Fundacja Bęc Zmiana

What Fundacja Bęc Zmiana does

Fundacja Bęc Zmiana is a Polish nonprofit cultural foundation established in 2002 in Warsaw (ul. Mokotowska 65/7) by curator Bogna Świątkowska and a small team of seven staff members. The foundation operates across architecture, visual arts, design, and urban cultures, functioning as an interdisciplinary cultural producer rather than a technology organization. Its core activities are book publishing on contemporary culture, operation of the Bęc Księgarnia physical and online bookstore (sklep.beczmiana.pl), distribution services for third-party publishers across Poland, and the publication of periodicals including the nationwide magazine Notes na 6 Tygodni (circulation 2000 copies, since 2003) and the quarterly humanities journal Format P. Bęc Radio extends reach through podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

The foundation monetizes through a mix of bookstore and distribution revenue (book prices range 19-59 PLN), magazine advertising, donation tiers of 20-100 PLN, and institutional grants from the Ministry of Culture, Warsaw municipality, Instytut Książki, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, and foundation partners such as Fundacja PKO Banku Polskiego and Polityka Insight. Its project portfolio includes curated exhibitions, conferences, competitions, and applied urban-research projects such as Wsie Warszawy (an interactive map of former villages within Warsaw) and Atlas Materiałów Przyszłości (Polish material innovation research for architecture and design). The foundation's competitive position rests on two decades of editorial credibility in a niche interdisciplinary publishing segment, integrated retail and distribution infrastructure, and recurring institutional partnerships that sustain project flow. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization remains grant-dependent and small in headcount, with growth driven by project acquisition rather than scale expansion.

Name

Fundacja Bęc Zmiana

Legal name

Fundacja Nowej Kultury Bęc Zmiana

Website

https://beczmiana.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundacja Bęc Zmiana is a Warsaw-based nonprofit cultural foundation founded in 2002 that publishes interdisciplinary books and periodicals on contemporary culture, operates the Bęc Księgarnia bookstore, and runs urban-research projects, serving Polish readers, cultural institutions, and public-sector grant partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cultural Publishing

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Cultural foundation publishing
• Independent bookstore
• Contemporary culture magazine
• Urban culture research
• Cultural event organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book and publication sales: Revenue generated from selling published books through the Bęc Księgarnia (physical bookstore at Mokotowska 65, Warsaw) and online store at sklep.beczmiana.pl, as well as distribution to partner bookstores nationwide.
2. Magazine circulation and advertising: Notes na 6 Tygodni magazine published since 2003 with circulation of 2000 copies distributed nationwide. Revenue from advertising space sales within the magazine.
3. Distribution services: Distribution services for other publishers' publications through their bookstore network across Poland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fundacja Bęc Zmiana is a Polish cultural foundation founded in 2002 and based in Warsaw that publishes books and a printed magazine on contemporary culture, operates a physical and online bookstore (Bęc Księgarnia), produces cultural podcasts (Bęc Radio), and organizes cultural events, exhibitions, and educational activities centered on architecture, visual arts, design, and urban cultures. The foundation also runs an advisory department ("Orientuj się!") providing consultation services for cultural institutions and artists, and supports interdisciplinary academic research on contemporary urban phenomena.

Product overview

Fundacja Bęc Zmiana is a cultural foundation operating across architecture, visual arts, design, and urban cultures. Its product portfolio consists of: (1) Bęc Księgarnia – stationary and online bookstores distributing contemporary culture publications; (2) Notes na 6 Tygodni – an illustrated magazine published since 2003 with nationwide distribution; (3) Format P – a quarterly humanities journal; (4) Bęc Radio – a podcast available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; (5) book publishing on architecture, design, visual culture, and urban studies; and (6) cultural projects such as Wsie Warszawy (mapping absorbed villages), Ćwiczenia z przyszłości (future scenarios publication), and literary/artistic publications including Strojenie świata and emigracJA. The foundation also organizes exhibitions, conferences, and competitions. The organization operates with economic activities supporting cultural work, including bookstore income and book distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bęc Księgarnia: The foundation's bookstore, both stationary and online, specializing in contemporary culture publications
• Notes na 6 tygodni
• Format P
• Bęc Radio

Products and services

• Bęc Księgarnia (Bookstore)

Quantifiable outcome

• Notes na 6 Tygodni magazine distributed to 2000 locations nationwide

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Narodowy Instytut Kultury i Dziedzictwa WsicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration as co-organizer of Wsie Warszawy project, hosting discussion events and providing institutional support for research on Warsaw's rural heritage.
• Fundacja Działań i Badań Miejskich PuszkacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in Wsie Warszawy project, contributing urban research expertise and community engagement methodologies.
• NN6T (Notes na 6 Tygodni)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia patronage for Wsie Warszawy project, providing promotional support through their cultural magazine.
• Fundacja PKO Banku PolskiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Ćwiczenia z przyszłości publication as part of the foundation's 15th anniversary project, exploring future scenarios for Polish culture.
• Polityka InsightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for Ćwiczenia z przyszłości project, producing essays on Poland's possible future across various sectors.
• Polsko-Japońska Akademia Technik KomputerowychminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding source for emigracJA. Notatki o człowieku comic book, which was developed as a doctoral dissertation at the academy.
• Stowarzyszenie NomadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMatronat provider for emigracJA publication, supporting the book's thematic focus on migration and integration.
• Polskie Forum MigracyjneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMatronat provider for emigracJA publication, endorsing the book's social message about migration experiences.
• Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury w GdańskuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMatronat and co-organizer of Strojenie świata book premiere event in Gdańsk.
• Glissando magazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMatronat provider for Strojenie świata, supporting the publication's focus on sound ecology and acoustic research.
• Narodowe Centrum KulturycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher of numerous publications including Przystanki polskie, Wynajęcie, Ludowość na sprzedaż, and supporter of Fraktale project series.
• Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w WarszawiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Postmodernizm jest prawie w porządku exhibition and MONADOLOGIA live scenic installation project.
• USE-IT EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean tourism organization partnership for Warsaw USE-IT Map 2012, targeting young travelers aged 18-35.
• Instytut Kultury Polskiej UWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on visual culture publications series, combining academic research with cultural publishing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fundacja Ha!art: Kraków-based cultural foundation that publishes books and the Ha!art magazine on contemporary art and culture, operating a multi-channel nonprofit model very similar to Bęc Zmiana's magazine-plus-publishing-plus-events structure.
• Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej: Polish publishing house tied to a foundation, producing books and a magazine on culture, politics, and urban life—closely overlapping with Bęc Zmiana's focus on culture and public space.
• Wydawnictwo Karakter: Polish independent publisher focused on humanities, social sciences, and contemporary culture with an editorial sensibility similar to Bęc Zmiana's book catalog on architecture, visual culture, and urban studies.
• Wydawnictwo Czarne: Leading Polish independent literary publisher with a strong nonfiction catalog covering culture, history, and reportage; comparable in scale and curatorial ambition to Bęc Zmiana's publishing arm.

Broad incumbents

• Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego: One of Poland's largest independent foundations funding civic and cultural initiatives; relevant peer given comparable nonprofit structure and grantmaking/recipient overlap with Bęc Zmiana's institutional ecosystem.
• Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie: Warsaw Museum of Modern Art—an explicit Bęc Zmiana project partner (Postmodernizm exhibition, MONADOLOGIA installation)—operates in the same contemporary art and culture space with broader institutional scope.
• Zachęta — Narodowa Galeria Sztuki: Poland's national art gallery, addressing overlapping audiences interested in contemporary visual culture and functioning as a larger institutional peer in the same thematic ecosystem as Bęc Zmiana.
• Narodowe Centrum Kultury: Poland's national center of culture and core Bęc Zmiana co-publishing partner for projects such as Przystanki polskie and Ludowość na sprzedaż; operates as a larger state-affiliated cultural institution.

Emerging players

• Instytut Kultury Polskiej UW: Academic cultural-research institute at University of Warsaw that collaborates with Bęc Zmiana on visual-culture publications; comparable as a smaller, research-driven cultural production organisation.
• Wydawnictwo W.A.B. (Grupa Foksal): Polish trade publisher with a substantial cultural nonfiction list; a relevant scaled-up comparator for Bęc Zmiana's book-publishing ambitions within the Polish market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiC6VSN6M-5L6Mpb5GvZWyA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacja-bec-zmiana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Fundacja Bęc Zmiana