BAG RelEx

What BAG RelEx does

BAG RelEx (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft religi\u00f6s begr\u00fcndeter Extremismus e. V., English working name: German Council on Preventing Extremism) is a non-profit association registered in Berlin in November 2016 that operates as the national umbrella organization for civil society actors in religiously motivated extremism prevention in Germany. It aggregates over 40 member organizations spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, and serves practitioners, policymakers, researchers, schools, and affected individuals and families. Services are delivered free of charge and include networking and working groups, symposia, panel discussions and webinars, consultation to newly established CSOs and government bodies, representation in dealings with political bodies (the association is entered in the German Lobby Register), and a multi-channel publishing programme covering the Ligante journal, policy:brief series, trend reports, and annual reports, with a Knowledge Hub and Media Center hosted on bag-relex.de and YouTube.

Its portfolio also includes sub-brands and joint initiatives: the KN:IX Competence Network 'Islamist Extremism' (2020\u20132024, with ufuq.de and Violence Prevention Network) and its successor KN:IX connect | Verbund Islamismus Pr\u00e4vention und Demokratief\u00f6rderung (from 2025). BAG RelEx does not operate commercial technology products of its own; its technology stack consists of standard web infrastructure (Cloudflare, IONOS, Google reCAPTCHA, Google Fonts, Google Analytics) and marketing automation via Brevo (Sendinblue) for newsletter distribution, with one AI-adjacent capability (AwareNet, an AI-supported online early-intervention project on TikTok and Instagram) operated by member organisation AVP e. V.

The organization has no commercial revenue model. It is funded entirely through government grants, principally the BMFSFJ 'Demokratie leben!' federal programme, with supplementary funding from Berlin's State Commission against Violence, the Hessen 'Active for Democracy and against Extremism' (HKE) scheme, and the Bundeszentrale f\u00fcr politische Bildung. Governance rests with a five-person honorary executive board representing member organizations, supported by a small professional staff at the Berlin Gesch\u00e4ftsstelle.

Name

BAG RelEx

Legal name

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft religiös begründeter Extremismus e. V.

Website

https://bag-relex.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BAG RelEx is a Berlin-based non-profit umbrella association founded in 2016 that networks over 40 German civil society organizations in religiously motivated extremism prevention, delivering free networking, publications, events, and policy consultation funded primarily by BMFSFJ's 'Demokratie leben!' programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Extremism Prevention & Civil Society Coordination

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAFAG

Counterterrorism & Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) Cooperation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Peacekeeping, Conflict Resolution & Security Cooperation

Keywords

• Extremism prevention services
• Deradicalisation counselling
• Civil society network
• Counter-radicalisation education
• Preventive policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Public Funding: BAG RelEx is funded primarily through government grants. Its principal funder is Germany's Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) as part of the 'Live Democracy!' (Demokratie leben!) federal programme. Additional funding is received from Berlin's State Commission against Violence (Landeskommission Berlin gegen Gewalt), Hessen's 'Active for Democracy and against Extremism' scheme, and the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education). As a registered non-profit association (e.V.) with charitable status (Gemeinnützigkeit confirmed by tax authority), it does not operate a commercial revenue model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BAG RelEx is a national non-profit umbrella association coordinating over 30–40 German civil society organisations working in the prevention of religiously motivated extremism. It delivers services across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, including networking platforms, quality standards development, publications (Ligante journal, policy briefs, trend reports), symposia and working groups, consultation to policymakers, and member-organisation services such as counselling, school programmes, and online prevention. Its flagship collaborative project is the KN:IX/KN:IX connect competence network for Islamist extremism prevention.

Product overview

BAG RelEx is a national umbrella organisation for civil society organisations working to prevent religiously motivated extremism in Germany. Founded in November 2016, it comprises over 30 member organisations providing services at local, municipal and national levels. The organisation does not offer a unified software product but rather a portfolio of prevention services, networking platforms, and publications. Key offerings include the Knowledge Hub providing educational content, the KN:IX Competence Network for Islamist extremism prevention, the Media Center hosting event recordings, publications including the Ligante series and policy briefs, and networking forums for expert exchange. Prevention services span primary, secondary and tertiary levels through member organisations, covering political education, counselling, school support, and online services. The AwareNet project represents an innovation in AI-supported digital prevention work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KN:IX (Kompetenznetzwerk Islamistischer Extremismus): Competence Network 'Islamist Extremism' — a collaborative project formed in 2020 by BAG RelEx, ufuq.de, and Violence Prevention Network, focusing on Islamist extremism prevention. Continued as KN:IX connect from 2024.
• KN:IX connect | Verbund Islamismus Prävention und Demokratieförderung
• policy:brief
• Ligante

Products and services

• KN:IX (Competence Network Islamist Extremism) A competence network coordinating expertise, quality standards, and training in Islamist extremism prevention, jointly delivered by BAG RelEx, ufuq.de, and Violence Prevention Network for civil society practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in Germany.
• Knowledge Hub Online knowledge resource covering radicalisation prevention, deradicalisation, extremism, Islamism, Salafism, and Christian fundamentalism; provides educational content and research findings for professionals and the public.
• Ligante Publication Series Specialist publication series (Fachdebatten aus der Präventionsarbeit) providing expert debates from the prevention field; available digitally and in print on request.
• policy:brief Series Concise policy briefs summarising BAG RelEx's positions and findings, targeted at policymakers and practitioners on topics such as Islamism prevention, children and youth in radicalisation, association bans, and media coverage of Islamist attacks.
• Media Center Online platform hosting recordings of events, symposia, panel discussions, and workshops on extremism prevention, deradicalisation, digital prevention, and societal issues.
• Networking and Expert Exchange Services Platforms and forums for networking among civil society actors working in prevention and deradicalisation; includes working groups developing quality standards and promoting exchange of expertise on approaches and methods.
• Member Organisation Services Coordination Coordination of services provided by over 30 member organisations covering primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, including political education, counselling centres for individuals and families affected by extremism, school services, social worker support, and online services.
• Forums and Working Groups Specialist forums and working groups covering quality standards development, investigation of sex and gender roles in radicalisation processes, de-radicalisation fundamental issues, and exchanges with adjacent fields.
• AwareNet AI-supported online prevention project operating on social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram) to detect communication patterns and risk factors for early intervention against religious radicalisation; streetworkers engage directly with at-risk youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 member organizations networked and represented at national level
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• IMAP GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2016IMAP GmbH conducts ongoing evaluations of BAG RelEx's projects. The KN:IX connect evaluation ran from 1 January 2025 to 31 May 2026, with an interim report expected in autumn 2026. The prior KN:IX competence network (2020-2024) was also evaluated by IMAP GmbH, with a final report published in October 2024.
• KN:IX Competence Network (with ufuq.de and Violence Prevention Network)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn early 2020, BAG RelEx teamed up with ufuq.de and Violence Prevention Network to form the Competence Network 'Islamist Extremism' (KN:IX), focused on Islamist extremism prevention. KN:IX was active from 2020-2024. From 2025, the work continues as KN:IX connect | Verbund Islamismus Prävention und Demokratieförderung, with BAG RelEx as a core implementing partner.
• Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft (Transparency in Civil Society Initiative)minorOthersBAG RelEx is a member of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft, committing to publish and maintain ten categories of organizational transparency information including name, address, founding year, constitution, tax exemption status, board members, activity reports, financial reports, and funding sources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• cultures interactive: BAG RelEx member organisation focused on right-wing and religiously motivated extremism prevention through youth and education work. Directly comparable civil-society prevention provider.
• Hayat Deutschland: Counselling centre for families affected by Islamist radicalisation, operating as a member of the federal 'Demokratie leben!' network. Directly comparable in target population and service model.
• Violence Prevention Network: German non-profit offering counselling and deradicalisation programmes; founding partner of KN:IX with BAG RelEx. Highly comparable as a civil-society deradicalisation and prevention provider.
• ufuq.de: Berlin-based P/CVE and Islamism prevention organisation and direct KN:IX consortium partner of BAG RelEx. Operates in overlapping thematic and geographic territory with similar civil-society positioning.
• ZDK Gesellschaft Demokratische Kultur: Operator of the 'EXIT-Deutschland' programme and other democracy/civil-society initiatives under the 'Demokratie leben!' framework. Closely comparable as a funded P/CVE civil-society operator in Germany.
• Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Kinder- und Jugendschutz: National umbrella association for child and youth protection organisations in Germany. Comparable as a Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft-style civil-society umbrella in adjacent prevention/education space.

Broad incumbents

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Germany's federal agency for civic education; funds BAG RelEx and operates broadly in political education and democracy promotion. Comparable as a larger incumbent in adjacent mandate space.
• Demokratie leben! (BMFSFJ programme): The federal umbrella programme under which BAG RelEx is funded. Represents the broader funding/coordination framework in which BAG RelEx operates.

Emerging players

• HateAid: Berlin-based non-profit supporting victims of digital hate and online extremism. Adjacent civil-society operator with partial thematic overlap in online prevention and policy advocacy.

Regional players

• Deutschlandstiftung Integration: German foundation promoting integration and democracy, operating in adjacent civic-education and extremism-prevention territory. Comparable as a federally connected civil-society actor in the same field.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bag_relex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bag-relex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BAG RelEx