Catholic Academy Stapelfeld

What Catholic Academy Stapelfeld does

Catholic Academy Stapelfeld (Katholische Akademie Stapelfeld, KAS) is a Catholic adult education and conference center founded in 1976 in the village of Stapelfeld, municipality of Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. It operates as an institution of the Stiftung Kardinal von Galen, affiliated with the Diocese of Münster's Oldenburg region. The academy delivers a broad portfolio of seminars, workshops, study trips, concerts, readings, and cultural events across categories including theology, philosophy, art, photography, music, literature, media pedagogy, family education, environmental education, and pastoral training. It serves adult learners, children and youth (via the Junge Akademie / Juniorzeit programs), families, church volunteers, and external organizations that book its facilities for conferences and retreats. On-site amenities include conference rooms, accommodation, dining, and leisure facilities.

The core digital infrastructure is a third-party event booking platform (Seminar Manager Cloud) integrated with the academy's website, enabling online registration and payment for individual and group bookings. The technology stack is conventional; there is no proprietary AI/ML, no public API, and no mobile app. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer channels (website, booking portal, annual print brochure, email newsletter via Clever Reach, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) with channel partnerships through AKSB, Bonifatius Werk, the Catholic Church in Oldenburger Münsterland, Landes-Caritasverband, and the Förderverein.

The business model is fee-for-service, with revenue generated from participant fees for seminars, study trips, and cultural events, plus accommodation, catering, and room rental for group bookings. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; subsidized rates are offered for volunteers and pastoral workers, and the academy likely receives public funding via the BMFSFJ for youth and family programs. The organization is foundation-owned and nonprofit, with no external shareholders, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and reported revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Catholic Academy Stapelfeld

Legal name

Katholische Akademie Stapelfeld

Website

https://ka-stapelfeld.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catholic Academy Stapelfeld is a nonprofit Catholic adult education and conference center in Cloppenburg, Germany, founded 1976, offering seminars, cultural events, and venue services to adult learners, youth, families, and church and external organization bookers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Continuing Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Adult continuing education
• Catholic adult education
• Conference venue hosting
• Lifelong learning programs
• Seminar workshop programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cloppenburg

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Event and Seminar Fees: Revenue is generated from participant fees for seminars, workshops, study trips, cultural events, concerts, and readings. Fees cover tuition, accommodation, and catering as bundled packages. Group bookings and room rentals represent additional revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Katholische Akademie Stapelfeld is a Catholic adult education academy and conference center that delivers fee-based seminars, workshops, study trips, and cultural events (concerts, readings, exhibitions) covering theology, philosophy, art, music, literature, media pedagogy, family life, and environmental topics. It also operates on-site venue services including conference rooms, accommodation, and catering for both its own programs and external group bookings, supported by an online booking portal (Seminar Manager Cloud). Youth programs under the Junge Akademie brand, the Stapelfelder Fotoforum, and pastoral education via the affiliated Fachstelle are integral parts of the offering.

Product overview

The Katholische Akademie Stapelfeld is a Catholic educational academy and conference center (Bildungshaus) offering a unified portfolio of educational programs and event venue services. Its core offering consists of the Buchungsportal (Booking Portal) for online seminar and event registration, complemented by diverse educational program categories including philosophy, theology, art, photography (Stapelfelder Fotoforum), music, literature, media pedagogy, and youth programs (Junge Akademie). The academy also provides venue services through its facilities including conference rooms, accommodation, and catering. The institution includes a specialized unit, the Fachstelle für Pastorale Bildung und Begleitung, which focuses on pastoral education and accompaniment programs. Together, these offerings form an integrated educational and event management platform serving both youth and adult learners in religious, cultural, and personal development areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Umweltzentrum: Environmental education center operating in connection with the academy
• Juniorzeit
• Stapelfelder Fotoforum

Products and services

• Educational Programs (Bildungsangebote) Comprehensive portfolio of fee-based adult education seminars, workshops, study trips, cultural events, concerts, and readings covering theology, philosophy, art, photography, music, literature, media pedagogy, family education, and environmental education, delivered on-site in Stapelfeld.
• Event Venues and Conference Services (Veranstaltungsorte) Conference rooms, on-site accommodation, catering services, and leisure facilities available for hire to external organizations, parishes, church groups, and companies for workshops, seminars, and conferences.
• Junge Akademie (Youth Academy) Age-appropriate seminars, youth camps, team programs, and educational activities designed for children and adolescents, including the Juniorzeit offering.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Umweltzentrum Cloppenburg (Environment Center)coreOthersAn affiliated institution of the Stiftung Kardinal von Galen located on the same campus. The Umweltzentrum complements the academy's programs with environmental education and sustainability initiatives, aligning with the academy's Laudato si commitment.
• Fachstelle für Pastorale Bildung und BegleitungcoreOthersA division of the Stiftung Kardinal von Galen at Stapelfelder Kirchstraße 7, sharing the campus. The Fachstelle coordinates pastoral education programs with the academy, aligning curriculum and cross-referring participants to each other's offerings.
• Agentur für Erwachsenen- und Weiterbildung (AEWB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AEWB in Hannover conducted and certified the academy's external quality assessment (Stapelfelder Modell) under NEBG, and is a recurring institutional partner for adult education quality assurance and recognition.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholisch-sozialer Bildungswerke (AKSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association of Catholic social educational institutions. The academy participates under the AKSB umbrella for shared standards, joint programming, and network representation in adult Catholic education across Germany.
• Bonifatius WerkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA Catholic foundation that supports church and educational projects. Listed as a partner, likely providing funding support or co-promotion for specific programs.
• Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe German Federal Ministry is listed as a partner, indicating potential public funding or co-sponsorship of youth and family education programs.
• Katholische Kirche im Oldenburger Münsterland (KKOL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Catholic Church in the Oldenburger Münsterland is a key channel partner, referring parish members, volunteers, and church groups to the academy's programs and facilitating enrollment through diocesan structures.
• Landes-Caritasverband für Oldenburg e.V.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe regional Caritas association (Catholic charitable organization) refers participants to academy programs and may co-develop social/pastoral educational offerings.
• Förderverein der Katholischen Akademie StapelfeldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe supporting association (friends/patrons network) promotes the academy to its members and provides supplementary financial and moral support for events and programs.
• Inspiration NaturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nature-focused partner organization aligned with the academy's 'Natur, Schöpfung, Landwirtschaft' (Nature, Creation, Agriculture) program category, contributing expertise and participants to environmental education offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• Evangelische Akademie Tutzing: Protestant academy on Lake Starnberg in Bavaria offering interdisciplinary seminars, conferences, and cultural programming. Direct peer because its faith-based adult education programming, theological/cultural event mix, and residential conference model closely mirror Stapelfeld's.
• Akademie Klausenhof: Catholic academy and conference center in Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia. Direct peer because it offers faith-rooted seminars, pastoral formation, and accommodation-based conferences under the same diocesan Bildungshaus model as Stapelfeld.
• Heimvolkshochschule Seddiner See: Residential folk high school (Heimvolkshochschule) in Brandenburg, the same institutional category Stapelfeld operates as. Direct peer because it provides multi-day adult education seminars with on-site accommodation and catering, drawing on the same state-recognized adult education framework.
• Akademie Schwerte: Katholisch-soziale Akademie in Schwerte, NRW, offering faith-based adult education, seminars, and conferences. Direct peer because it operates the same Catholic adult education/conference center model as Stapelfeld, serving overlapping lay and pastoral audiences across Germany.
• Heinrich Pesch Haus: Catholic adult education and conference center in Ludwigshafen operated by the Diocese of Speyer. Direct peer because it provides the same combination of faith-based seminars, pastoral training, and accommodation/conference services for church and corporate groups.
• Kardinal Döpfner Haus: Catholic education and conference center in Freising affiliated with the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Direct peer because it offers bundled faith-based seminar programs, accommodation, and pastoral formation under the same Bildungshaus model as Stapelfeld.
• Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt: Protestant academy in Hessen offering public seminars on theology, ethics, politics, and culture. Direct peer because it pursues the same faith-rooted public discourse / adult education model and competes for the same Catholic/Protestant engaged-citizen audience in Germany.
• Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart: Catholic academy in Stuttgart-Hohenheim offering theological, pastoral, and interdisciplinary adult education programs. Direct peer because it shares the diocesan adult education structure, parish-network distribution, and seminar-plus-accommodation model used by Stapelfeld.
• Evangelische Akademie Loccum: One of Germany's largest Protestant academies, located in Lower Saxony near Stapelfeld. Direct peer because it delivers the same faith-rooted adult education and conference hosting model, draws on similar state NEBG-equivalent funding frameworks, and competes for the same regional Catholic/Protestant audience in Northern Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Kolping Bildungswerk: National Catholic adult and vocational education network of the Kolping Society, operating across Germany. Broad incumbent because it shares Stapelfeld's faith-based adult education mission and AKSB-aligned funding channels, but operates at significantly larger national scale with broader vocational and social programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@katholischeakademiestapelf5722
• Facebookfacebook.com/ka.stapelfeld
• Instagraminstagram.com/ka_stapelfeld

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Catholic Academy Stapelfeld