisensory-stimulation concept — a balanced sensory room environment used in leisure, therapeutic, pedagogical and physiotherapeutic settings — through annual training seminars, customized in-house trainings, room-planning consulting, and a nationwide vocational-school certification scheme for the social and health-care sectors. Its activities are sustained by charitable donations and delivered in close cooperation with Sport-Thieme GmbH as official sponsor.

Product overview

Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung is a German non-profit foundation (legally established in 2002) that operates as a single integrated offering centred on the Snoezelen multisensory-stimulation concept rather than as a software platform with modules. Its portfolio consists of: (1) the core Snoezelen concept itself, defined as a balanced multisensory room; (2) the annual Aus- und Weiterbildung training programme, now coordinated with Sport-Thieme GmbH; (3) bespoke Inhouse-Fortbildungen; (4) Raumplanung consulting for Snoezelen rooms; (5) the nationwide Basisqualifikation and Zusatzqualifikation-für-Lehrpersonen certification schemes issued via the Fachausschuss Fachschulen; and (6) supplementary public-relations, literature, and Facharbeiten publishing activities. Together these constitute the foundation's overall service offering around promoting, teaching, certifying, and consulting on the Snoezelen method.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Snoezelen Concept (Multisensory Stimulation Rooms) A balanced, multisensory room environment originating from the Netherlands (combining 'snuffelen' = free choice and 'doezelen' = relaxation/belonging) that triggers well-being and self-regulation processes. It is used as a leisure activity, therapeutic milieu, pedagogical intervention, and basis for relaxation and physio/psychotherapy methods.
• Aus- und Weiterbildung (Annual Training and Continuing Education Program) Annual training program delivered in seminars across various German regions (kindergartens, schools, workshops, clinics, senior homes and practices), with intensive application orientation. The program is coordinated by Sport-Thieme GmbH together with qualified lecturers and follows an agreed common curricular framework.
• Inhouse-Fortbildungen (In-House Training) Bespoke in-house training offered to institutions, tailored to the conditions of each facility. Basic or specialist intensive seminars can be agreed upon, drawing on subject-matter lecturers from different Snoezelen topic areas.
• Raumplanung (Snoezelen Room Planning and Consulting) Specialist seminars and individual consulting offering technical and spatial-planning support for setting up Snoezelen rooms and centres. Equipment recommendations are developed on the basis of individual room sketches and user profile data, including guidance on basic-room requirements (ventilation, distance from noise sources, electrical supply, accessibility, fire protection).
• Zertifikat 'Basisqualifikation' (Foundation-Level Certification) Nationwide (Germany) school certification issued by certified Fachschulen under the Deutsche SNOEZELEN-Stiftung for pedagogical use of Snoezelen in leisure and support settings within children, youth, adult, and disability services.
• Zertifikat 'Zusatzqualifikation für Lehrpersonen' (Additional Qualification for Teaching Staff)

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Experia USA: US-based Snoezelen/multisensory equipment provider offering Snoezelen rooms and sensory products to special-education, healthcare and senior-care settings. Comparable because it sells the same multisensory environment concept the foundation promotes and certifies.
• Snoezelen-Welten / Rompa: Long-standing Snoezelen equipment supplier (originated in the UK as Rompa, later merged with Snoezelen-Welten) that designs and installs multisensory rooms. Directly comparable as a Snoezelen-method provider, although commercially focused on equipment sales rather than foundation-based certification.
• Sport-Thieme GmbH: German therapy-, school- and sports-equipment distributor that now processes Snoezelen training inquiries for the foundation and hosts its registered office. Highly comparable as the foundation's distribution and seminar-coordination partner, with overlapping customer base across schools, clinics and senior homes.

Others

• Autismus Deutschland e.V. National German autism association that promotes inclusive and sensory-friendly environments for autistic individuals. Comparable as an adjacent advocacy body for whom Snoezelen-aligned room design is a relevant intervention theme.
• GleichNationell / Deutscher Verein der Ergotherapeuten (DVE): German professional association for occupational therapists, a core user group the foundation certifies. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that shapes Ergotherapie training standards where Snoezelen credentials are deployed.

Emerging players

• TFH Special Needs Toys (TFH Canada / UK): Special-needs and sensory-integration equipment vendor covering Snoezelen-style products. Comparable as a sensory-equipment supplier into special-education and care settings, smaller and more niche than Rompa or FlagHouse.

Broad incumbents

• FlagHouse: North-American broad-line special-needs and sensory-integration product retailer with a Snoezelen/multisensory category. Comparable because it sells Snoezelen-adjacent equipment into special-education and therapy settings, though it operates a much wider product portfolio.
• Lebenshilfe (Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe): German national association for people with intellectual disabilities and their families; runs many Snoezelen-equipped disability services. Comparable as a downstream operator and lobbying counterpart that consumes the foundation's training and certification.
• Caritas Behindertenhilfe (Snoezelen programs within Caritas): Large German social-services provider that operates Snoezelen rooms within its disability-care facilities. Comparable as both customer and partial operator of Snoezelen environments, though its primary mission is service delivery rather than concept promotion.

Regional players

• Snoezelen Centre (Multisensory Integration / MSI): UK-based Snoezelen delivery, training and room-installation provider. Comparable methodology and target population, but primarily serves the UK/Irish market rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Deutsche Snoezelen Stiftung