Astrée

What Astrée does

Astrée is a French non-profit association, founded in 1987 by Gilbert Cotteau and recognised as 'd'utilité publique' by government decree on 4 June 2015. Its mission is to combat chronic loneliness and restore social bonds across all ages through a structured methodology of active listening and relational accompaniment grounded in Carl Rogers' concepts of acceptance, empathy, congruence, and non-directivity, codified as the proprietary 'Méthode Astrée'. The association operates through 20 local antennas across metropolitan France, supported by approximately 520 trained volunteers and 72 paid staff, delivering free, confidential weekly one-on-one sessions (≈1h30 each, ~1 year average duration) to around 6,500 isolated adults per year.

The service portfolio comprises four primary programmes: (i) the core individual 'Accompagnement relationnel' for isolated adults; (ii) the 'Attentifs aux autres' school peer-support programme reaching 4,890 middle-school students; (iii) post-hospitalisation accompaniment formalised through a 2018 partnership with La Pitié-Salpêtrière (AP-HP); and (iv) training and consulting delivered through its wholly-owned subsidiary Institut Astrée (founded 1999, OF-accredited) for enterprises, healthcare organisations, and partner associations. The association is also the initiator of the annual Journée mondiale des Solitudes (23 January, under ministerial patronage since its 2018 launch) and publishes the annual IFOP Baromètre de la solitude.

The business model is donation-funded and free-at-point-of-use for beneficiaries. Income is sourced from individual donations (eligible for the French 66% tax reduction), corporate partnerships and sponsorship (60% deduction, with named anchors including AG2R La Mondiale, Fondation Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, Société Bic, Groupe Bouygues, bioMérieux, Rémy Cointreau, and Fondation de France), and training revenue from Institut Astrée. Distribution is community-led: beneficiaries access services via direct contact with the nearest antenna or through referral partnerships with hospitals (AP-HP), occupational health services (e.g., Apport Santé), schools (for the Attentifs aux autres programme), social housing providers (Domofrance), and municipal partners (Mairies de Paris, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier). Awareness and fundraising are driven by the Journée mondiale des Solitudes, the annual loneliness barometer with IFOP, organic social, earned media, and the Lilo.org solidarity search engine — with no paid advertising disclosed.

Name

Astrée

Legal name

Astrée

Website

https://astree.asso.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Astrée is a French non-profit association (reconnue d'utilité publique) founded in 1987, providing free one-on-one active-listening accompaniment to ~6,500 isolated adults annually via 20 local branches and 520 trained volunteers, with programmes spanning schools, hospitals, and corporate training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Astrée receives donations from individuals who support its mission. French individual donors benefit from a 66% tax reduction on their donation (capped at 20% of taxable income).
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: The association receives support from corporate partners and sponsors (e.g., AG2R La Mondiale, Fondation Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, Société Bic, Groupe Bouygues). French corporate donors benefit from a 60% tax deduction (capped at 5 per mille of turnover).
3. Donations: General donations from individuals and enterprises that enable Astrée to recruit, train and support volunteers, create new local branches, and communicate its mission to people facing fragility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Astrée is a French non-profit association (reconnue d'utilité publique) that provides free, confidential one-on-one relational accompaniment to adults in social and emotional fragility through weekly face-to-face or telephone sessions of approximately 1h30 with trained volunteers, matched one-to-one for an average duration of one year. Through its Institut Astrée subsidiary and dedicated programmes, it also delivers peer-support programmes in middle schools, post-hospitalization accompaniment in partnership with hospitals, and active-listening training to enterprises and other associations.

Product overview

Astrée operates as a non-profit association (reconnue d'utilité publique since 2015) offering a portfolio of human-powered social support services centered on active listening and relational accompaniment. The core offering is the Accompagnement relationnel — one-on-one weekly support sessions between trained volunteers and isolated individuals. The Institut Astrée sub-brand extends this expertise to corporate and institutional clients through professional training and consulting services. Ancillary programs include the Attentifs aux autres school peer-support program, post-hospitalization support partnerships with healthcare institutions, and training services for partner associations. The annual Journée mondiale des Solitudes serves as a national awareness and mobilization platform. All services are free for beneficiaries and grounded in the association's methodology of active listening developed over nearly 40 years of practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Institut Astrée: Training and consulting organization specializing in relational skills, active listening, and quality of relationships in professional environments.

Products and services

• Accompagnement relationnel (Individual Support Program) One-on-one weekly support sessions (1h30–2h) between trained volunteers and isolated individuals experiencing personal or social fragility. Each beneficiary is matched with the same volunteer for an average of one year, offering free, confidential, and non-judgmental active listening to help restore social bonds.
• Institut Astrée Consulting, training and support organization specializing in developing relational skills, active listening and quality relationships in professional settings. Serves businesses, associations, and medico-social sector actors with training programmes, advisory missions and support devices based on Astrée's nearly 40 years of experience.
• Attentifs aux autres (School Peer Support Programme) Structured school programme for middle schools (collèges) that sensibilizes students to active listening, trains peer volunteers to support classmates in difficulty, and prevents social isolation and exclusion among young people. Runs from 4th grade through 3rd grade with educational team supervision.
• Accompagnement en sortie d'hospitalisation (Post-Hospitalization Support) Specialized programme partnering with hospitals to support patients returning home after hospitalization. Volunteers provide regular presence, active listening and practical assistance to prevent isolation and health deterioration during recovery, bridging hospital and home environments.
• Formations associations (Association Training)

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,500 people helped per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• La Pitié-Salpêtrière (AP-HP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018Formal partnership signed in March 2018 with Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris for the post-hospitalisation accompaniment programme. Astrée volunteers support patients returning home after extended hospital stays.
• AG2R La MondialecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner supporting the annual 'Journée mondiale des Solitudes'. AG2R La Mondiale co-organises national events and contributes funding and visibility to the loneliness awareness campaign.
• Mairie de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner supporting the national event of the 'Journée mondiale des Solitudes' in Paris, providing venue and institutional endorsement.
• Mairie de LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner of the Lille antenna, supporting local activities and events.
• Mairie de MarseilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner of the Marseille antenna, supporting local activities.
• Mairie de MontpellierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner of the Montpellier antenna, supporting local activities.
• Conseil Départemental 13minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental institutional partner providing support for local activities.
• Ministère des Solidarités et de la SantécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaces the annual 'Journée mondiale des Solitudes' under its patronage, lending official government endorsement to the initiative.
• Ministère de la Jeunesse, des Sports et de la Vie AssociativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing recognition and support for youth engagement and volunteer activities.
• Lilo.orgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSolidarity search engine (French alternative to Google) that generates free funding for associations through internet searches. Astrée participates in Lilo's 'Prix Coup de pouce des Internautes' to win advertising campaigns.
• Apport SantéminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOccupational health service that referred an employee in distress (Pierre, a manager) to Astrée for accompaniment following workplace burnout and heart attacks.
• DomofranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing provider partnering with Astrée to identify and support isolated seniors in their housing communities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 3114 - Numéro national de prévention du suicide: French national suicide prevention helpline offering 24/7 active listening by trained professionals to people in distress. Directly comparable to Astrée on the active-listening methodology and the free, confidential, French-state-patronized service model, though delivered via telephone rather than long-term in-person accompaniment.
• UNAFAM: French association supporting families and people living with mental health disorders, including peer support and listening services. Comparable to Astrée in the listening/accompaniment methodology and volunteer-based delivery, with a narrower focus on the mental-health-specific beneficiary population.
• SOS Amitié: Federation of French associations operating a 24/7 listening helpline for people in distress or isolation. Directly comparable to Astrée on the active-listening methodology and volunteer model, with the key difference of telephone/digital reach versus Astrée's weekly in-person accompaniment.
• Petits Frères des Pauvres: French non-profit that combats isolation of elderly people through long-term relational accompaniment by trained volunteers. Highly comparable to Astrée: similar volunteer-based companionship model, similar free service delivery, similar target on social bonds, and a long-standing national footprint in France.
• Les Petits Frères des Pauvres - Service Accompagnement: Note: this is a sub-program of Petits Frères des Pauvres already listed; included here for emphasis on the direct long-term companionship model that most closely mirrors Astrée's weekly one-on-one volunteer accompaniment of isolated individuals in France.

Others

• Fondation de France: One of the largest French philanthropic foundations, funding and operating programs across social, medical, and cultural causes including isolation. Comparable as a major French funder and partner of Astrée, but operates a grant-making and program-funding model rather than direct accompaniment services.

Emerging players

• Le Refuge: French association supporting young LGBT+ people rejected by their families, many of whom face severe isolation. Comparable in volunteer-driven accompaniment of isolated young people and in reliance on donations, though narrower in beneficiary focus and smaller in geographic footprint than Astrée.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge française: Major French humanitarian organization delivering a broad portfolio of social, health, and emergency services, including programs addressing isolation and vulnerability. Operates at a much larger scale than Astrée and covers many other social verticals (emergency aid, first aid training, refugee support) but overlaps on the social-accompanament mission.
• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Major French non-profit focused on housing insecurity and its social consequences, including isolation among vulnerable populations. Comparable in scale, brand recognition, and French non-profit funding model, with overlap on the social-isolation consequences of precarious living conditions.
• Emmaüs Solidarité: French non-profit supporting people experiencing homelessness and extreme social exclusion through accommodation, social reintegration, and accompaniment. Comparable in mission (rebuilding social bonds among the most fragile) and French non-profit funding model, but with a different primary intervention (housing) versus Astrée's relational focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asso_astree
• Facebookfacebook.com/asso.astree
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-astree

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Astrée