Frälsningsarmén

What Frälsningsarmén does

Frälsningsarmén (The Salvation Army in Sweden) is a non-profit Christian religious and charitable organization established in Sweden in 1882 as part of the global Salvation Army movement founded by William and Catherine Booth in London in 1865. The organization operates 99 social and congregational locations across 61 Swedish cities, including approximately 60 congregations (kårer) that integrate worship with open social work. It serves a diverse beneficiary population including people experiencing homelessness, vulnerable children, youth and families (noting ~77,000 children in Sweden live in social-welfare-dependent households), elderly individuals, people with addictions, victims of human trafficking (operating Safe Havens), and refugees and migrants.

Revenue is generated through voluntary donations (one-time gifts, monthly autogiro, Swish mobile payments), testamentary bequests handled centrally, public grants from state and municipal authorities for social service operations, and surpluses from Myrorna — Sweden's largest second-hand retail chain, wholly owned since 1896, which sells donated clothing, furniture, and household goods. The organization publishes an 85%/15% split of charitable-purpose vs. administration/fundraising costs as part of its transparency commitment. Frälsningsarmén operates from its headquarters at Nybrogatan 79 B in Stockholm and is certified under the 90-konto (Svensk Insamlingskontroll), Giva Sverige's Quality Code, and GDPR.

The Sweden/Latvia territory is currently led by territorial commanders Bo Jeppsson and Christina Jeppsson (since 2021, with a 2026 farewell event signaling transition), and globally coordinated by General Lyndon Buckingham (since 2023) from London. The organization is a member of the international Salvation Army operating in 130+ countries and uses traditional and digital fundraising channels — direct mail, telemarketing, SMS, social media, and QR-coded physical collection points. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability is documented; the technology stack consists of standard digital communication tools.

Name

Frälsningsarmén

Legal name

Frälsningsarmén

Website

https://fralsningsarmen.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Frälsningsarmén is a Swedish non-profit Christian organization operating 99 social and congregational sites across 61 cities, providing shelters, addiction care, family support, elderly services, anti-trafficking programs, and refugee aid, funded by donations and its Myrorna second-hand retail chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare & Charitable Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Faith-based charity
• Humanitarian aid
• Second-hand retail
• Addiction recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: Primary revenue stream from voluntary donations from private individuals. The organization accepts one-time gifts, monthly recurring gifts via autogiro, and swish payments. Donors can give specific amounts (100 kr, 200 kr) or variable amounts.
2. Testaments and Legacies: The organization receives many testamentary gifts which are handled centrally from headquarters. Testators' wishes are respected as much as possible.
3. Myrorna Second-Hand Sales: Surplus from the Myrorna second-hand retail chain, Sweden's largest, goes to fund Frälsningsarmén's social work. Myrorna sells donated clothing, furniture, books, and other items.
4. Public Grants: Some social service operations receive support from government (state and municipal) grants. Parish operations receive minor support from state subsidies and own revenues.
5. Church Tithe (Kyrkoavgift): Members can contribute via church tithe payment system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Frälsningsarmén provides church life (congregations/kårer), social welfare services including emergency shelters, addiction recovery counseling and treatment homes, children's and family support, elderly care meeting places, anti-human-trafficking Safe Havens, and refugee integration assistance in 99 locations across 61 Swedish cities. It also operates Myrorna, Sweden's largest second-hand retail chain, with surplus funding its social work. All social services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, funded primarily by donations.

Product overview

Frälsningsarmén is a charitable and religious organization (Christian church) with extensive social welfare programs, not a technology products company. Its primary offerings include social services such as homeless shelters, food distribution, support for families, children, youth, elderly, addiction recovery, anti-human trafficking work, and refugee assistance. It also operates Myrorna, Sweden's largest second-hand retail chain, with proceeds funding social programs. Additional programs include summer camps for children, youth organization (UNG), and international development aid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Myrorna: Sweden's largest second-hand retail chain. Owned by Frälsningsarmén since 1896. Sells donated clothes, furniture, books, and household items. Proceeds fund Frälsningsarmén's social work.

Products and services

• Emergency shelters and homelessness support Provides emergency shelter, housing, meals, clothing, and long-term support to help people in Sweden exit homelessness. Available free of charge through 99 local operations across 61 cities.
• Addiction recovery and treatment programs Counseling, motivational programs, and treatment homes for individuals dealing with substance abuse, alcoholism, gambling, pornography addiction, or codependency in Sweden. Free of charge.
• Children, youth and family support programs Economic support, summer camps (kollo), leisure activities, and counseling for vulnerable children, youth and families. Approximately 77,000 children in Sweden live in households dependent on social welfare.
• Elderly care and meeting places Community meeting places (träffpunkter), practical daily support, and spiritual care for elderly people in Sweden experiencing loneliness or needing help with daily living.
• Safe Havens anti-human-trafficking center Preventive, concrete, and reintegration support for victims of human trafficking and exploitation (labor and sexual exploitation) in Sweden, including safe housing and trauma support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of donated funds go directly to charitable purposes (per their published fund allocation)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Svenska kyrkan (The Church of Sweden)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2017Frälsningsarmén collaborated with Svenska kyrkan on the 'Pofta Buna' project, where women who previously relied on begging were offered cooking courses and eventually became course leaders themselves. The project helped migrants validate their cooking skills and integrate into Swedish society.
• Giva SverigecoreOthersFrälsningsarmén is a member of Giva Sverige and follows its Quality Code. This membership ensures compliance with standards for economic reporting, effect reporting, internal governance and control.
• Svensk InsamlingskontrollcoreOthersFrälsningsarmén holds a 90-konto certification and is regularly audited by authorized auditors as well as reviewed by Svensk Insamlingskontroll to ensure ethical fundraising practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Erikshjälpen: Swedish non-profit running second-hand retail stores whose proceeds fund international aid and social projects. Highly comparable to Frälsningsarmén because it shares the second-hand-as-funding-model and combines domestic and international programs under one donor-supported umbrella.
• Stadsmissionen (Stockholm and other Swedish City Missions): Federation of Swedish city missions providing shelters, food assistance, addiction support, and social services across multiple Swedish cities. Directly comparable faith-rooted model with overlapping beneficiary populations (homeless, addicts, vulnerable families) and similar donation-revenue model.
• Diakonia: Swedish faith-rooted development organization with humanitarian and social-justice programs domestically and internationally. Comparable in operating model (Swedish donations, international aid portfolio) and Giva Sverige membership, though focused on rights-based rather than direct-service delivery.
• Röda Korset (Swedish Red Cross): Sweden's largest humanitarian organization with comparable shelter, refugee-integration, and emergency-relief programs. Comparable governance (audited fundraising, public reporting), comparable scale, and similar multi-segment vulnerable populations served.
• Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden): Swedish affiliate of a major international children's rights organization. Operates comparable programs for children and families in poverty, summer camps, and counseling services. Same Swedish donation-funded model with membership in Giva Sverige and 90-konto certification.
• Caritas Sverige: Swedish Catholic charity providing shelter, refugee integration support, and family services. Directly comparable faith-rooted social-services model with overlapping beneficiary groups (refugees, homeless, vulnerable families) and international development mandate.

Emerging players

• UNICEF Sverige: Swedish national committee of UNICEF focused on children's rights, fundraising, and advocacy. Overlaps with Frälsningsarmén on child poverty and family support positioning, but specializes narrowly on children's issues rather than the broad social-services portfolio.

Regional players

• Frälsningsarmén Norge (The Salvation Army Norway): Norwegian territorial entity of the same Salvation Army movement, serving as the most direct regional analogue in a neighboring Nordic market. Operates virtually identical social services, congregations, and second-hand activity under the same global brand and methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Svenska kyrkan (Church of Sweden): Sweden's Lutheran state church with an extensive parish-based social-services arm (diakoni) operating across Sweden. Far larger and broader, but operates the same faith-rooted parish-network model delivering social assistance, elderly care, and community support nationwide.
• The Salvation Army (United Kingdom Territory): Direct sister territory of the same global Salvation Army movement. Operates the same model of congregations, social services (shelters, addiction, anti-trafficking), second-hand retail (in some territories), and international aid under one global structure - the closest functional and structural comparator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fralsningsarmen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/fralsningsarmen
• Facebookfacebook.com/fralsningsarmen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fr-lsningsarm-n
• Instagraminstagram.com/fralsningsarmen

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Frälsningsarmén