LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V.

What LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V. does

LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V. is a registered association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) and diaconal social enterprise founded in 1967 in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is formally affiliated with Diakonie Württemberg (the Protestant Church's welfare organization) and operates exclusively within the Heilbronn-Franken region. The organization provides a comprehensive lifecycle of disability support services for approximately 1,500 people with disabilities across four core domains: work and vocational training (Werkstatt workshops, Berufsbildungsbereich, Unterstützte Beschäftigung, Außenarbeitsplätze, and job coaching), residential living (Wohnen), day structures (Tagesstruktur, Fördergruppen), and leisure (Freizeit). It also operates community programs including Repair Cafés in Talheim and Bad Friedrichshall and maintains an inclusive band called "Better Than."

The organization is delivered through 9 physical locations across Heilbronn, Bad Friedrichshall, Crailsheim, Ingelfingen, Lauffen am Neckar, Öhringen, Schwäbisch Hall, and Talheim, with a dedicated headquarters at Längelterstraße 188, Heilbronn. It is supported by 2,050 employees (including 135 apprentices and 123 volunteers), is ISO 9001:2015 certified across multiple sites, and holds AZAV certification enabling participation in German employment-agency vocational programs. The underlying technology is a human-delivered, labor-intensive service platform with light digital tooling (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, a WordPress-based website, and a GlobaLeaks whistleblower portal) rather than a software product.

The business model is primarily that of a nonprofit social enterprise funded through regulated public welfare contracts under German SGB IX frameworks, with supplementary revenue from an industrial customer business (Industriekundengeschäft) routed through the wholly-owned subsidiary ChancenWerkstatt GmbH, plus donations solicited via the website and printed magazine. Customer segments are threefold: people with disabilities (primary beneficiaries), their families and relatives, and companies/industrial customers outsourcing workshop production or fulfilling disability employment quotas. Governance is provided by a Supervisory Board (Verwaltungsrat) and a sole executive Managing Director, Pfarrer Friedemann Manz (Geschäftsführender Vorstand).

Name

LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V.

Legal name

LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V.

Website

https://die-lebenswerkstatt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V. is a diaconal nonprofit providing vocational, residential, and day-care services for approximately 1,500 people with disabilities across 9 locations in the Heilbronn-Franken region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Vocational rehabilitation workshops
• Supported employment services
• Residential care facilities
• Social welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Social welfare funding / Public contracts: As a nonprofit disability support organization, LebensWerkstatt is funded primarily through contracts with public social insurance providers (e.g., disability pension/assistance funds under German SGB frameworks), payments from cantons/municipalities, and service fees for vocational training, residential care, and day-care services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LebensWerkstatt is a diaconal social enterprise that provides comprehensive disability support services across the life domains of work, living, leisure, and participation. It operates sheltered vocational workshops, vocational training programs, supported employment with job coaching (including external placements on the general labor market), residential living arrangements, day-support groups, senior day structures, outpatient services, and community outreach programs such as Repair Cafés. The organization serves approximately 1,500 people with disabilities in the Heilbronn-Franken region of Baden-Württemberg through 9 locations.

Product overview

LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V. is a social services organization providing a comprehensive ecosystem of support services for people with disabilities. The organization operates as a sheltered workshop (Werkstatt für behinderte Menschen) offering vocational training (Berufsbildungsbereich), employment (Arbeit), residential living (Wohnen), day services (Tagesstruktur/Fördergruppen), and leisure activities (Freizeit). Additional services include participation management (Teilhabemanagement), supported employment with jobcoaches (Unterstützte Beschäftigung), external workplace placement (Außenarbeitsplätze), and community programs such as repair cafés. The organization publishes its own magazine (LebensWerkstatt das Magazin) and runs an inclusive band called 'Better Than'.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Better Than: Better Than is the inclusive band of LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung. Nearly all band members work at different positions in LebensWerkstatt and all band members are hobby musicians. Five of the nine band members have a handicap.

Products and services

• Werkstatt (Vocational Workshop)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Abfallwirtschaft des Landkreises Heilbronn (Waste Management District Heilbronn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operation of the Repair Café in Talheim with the Abfallwirtschaft des Landkreises Heilbronn, a community initiative for waste prevention and repair of everyday items. This partnership supports environmental sustainability goals and community engagement.
• Stadtverwaltung Bad Friedrichshall (City of Bad Friedrichshall)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with the city administration of Bad Friedrichshall for the operation of the Repair Café in Bad Friedrichshall, providing a venue and municipal support for community repair services.
• Diakonie (Diaconal Church of Württemberg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebensWerkstatt is part of the Diakonie network of the Evangelical Church in Germany, operating as a diaconal social enterprise under Christian values. The Diakonie logo appears on the organization's communications, indicating formal affiliation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel: Large diaconal social welfare organization operating across Germany with extensive disability services including workshops, housing, and supported employment — comparable model at much larger scale.
• Diakonie Württemberg: Regional umbrella organization of the Diakonie welfare network to which LebensWerkstatt belongs; coordinates many member organizations offering disability, youth, and social services across Württemberg.
• Caritas Baden-Württemberg: Catholic counterpart welfare organization operating disability and social services across Baden-Württemberg, including sheltered workshops and residential facilities, with a comparable funding and service model.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Baden-Württemberg: Major German welfare association operating disability services, senior care, and social services across Baden-Württemberg — comparable service mix at scale with a non-diaconal identity.

Direct peers

• Evangelische Stiftung Hephata: Diaconal social enterprise in North Rhine-Westphalia providing sheltered workshops, residential living, and educational services for people with disabilities — directly comparable mission and service mix.
• Lebenshilfe Baden-Württemberg: Federation of local Lebenshilfe associations in Baden-Württemberg providing sheltered workshops, housing, and family support for people with disabilities — directly comparable services to LebensWerkstatt under the same federal SGB IX framework.
• Nieder-Ramstädter Diakonie (NRD): Diaconal disability services provider in Hesse offering sheltered workshops, housing, and supported employment programs — directly comparable service portfolio and funding model.
• Josefs-Gesellschaft: Catholic nonprofit operating sheltered workshops, residential homes, and vocational training for people with disabilities across multiple German states — comparable scope and service model.

Regional players

• Stiftung ICP München: Munich-based foundation providing comprehensive services for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities including workshops, housing, and therapy — comparable offerings concentrated in a different German region.

Emerging players

• CJD Braunschweig (Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands): National Christian social services network offering vocational training, supported employment, and educational programs for disadvantaged groups including people with disabilities — partial overlap in supported employment and vocational training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/behindertenhilfe.lebenswerkstatt
• Instagraminstagram.com/die.lebenswerkstatt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lebenswerkstatt-f%C3%BCr-menschen-mit-behinderung-e.-v.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 LebensWerkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung e. V.