Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP)

What Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP) does

Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1985 and recognized as being of general interest. Its mission is to initiate and train persons placed under judicial authority (PPSMJ) in computing skills to support their social and professional reintegration. The organization delivers weekly computer workshops of 2-3 hours each in 73 French penitentiary establishments across 8 regional delegations, reaching 3,591+ detained persons with 25,600+ training hours in 2025, alongside open-environment programs for persons under community-based judicial supervision.

CLIP's core technology stack includes CLIPeNET, an internet simulator developed to allow internet-usage training without external network connectivity, and Educpedia, a closed-circuit training platform with educational tutorials and Wikipedia access deployed since 2020 to replace CLIPeNET. Workshops cover office software, image processing, programming, robotics, road-code preparation, and competency validation through a partnership with AFPA (Agence Nationale pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes). Operations are coordinated with the French Ministry of Justice via SPIP (Services Pénitentiaires d'Insertion et de Probation) and delivered by 342 trained volunteers, with only 2 paid employees at the Paris headquarters.

CLIP's revenue model comprises membership dues, individual and corporate donations (tax-deductible via HelloAsso and general-interest status), and public subsidies from state, regional, departmental, and municipal authorities as well as foundations. All services are provided free of charge to participants. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors (7-12 members) with Chantal DESRUES elected President on June 4, 2026, succeeding Yvon CORVEZ after his 7-year tenure. Marketing and volunteer acquisition rely on the website, Facebook, partnerships with volunteer-recruitment platforms (France Bénévolat, TousBénévoles, JeVeuxAider.gouv.fr), and earned media coverage.

Name

Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP)

Legal name

Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP)

Website

https://assoclip.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP) is a French non-profit (loi 1901) founded in 1985 that trains persons placed under judicial authority (PPSMJ) in computer skills for reintegration, delivering volunteer-led workshops in 73 French prisons and open-environment programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues (cotisations): Annual membership fees paid by active members of the association, as defined in the statutes.
2. Donations and philanthropy: Manual donations from individuals and corporate sponsorships, with tax deduction benefits as CLIP is recognized as being of general interest.
3. Government subsidies: Grants from the State, regions, departments, communes, and public establishments, as well as aid from foundations and corporate sponsorship operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CLIP is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that delivers volunteer-led computer training workshops to incarcerated persons (PPSMJ) across 73 French penitentiary establishments. Training covers office software, internet usage via proprietary offline simulators (Educpedia, formerly CLIPeNET), image processing, programming, and robotics, with validated competency attestations delivered through AFPA partnerships. The association also operates in open environments (CMO) and structures d'accompagnement à la sortie (SAS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ateliers informatiques en détention (IT Training Workshops in Detention) Weekly 2-3 hour computer training sessions conducted by volunteer trainers in 73 French penitentiary establishments. Workshops cover software applications (office software, drawing, image processing), and more specialized tools and techniques (programming, robotics), serving persons placed under judicial authority (PPSMJ) for personal development and reintegration preparation.
• CLIP en Milieu Ouvert (CMO) Activities for persons under judicial supervision in open or semi-open settings, including 5-day collective programs on responsible internet usage organized in cooperation with SPIP services (services pénitentiaires d'insertion et de probation). Targets PPSMJ executing sentences in the community (travaux d'intérêt général or other open-environment sanctions).
• Educpedia Online training platform with various learning tutorials deployed in closed circuit for self-training, including Wikipedia made available offline. Replaced CLIPeNET in 2020 as the primary tool for training on internet usage in prisons without external connectivity. Enables prisoners to learn digital skills in a safe, closed environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,600+ training hours delivered in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AFPA (Agence Nationale pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for validation of acquired competencies. CLIP works with AFPA to allow detained persons who are sufficiently regular and interested to obtain competency attestations in the domains they have studied. These attestations provide official recognition valuable for reintegration.
• SPIP (Services Pénitentiaires d'Insertion et de Probation)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCLIP operates in partnership with SPIP services at national, regional, and establishment levels. SPIP coordinates activities within prisons and refers participants to CLIP workshops. CLIP also organizes activities in milieu ouvert in cooperation with SPIP.
• Ministry of Justice / Administration PénitentiairecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational convention defines mutual commitments between the prison administration and CLIP for organizing activities. At establishment level, coordinators organize CLIP activities in relation with their local SPIP referent and education national representatives.
• Education Nationale (National Education)secondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCLIP activities often take place in shared spaces with National Education in prisons. Some competency attestations are delivered in partnership with National Education teachers.
• FARAPEJ (Fédération des Associations Régionales de Personnel d'Intervention et d'Encadrement Pénitentiaire)secondaryOthersCLIP is a member of FARAPEJ, a federation related to prison intervention and management personnel.
• Espace Public Numérique (EPN)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with public digital spaces for competency validation, complementing the AFPA partnership for attestations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• FARAPEJ: Federation of regional associations working in French prison intervention. CLIP is itself a member of FARAPEJ, making it the natural umbrella peer — related mission and constituency rather than a direct training competitor.
• Emmaüs France: Large French solidarity movement supporting reintegration of excluded populations through housing, training, and work. Not a direct peer (broader scope, no IT focus), but shares the volunteer-driven, French, reintegration-oriented nonprofit profile.
• Petits Frères des Pauvres: Major French NGO supporting isolated and aging vulnerable populations, including formerly incarcerated individuals. Comparable French nonprofit operating model and volunteer base, but different beneficiary profile.
• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF): French NGO deploying digital and library resources in crisis and underserved contexts, including prior projects in correctional settings. Adjacent to CLIP on digital-inclusion tooling and content.
• APSEP (Association française des Enseignants en milieu Pénitentiaire): French association of teachers working inside prisons, with whom CLIP co-locates activities and shares pedagogical responsibility for detained learners. Peer in the prison-education ecosystem rather than an IT competitor.

Regional players

• The Clink Charity: UK charity running training restaurants and horticulture programs inside prisons to reduce reoffending. Comparable prison-based vocational training and reintegration mission, UK-based, with a different sector (hospitality/horticulture vs. IT).
• Shannon Trust: UK charity delivering peer-led literacy in prisons using a trained-mentor cascade model. Closely comparable to CLIP's volunteer-led, peer-style pedagogy inside detention, though focused on reading rather than digital skills.
• Inside-Out International: Global network of higher-education programs bringing students and incarcerated people together in classrooms inside prisons. Comparable mission of structured education for reintegration, but academic-rather than IT-focused and primarily US-based.
• Prisoners' Education Trust (PET): UK charity providing learning materials, advice, and grants to prisoners, with mission overlap on digital and education-based reintegration. Comparable non-profit funding model and volunteer component, but UK-focused.

Direct peers

• GÉNEPI (Groupement Etudiant National d'Enseignement aux Personnes Incarcérées): GÉNEPI is the French student-led association that CLIP's two founders came from in 1985. It runs general educational activities (tutoring, arts, discussion) in French prisons with a similar volunteer model, making it the closest direct analog to CLIP's prison education mission, though without CLIP's exclusive focus on IT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/assoclip
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clip-club-informatique-p%C3%A9nitentiaire-association-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Club Informatique Pénitentiaire (CLIP)