Café 3b

What Café 3b does

Café 3b (Trägerverein Café 3b für eine Beratungs- und Begegnungsstätte für Menschen mit Behinderungen e.V.) is a non-profit association founded in 2016 and headquartered in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. It operates an integrated counseling and encounter center for people with disabilities, those at risk of disability, and their relatives. Its core service lines include the Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB), the Hörgeschädigtenberatung (specialized counseling for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and Usher-syndrome clients), and the Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben (KSL-OWL), which serves the entire Detmold government district. Outreach services extend to neighborhood cafés in Altenhagen and Ostmannturmviertel, and accompanying support is provided to government offices and during help-plan procedures.

The organization operates on a Peer Counseling model in which advisors are themselves people with disabilities, supplemented by professional social workers and educators. Headcount stands at approximately 4.65 FTE across 7 staff. There is no proprietary technology stack; the service is delivered through in-person counseling, telephone, online channels, and home-visit outreach, supported by accessibility tools including sign language interpreters, TESS, Skype, and a tri-format website (standard German, German Sign Language, Easy Language).

Café 3b is funded exclusively through public grants \u2014 from the City of Bielefeld for core services, the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) for EUTB, and the European Social Fund and MAGS NRW for KSL-OWL. All client-facing services are provided free of charge. The organization is structured as a collaborative trustee association (Trägerverein) with founding members including Bethel.regional, GfS, AWO, DRK, Lebenshilfe, and Johanniter, positioning it within the broader German welfare ecosystem rather than as an independent commercial entity.

Name

Café 3b

Legal name

Trägerverein Café 3b für eine Beratungs- und Begegnungsstätte für Menschen mit Behinderungen e.V.

Website

https://cafe3b.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Café 3b is a Bielefeld-based non-profit association offering free, independent counseling and community encounter services for people with disabilities, funded through public grants from the City of Bielefeld, BMAS, and the European Social Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability counseling and social services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Assisted Living for Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities (Adult) (HLADABAJ)

Keywords

• Disability counseling services
• Peer counseling support
• Independent participation advice
• Hearing-impaired counseling
• Community-based social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Café 3b operates as a non-profit association funded primarily through public grants. The core counseling and encounter services for people with disabilities are funded by the City of Bielefeld. The Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB) is funded by the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS). The Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben (KSL-OWL) is funded by the European Social Fund and MAGS (Ministry for Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW). Services are provided free of charge to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Café 3b operates an integrative counseling and encounter center that delivers free, independent, low-threshold advisory and participation services for people with disabilities, those at risk of disability, and their relatives in Bielefeld and the Detmold government district. Its core offerings comprise the EUTB independent participation counseling, hearing-impaired counseling, the KSL-OWL competence center for self-determined living, and outreach encounter and counseling work in local neighborhoods, all delivered by Peer Counselors and trained social educators using Personal Future Planning.

Product overview

Café 3b is a non-profit counseling and meeting center for people with disabilities, offering multiple integrated services under one roof: the Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB) for independent participation counseling using peer counseling methods, specialized Hörgeschädigtenberatung (hearing-impaired counseling) with sign language competency, the Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben (KSL-OWL) competence center for the Detmold region, and Aufsuchende Begegnungs- und Beratungsarbeit outreach services in local neighborhoods. These services are supplemented by community offerings including the Nachbarschaftscafé in Altenhagen and the Begegnungscafé at the Grüner Würfel community center. All services focus on self-determination, empowerment, and social participation for people with disabilities, delivered by both professional staff and peer counselors with lived experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EUTB (Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung): Counseling service for all questions about participation and rehabilitation, supplementing rehabilitation providers' services
• KSL-OWL (Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben OWL)
• Hörgeschädigtenberatung

Products and services

• Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB) Independent participation counseling service for people with disabilities, funded by the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). Provides advice on participation rights, rehabilitation services, personal budgets, applications, and self-determined decision-making, supplementing — not replacing — rehabilitation providers. Delivered using Peer Counseling methodology.
• Hörgeschädigtenberatung (Hearing-impaired counseling) Specialized counseling for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and people with Usher syndrome, delivered in German Sign Language and accessible formats. Includes general social counseling, contact referrals, form assistance, and communication aid coordination.
• Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben (KSL-OWL) Competence center for self-determined living serving the Detmold government district (Minden-Lübbecke, Herford, Gütersloh, Lippe, Paderborn, Höxter, Bielefeld). Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, supports implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-BRK), identifies gaps in support systems, and builds self-help networks.
• Aufsuchende Begegnungs- und Beratungsarbeit (Outreach meeting and counseling) Low-threshold community outreach counseling in the Altenhagen and Ostmannturmviertel districts of Bielefeld. Facilitates access to politics, culture, and leisure activities for people with disabilities, reduces barriers, and provides accompanying support to government offices and during help-plan procedures.
• Nachbarschaftscafé Altenhagen (Wohncafé Brockeiche) Neighborhood café program held at Wohncafé Brockeiche 8, 33729 Bielefeld, open Thursdays 15:00-17:00. Provides a low-threshold meeting space for residents with disabilities and the wider neighborhood in the Altenhagen district.
• Begegnungscafé Grüner Würfel Regular meeting café held at Stadtteilzentrum Grüner Würfel, Kesselbrink 2, 33602 Bielefeld, with open consultation hours. Serves as a low-threshold encounter space for people from the Ostmannturmviertel neighborhood, in cooperation with the Stadtteilzentrum Grüner Würfel.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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.

• ZENTRUM TEMPUS Bielefeld e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026New cooperation to expand counseling offerings in the neighborhood. Provides a trauma counseling consultation hour in the context of discrimination and racism every first Thursday of the month, 15:00-16:00 at Café 3B. Aims to offer low-threshold support for people affected by trauma related to discrimination and racism.
• KSL-Detmold (Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben OWL)coreOthersCafé 3b serves as the sponsoring association for KSL-OWL, which advocates for the rights of people with disabilities and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-BRK) across the Detmold government district.
• Stadtteilzentrum Grüner WürfelminorOthersCooperation location for encounter café open every Friday and regular open consultation hours. Part of social-spatial outreach work in the Ostmannturmviertel district.
• Wohncafé BrockeicheminorOthersLocation partnership for the neighborhood café in Altenhagen district, open Thursdays 15:00-17:00. Part of low-threshold encounter and counseling work.
• Alevitische Kulturgemeinde Bielefeld und Umgebung e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint info event on July 12, 2026 about nursing benefits, support services, and social participation for people with disabilities in Turkish language.
• Bethel.regional (v. Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the founding member organizations of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V. Provides institutional support and cooperation within the association's network.
• GfS (Gesellschaft für Sozialarbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• Gemeinsam WohnencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• AWO (Arbeiterwohlfahrt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• LebenshilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• JohannitercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• Politischer StammtischminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of the Trägerverein Café 3b e.V.
• PInG – Partizipativer Index für GewaltschutzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration within the 'PInG' project - Participatory Index for Violence Protection. Café 3B participates together with KSL-Detmold.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• European Disability Forum (EDF): European umbrella organization representing persons with disabilities. Operates at EU-level policy advocacy with shared UN CRPD grounding; comparable philosophical approach but supranational in scope.
• Integrationsfachdienste (IFD) Germany: Network of German integration specialist services supporting people with disabilities in employment and workplace participation. Comparable target population and counseling approach but focused specifically on vocational integration rather than broader participation.
• Bundesvereinigung Selbstbestimmt Leben (BVeSL): National umbrella association of Independent Living movements in Germany. Comparable mission (disability self-determination, peer counseling), operating at federal advocacy level rather than direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Sozialverband VdK Deutschland: Large German social advocacy association offering counseling on disability, pension, and social law to ~1.7M members. Comparable advisory function for disabled populations but at national scale with broader social-policy scope.
• Lebenshilfe: National German association for people with intellectual disabilities; founding member of Caf\u00e9 3b. Serves overlapping populations (disability counseling, advocacy) but as a much larger, federation-style organization with broader mandate.
• Aktion Mensch: Germany's largest private social funding organization focused on disability inclusion, accessibility, and participation. Comparable mission area (disability participation and inclusion) but operates as a national grantmaking/awareness organization rather than direct service provider.
• Bethel.regional (v. Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel): Large German social services foundation and a founding member of Caf\u00e9 3b's Tr\u00e4gerverein. Operates a broad portfolio across disability, healthcare, and education; comparable population served but much larger scale and broader service scope.

Emerging players

• Centers for Independent Living (CIL) - US network: US federally funded independent living centers following the same peer-counseling/self-determination philosophy. Conceptually equivalent service model but operating under a different national policy framework (Rehabilitation Act Title VII).

Direct peers

• Kompetenzzentren Selbstbestimmt Leben (KSL) network: Other regional KSL competence centers funded via ESF and state ministries (MAGS). Caf\u00e9 3b operates KSL-OWL; the network covers multiple NRW regions, sharing the same mandate around UN CRPD implementation and self-determined living.
• EUTB (Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung) network providers: Other EUTB counseling centers operating under the same federal BMAS program across Germany. Caf\u00e9 3b is itself an EUTB provider; the broader network comprises ~600 peer counseling offices serving people with disabilities on participation and rehabilitation matters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caf%C3%A9-3b

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Café 3b