Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer

What Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer does

SKM Köln – Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer e.V. is a Cologne-based Catholic nonprofit social services organization founded in 1902 that operates more than 70 ambulatory and stationary facilities across child, youth, and family welfare; health, addiction, and psychiatric services; homelessness and housing assistance; and refugee and integration support. It serves people in Cologne facing poverty, social exclusion, addiction, mental illness, debt crisis, family breakdown, or displacement, irrespective of origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Headcount stands at approximately 750 paid professionals supported by 450 volunteers.

Core programs include the Kölner Feger street-cleaning employment project (up to 16 long-term unemployed drug-dependent participants, launched 2015 with Jobcenter Köln), the BeTa supervised daily-structure program, the DE FLO GmbH employment-assistance subsidiary (up to 57 participants in furniture, carpentry, painting, and clothing), Fachklinik Tauwetter and Reha-Zentrum Lindenthal addiction rehabilitation, 12 Gütesiegel Familienzentrum NRW-certified family day-care centers (including the Kölsche Kita dialect-immersion program), and walk-in contact and counseling centers across Cologne (Hauptbahnhof, Rochus Ehrenfeld, Vor Ort Kalk, Vor Ort Porz). Recent additions include the 'Digitale Brücke' digital inclusion project (April 2025–September 2026, funded by Sozialstiftung NRW) for homeless clients, and Café Flora as a low-threshold community 'Dritter Ort'. Service delivery is fundamentally human-delivered; no proprietary software platform is operated, and the digital footprint is limited to the website, an Altruja/RaiseNow donation portal, and standard social media.

The organization operates a non-commercial, free-at-point-of-use service model. The majority of operating revenue flows from statutory German social law contracts (SGB VIII youth welfare, SGB XII social assistance including § 67 for special social difficulties, SGB II unemployment) with the City of Cologne / Bezirksjugendamt, Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR), and Jobcenter Köln acting as contracting authorities. Supplementary funding comes from church subsidies, foundation grants (Sozialstiftung NRW, Cornelius Stiftung, Stiftung Chancen für Kinder, Kulturamt Köln), and private donations via spenden.skm-koeln.de. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries — Gemeinnützige SKM Köln – DE FLO GmbH (employment assistance) and SKM Köln Reha gGmbH (rehabilitation) — extend mission delivery. The organization holds DIN ISO 9001:2015, AZAV, Q-Reha, and Gütesiegel Familienzentrum NRW certifications, which are prerequisites for public funding eligibility.

Name

Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer

Legal name

SKM Köln – Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer e.V.

Website

https://skm-koeln.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SKM Köln is a Cologne-based Catholic nonprofit founded in 1902 that operates more than 70 social service facilities across child welfare, addiction treatment, homelessness assistance, and refugee integration, serving vulnerable populations regardless of origin, religion, or sexual orientation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322), Temporary Shelters (624221), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Mental Health Treatment Centers (HLAFACAC), Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals & Units (HLAFACAB), Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Homelessness support
• Addiction treatment
• Child family welfare
• Employment assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory Social Insurance & Public Funding: Core operations are funded by contracts with German public social insurance systems (SGB VIII, SGB XII, SGB II), the City of Cologne, Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR), and church subsidies. These statutory funding streams cover the majority of service delivery across all program areas.
2. Donations & Charitable Contributions: SKM Köln raises funds from private donors via its donation portal (spenden.skm-koeln.de), campaigns (e.g., 'Wärme für Köln' warm meal campaign), and special projects. Donation revenue supplements program activities not fully covered by public contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SKM Köln operates more than 70 outpatient and inpatient social-services facilities in Cologne spanning child, youth, and family welfare; health, addiction, and mental health support; homelessness and housing assistance; refugee integration; legal guardianship; debt and insolvency counseling; and employment assistance for long-term unemployed people with social difficulties. Services are delivered free at point of use across walk-in counseling centers, residential facilities, day programs, family centers, and crisis hotlines, funded by German statutory social insurance (SGB VIII, SGB XII, SGB II), the City of Cologne, LVR, and donations. The portfolio is extended by two wholly-owned subsidiaries: Gemeinnützige SKM Köln – DE FLO GmbH (employment assistance) and SKM Köln Reha gGmbH (rehabilitation including Fachklinik Tauwetter).

Product overview

SKM Köln operates as a social services organization providing over 70 outpatient and inpatient facilities across child/youth/family welfare, health, and integration assistance. The organization functions as a unified social services provider rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Key programs include employment assistance projects (Kölner Feger, DE FLO, BeTa), digital inclusion services (Projekt Digitale Brücke), addiction support (Fachklinik Tauwetter, Suchtnotruf Köln), family services (MIKADO/StandUp, SKM-Familienzentren), and basic education (aktiv-S). Two subsidiaries extend the portfolio: Gemeinnützige SKM Köln – DE FLO GmbH for employment assistance and SKM Köln Reha gGmbH for rehabilitation services. The organization employs approximately 750 full-time and 450 volunteer staff members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kölner Feger: Employment project providing street cleaning work for people in substitution programs, creating structure and purpose for drug-dependent individuals

Quantifiable outcome

• Kölner Feger provides structured employment for up to 16 long-term unemployed people with addiction, improving social participation and reducing public-space conflict.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Technische Hochschule Köln (TH Köln)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TH Köln provides scientific/academic accompaniment to the 'Digitale Brücke' project through a teaching-research seminar, contributing evaluation and research methodology.
• Jobcenter KölncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Jobcenter Köln is a core strategic partner for SKM Köln's employment integration programs. It co-funds and refers participants to the Kölner Feger project (since 2015, with a second group in Köln-Mülheim added in 2016), BeTa (Betreute Tagesstruktur), and DE FLO Beschäftigungshilfe. Olaf Wagner, head of Jobcenter Köln, participated in the Kölner Feger press launch in 2015.
• AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbHsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015AWB Köln provides material and operational support to the Kölner Feger project, which operates street-cleaning activities in public spaces. AWB's support enables the practical implementation of the employment program.
• OTVita (Offene Tür Vita)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011OTVita coordinates the 'Mädchenoffensive – Offensive Mädchen' girls' football project, managing project coordination, training sessions, tournaments, and annual applications for continued funding. Girls from four disadvantaged Cologne neighborhoods participate under the team name 'Red Cats Cologne'.
• Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVR co-funds BeTa (Betreute Tagesstruktur) alongside Jobcenter Köln and SKM Köln, providing § 67 SGB XII coverage for participants with recognized special social difficulties. LVR conducts the help plan and review process for participant eligibility.
• Universität Köln / Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Cologne and DIE (German Institute for Adult Education) provide accompanying research for the 'aktiv-S' basic education project, researching the effectiveness and success factors of life-world-oriented basic education.
• Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region GgmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKM Köln and Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region GgmbH jointly operate MIKADO groups in Köln-Mülheim, combining expertise in addiction and child welfare.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Alexianer GmbH: Germany-wide Catholic health and social care group with growing presence in mental health, addiction, and housing-support services. Represents a scaled, multi-region operator applying corporate management to traditional welfare services.

Broad incumbents

• Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Köln e.V. Larger Catholic umbrella organization covering the entire Archdiocese of Cologne with a wider service portfolio and more resources. Operates as a parent-level entity rather than a direct local competitor but sets binding Catholic welfare framework and competes for diocesan resources.
• Berliner Stadtmission e.V. Large Protestant-affiliated urban welfare organization providing comparable multi-domain services (homelessness, addiction, mental health, family) but in Berlin. Serves as a comparable operating model for a comprehensive city-embedded welfare organization.

Others

• Kölner Flüchtlingsrat e.V. Cologne-based refugee and migration-services advocacy and counseling organization. Overlaps with SKM Köln's Flüchtlingshilfe programs and serves as an adjacent specialized provider in the same Cologne welfare ecosystem.
• Malteser Hilfsdienst gGmbH: Major Catholic relief and social services organization with overlapping values and funding channels but with stronger focus on emergency medical, disaster relief, and youth services rather than core Cologne-area homelessness/addiction work.

Direct peers

• Diakonie Köln und Region gGmbH: Protestant parallel to SKM Köln in Cologne, providing a near-identical mix of counseling, addiction, housing, family, and migration services. Already co-operates with SKM on MIKADO groups, evidencing direct comparability.
• Caritasverband für die Stadt Köln e.V. Direct local peer: largest Cologne-based Catholic welfare organization offering a comparable portfolio of homelessness, addiction, family, and youth services. Operates in the same city with overlapping service lines and competing for the same municipal contracts.
• Suchthilfe gGmbH Köln: Cologne-focused addiction and drug-counseling provider operating low-threshold contact points and substitution services. Directly competes with SKM Köln on Suchtnotruf, substitution, and Kölner Feger-style programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/skmkoeln
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/skm-k%C3%B6ln-sozialdienst-katholischer-m%C3%A4nner-e.v.-suchtkrankenhilfe-drogenabh%C3%A4ngige
• Instagraminstagram.com/skm_koeln/?hl=de

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer