Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle

What Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle does

Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle (CBAI) is a non-profit association (ASBL) founded in 1981 and headquartered in Brussels at Avenue de Stalingrad 24, serving as Brussels' Regional Centre for Support to Social Cohesion (CRAcs) under a mandate entrusted by the Commission communautaire française (COCOF) since 2006 and expanded in 2016 to include reception of newcomers (primo-arrivants). The organization operates across five interconnected areas — information, cultural distribution, training, project support, and public policy evaluation — anchored in a unified intercultural action framework. Its core products and assets include the bimonthly Imag magazine on citizenship and interculturality; a Resource Centre (Bronnencentrum/Centre de Documentation) holding over 40,000 bibliographic references on migration, citizenship, intercultural relations, racism and cultural practices in exile; a catalogue of approximately 300 short training modules for social cohesion volunteers; long-form training programmes such as the two-year ADMI (Agent de Développement et de Médiation Interculturelle) and the ten-month FAQ (Animateur en Milieu Multiculturel); cultural programmes including the annual BRuMM festival (coordinated with four Brussels cultural centres) and Cinemamed; and annual public-policy evaluation reports on the Franco-Belgian reception pathway for newcomers and the COCOF social cohesion decree.

CBAI serves three primary segments: (1) social sector workers and associations (training in intercultural methodologies and accompaniment of more than 200 COCOF-funded social cohesion associations), (2) public institutions and policymakers (COCOF, COCOM, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Brussels municipalities; methodological evaluation of integration and social cohesion policy), and (3) migrants and people with a migration background (reception programmes, social-legal guidance, cultural events). Schools, the broader Brussels public and event audiences form secondary segments. The revenue model is overwhelmingly grant-driven: primary funding comes from COCOF (which manages a social cohesion envelope of approximately 9 million euros across 200+ associations), with supplementary funding from COCOM, the European Social Fund, Actiris, Bruxelles Formation, and the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Training fees (subsidized) and Imag magazine sales at a 'prix libre' (choose-your-price) model provide modest supplementary income. Distribution is concentrated regionally within the Brussels-Capital Region, with cultural programmes delivered through partnership venues across the city and digital content (website, podcasts, publications) extending reach.

The organization employs approximately 35 staff across six sectors (Direction, Administration & Finances, Information/Cultural Diffusion, Training, the CRAcs Support Centre, and Maintenance), governed by an 11-member Organe d'administration presided by Christine Schaut with Mélody Nenzi as Vice-President/Treasurer and John Ilungu Buyani as Secretary. Recent institutional moves include the 2024 publication of the positioning note 'Notre humanité à Gaza', the 2025 launch of a supervision device for training-sector workers, and a notable intensification of the publication and reporting pipeline. CBAI is operationally embedded in Brussels' multicultural associative fabric in a position that is both evaluator and practitioner, an unusual structural position that creates institutional stickiness and a mandate-driven competitive position.

Name

Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle

Legal name

Centre Bruxellois d'Action Interculturelle

Website

https://cbai.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle (CBAI) is a Brussels-based non-profit founded in 1981 that, under its COCOF-designated CRAcs mandate, delivers intercultural training, the bimonthly Imag magazine, a 40,000-reference resource centre, the BRuMM and Cinemamed cultural festivals, and public-policy evaluation for the Brussels reception and social cohesion framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Cohesion & Intercultural Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN)

Keywords

• Intercultural training programs
• Social cohesion services
• Public policy evaluation
• Migration support services
• Cultural mediation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public subsidies and government grants: CBAI is primarily funded by public subsidies from the COCOF (Commission communautaire française), which has provided approximately 9 million euros to over 200 associations under social cohesion contracts. CBAI also receives funding from COCOM (Common Community Commission), Actiris, Bruxelles Formation, and the European Social Fund, as evidenced by partner logos on the website footer. Additional funding from the French Community Commission (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles).
2. Training fees: CBAI organizes fee-based training programs including: Formation ADMI (2-year program), Formation FAQ/Animateur en milieu multiculturel (10-month program), Initiation à l'approche interculturelle (10-day module), Stereotypes and prejudices workshops, Identity games workshops, and custom on-request training for public, associative, and private sector clients.
3. Publication sales (Imag magazine): The Imag magazine is offered at a 'prix libre' (free/choose-your-price) model. Readers can subscribe annually or order individual issues, choosing the amount they wish to pay. Revenue is supplemental rather than primary.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CBAI is a non-profit intercultural action organisation that delivers professional training programmes (ADMI, FAQ, Initiation modules), publishes the bimonthly Imag magazine, maintains a 40,000+ reference documentation centre, evaluates public policy on social cohesion and newcomer reception through its CRAcs mandate, and coordinates cultural events such as the BRuMM migrant-musics festival and Cinemamed Mediterranean film festival. Its services target social sector professionals, public institutions, and migrant populations in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Product overview

Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle (CBAI) operates as a nonprofit association founded in 1981, functioning as a social/cultural organization rather than a technology company. Its portfolio consists primarily of publications (the Imag magazine), professional training programs (ADMI, animator training, intercultural approach modules), a resource center (40,000+ references), cultural events (BRuMM festival, Cinemamed festival), and public policy support services (CRAcs cohesion support, primo-arrivant reception programs, La Culture a de la classe cultural program). The organization functions as an intercultural competence center serving Brussels' diverse population, with no software products or technology platforms offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Imag: Imag, le magazine de l'interculturel - CBAI's flagship publication covering citizenship, migration, interculturality, and social cohesion themes.
• CRAcs
• BRuMM

Products and services

• Imag - Le magazine de l'interculturel
• Centre de ressources / Bronnencentrum
• Formation Agent de développement et de médiation interculturelle (ADMI)
• Formation Animateur en milieu multiculturel (FAQ)
• Initiation à l'approche interculturelle
• Centre Régional d'Appui à la Cohésion sociale (CRAcs)
• Parcours d'accueil des primo-arrivants
• La Culture a de la classe
• Festival BRuMM - Bruxelles Musiques Migrantes
• Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles (Cinemamed)
• Evaluations des politiques publiques
• Catalogue de formations pour les bénévoles en cohésion sociale

Quantifiable outcome

• COCOF provides approximately 9 million euros to more than 200 associations under the social cohesion decree framework — a policy domain where CBAI serves as the authorized regional support centre (CRAcs).
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COCOF (Commission communautaire française)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006COCOF has entrusted CBAI with the role of Centre Régional d'Appui à la Cohésion sociale (CRAcs) since 2006. This is CBAI's most important institutional partnership, covering evaluation of the social cohesion decree, sector support, and annual thematic meetings. Since 2016, CBAI's CRAcs mandate expanded to include the reception of newcomers (primo-arrivants). COCOF provides substantial public funding to CBAI and to over 200 associations within its program.
• COCOM (Commission communautaire commune)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCOM is the Common Community Commission of Brussels-Capital Region. It has tasked CBAI through the CRAcs with evaluating the integration (inburgering/integration) pathway for primo-arrivants and foreign persons, and with training citizenship trainers for this pathway.
• Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (French Community of Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French Community of Belgium funds and provides the regulatory framework for citizenship and intercultural promotion through the 'Décret PCI' (Decree on Citizenship and Interculturality). CBAI operates within this policy framework, which was however recently suspended for the labelling process.
• BRuMM festival partner cultural centrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBAI coordinates the annual BRuMM (Bruxelles Musiques Migrantes) festival in partnership with 4 Brussels cultural centres: Le Senghor (1040 Etterbeek), La Villa (1083 Ganshoren), Maison de la Création - MC Bockstael (1020 Bruxelles), and Centre culturel d'Uccle (1180 Uccle). The festival combines concerts, study days, creation residencies, mediation activities, and audiovisual productions.
• Cinemamed (Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBAI has been intimately associated with the Cinemamed festival since its creation in 1989. CBAI is responsible for the music programming and documentary section of this festival of Mediterranean cultures and their diasporas, which takes place annually across multiple Brussels venues.
• BAPA (Bureaux d'Accueil des Primo-Arrivants)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCBAI works with the three BAPA offices in Brussels (in Molenbeek, Schaerbeek, and Anderlecht), providing training for their citizenship trainers and evaluating the Franco-Belgian reception pathway for newcomers through its CRAcs mandate.
• Bruxelles FormationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership logo appears on CBAI's website footer. Bruxelles Formation is the Brussels public service for professional training, likely a partner in referral of trainees or co-funding of training programs.
• ActirisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership logo appears on CBAI's website footer. Actiris is the Brussels public employment service; likely refers job seekers to CBAI's training programs or co-funds training initiatives.
• Centres culturels bruxellois (Brussels cultural centres network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBAI works closely with the Brussels cultural centre network for events, cultural programming, and the BRuMM festival. The network includes centres in various municipalities (Etterbeek, Ganshoren, Uccle, Laeken) and represents a distributed cultural infrastructure for CBAI's intercultural programming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lire et Écrire: Belgian French-speaking federation for adult literacy. Shares CBAI's training delivery, francophone Belgian civic-education scope, and social cohesion focus; literacy is a core component of integration pathways that CBAI supports.
• La Ligue de l'Enseignement et de l'Éducation permanente: Belgian federation promoting civic education, training, and cultural engagement through its network of associations. Shares CBAI's training, accompaniment, and civic-education model and operates in the French-speaking community.
• PICUM (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants): Brussels-based NGO network promoting rights of undocumented migrants through research, advocacy, and training. PICUM shares CBAI's research/evaluation orientation and integration-policy focus, with a more specialized migration-rights angle.
• Migration Policy Group (MPG): Brussels-based independent policy think tank on migration, integration, and intercultural relations. MPG conducts policy analysis and evaluation across Europe, similar to CBAI's evaluation work for COCOF and COCOM, and shares the intercultural/integration focus area.
• Centre d'Action Laïque: Belgian secular/civic federation providing civic education, training, and public engagement across the French-speaking community. Operates in the same civic-education space as CBAI and shares the French-speaking Belgian context.
• Centre Permanent pour la Citoyenneté et la Participation (CPCP): Belgian civic education organization offering training, publications, and public engagement on democratic participation. CPCP shares CBAI's training and civic-education focus and operates in the French-speaking Belgian civic space.
• Convivial vzw/asbl: Belgian NGO providing reception, integration support, and accompaniment services for immigrants and refugees, including housing support, language training, and civic orientation. Convivial operates in a similar integration-services space to CBAI's primo-arrivant reception work.
• Myria (Centre fédéral Migration): Belgian independent federal body monitoring migration and fundamental rights of foreign nationals. Myria performs similar monitoring and policy-analysis functions to CBAI's evaluation role, with comparable reporting outputs.
• Culture et Démocratie: Belgian association promoting cultural rights, intercultural dialogue, and democratic participation. Shares CBAI's focus on intercultural dialogue and cultural expression, with comparable festival and publication activities.

Broad incumbents

• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE): Brussels-based pan-European NGO coalition of 100+ refugee-assisting organizations. While broader in geographic scope, ECRE works on integration policy, advocacy, and rights protection similar to CBAI's integration policy evaluation work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-bruxellois-d'action-interculturelle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Centre Bruxellois d'Action interculturelle