Caritas international

What Caritas international does

Caritas international is the international humanitarian aid arm of Deutscher Caritasverband e.V., a German Catholic charitable association headquartered in Freiburg, Germany. The organization provides emergency humanitarian assistance and long-term development support to vulnerable populations affected by wars, conflicts, natural disasters, and extreme poverty, operating 595 projects across 67 countries with support from 103,767 private donors in 2025. Its geographic reach spans Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, with active programs in countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Russia, Colombia, Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

The organization's core offerings consist of emergency humanitarian aid (food, clean water, medical aid, shelter), long-term development projects (education, healthcare, reconstruction), and disaster preparedness programming. Delivery is executed through a partner-led localization model, with 263 local partner organizations implementing projects on the ground under Caritas international's oversight via Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) processes. Operational quality mechanisms include a safeguarding framework, integrity management for corruption-risk analysis, and an independent ombudsman function for whistleblower reporting.

Commercially, Caritas international operates as a non-profit funded primarily through private donations (regular giving, one-time contributions, testamentary bequests with minimum €5,000 endowment capital), public funding from German federal ministries (BMZ, Auswärtiges Amt), corporate partnerships, and legacies. Its marketing mix includes direct online donations, corporate partnership channels, the Catholic parish network in Germany, and awareness campaigns such as the annual #EineMillionSterne solidarity action and the biannual Caritas für Caritas magazine. Administrative costs stood at 10.51% for 2025, with approximately 90% of donations reaching beneficiaries directly. The organization holds the DZI-Spendensiegel donation seal and is integrated into the German welfare sector through VENRO and the MARMICK Catholic organization network, as well as the global Caritas Internationalis confederation active in 165 countries.

Name

Caritas international

Legal name

Deutscher Caritasverband e. V.

Website

https://caritas-international.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Caritas international is the humanitarian aid arm of Deutscher Caritasverband e.V., delivering emergency relief and long-term development programs across 67 countries through 263 local partners. It serves crisis-affected populations worldwide, funded primarily by individual donations, German federal grants, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief programs
• International development projects
• Emergency assistance programs
• Climate adaptation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donations from private donors including regular giving, one-time contributions, and creative fundraising campaigns. In 2025, Caritas international received support from 103,767 private donors.
2. Public/Government Funding: Funding from government sources including BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office) for humanitarian projects.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses through corporate donations, fundraising campaigns, and corporate membership programs.
4. Legacies and Bequests: Testamentary gifts and inheritances from individuals supporting the organization's mission, with minimum foundation capital starting at 5,000 euros for establishing an endowment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Caritas international is the international aid agency of Deutscher Caritasverband e.V., providing emergency survival assistance, disaster relief, and crisis response for people affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters. It also operates long-term development projects involving education, healthcare, reconstruction, climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and self-help empowerment, primarily through a network of local partner organizations.

Product overview

Caritas international operates as a unified humanitarian aid organization offering emergency relief and long-term development support. The core offerings consist of humanitarian aid programs for crisis response and disaster relief, complemented by long-term development projects in education, healthcare, and reconstruction. Supporting services include an online donation platform for secure digital giving, corporate partnership programs for business engagement, and foundation/legacy giving options. Communication products include the Caritas für Caritas magazine and project trips, while advocacy is supported through the annual #EineMillionSterne campaign and an interactive global project map. The organization works across 67 countries through 595 projects, with approximately 90% of donations reaching beneficiaries directly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.868 million people received emergency aid in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aktionsbündnis KatastrophenhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas international works with Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in the Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe coalition, supporting approximately 120 new aid measures annually for people affected by natural disasters, war, or displacement.
• MisereorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the MARMICK network of Catholic organizations. Misereor supports people where poverty is greatest and helps them assert their rights, focusing on protection, self-help, and dignified living perspectives.
• Diakonie KatastrophenhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe coalition, providing disaster relief to people affected by natural disasters, war, or displacement.
• Centre of Humanitarian Action (CHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Humanitarian Action is a think tank on German and international humanitarian aid founded in 2018, operating as an independent institution since 2021.
• VENROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVENRO is the association of development policy German non-governmental organizations. Caritas international is a member and has signed the VENRO Code of Conduct establishing common principles and standards in development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
• MARMICK NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas international collaborates with Catholic networks including Adveniat, Misereor, Missio München, Missio Aachen, Renovabis, and Kindermissionswerk 'Die Sternensinger e.V.' within the MARMICK network.
• Caritas InternationaliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe global Caritas confederation in Rome has developed documents to ensure correct behavior of Caritas employees and to sanction possible misconduct. These documents are binding for all worldwide Caritas organizations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross): Germany's largest humanitarian organization with domestic and international mandates. Operates a much broader portfolio (blood services, civil protection, domestic welfare) but its international disaster relief division is a direct comparator.
• UNICEF Deutschland: German national committee of UNICEF, focused on children's rights, emergency response, and long-term development. Comparable in child-focused programs and broad humanitarian mandate, with a significantly larger global brand footprint.

Direct peers

• Oxfam Deutschland: German affiliate of Oxfam International, delivering humanitarian and development programs across multiple continents. Comparable scope, donor base, and dual emergency/long-term development mandate.
• Brot für die Welt: German Protestant development and relief organization of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Direct comparator in faith-based humanitarian aid, development funding, and private donor mobilization in Germany.
• Misereor: German Catholic development agency partnered with Caritas in the MARMICK network. Highly comparable Catholic-affiliated aid organization working on poverty alleviation, humanitarian response, and self-help programs in developing countries.
• World Vision Deutschland: German arm of World Vision International, focused on child welfare, disaster response, and long-term development in fragile contexts. Overlaps directly with Caritas's children-focused programs (123,000 children supported in 2025).
• CARE Deutschland: German arm of the international CARE confederation, focused on humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and development cooperation. Highly comparable in target beneficiaries, fundraising model, and government funding reliance.
• Médecins Sans Frontières / Ärzte ohne Grenzen: Major international medical humanitarian organization with a strong German fundraising presence. Directly comparable in delivering emergency relief and medical aid in conflict and disaster zones worldwide, with a similar private-donor revenue model.
• Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe: Germany's other major faith-based humanitarian aid organization, partnered with Caritas in the Aktionsbüdnis Katastrophenhilfe coalition. Operates in similar disaster relief and reconstruction contexts with comparable donor base and government funding sources.

Regional players

• Aktion Deutschland Hilft: German alliance of more than 20 humanitarian aid organizations coordinating disaster relief fundraising in Germany. Includes Caritas-affiliated members and is a relevant coalition-level peer for German humanitarian fundraising dynamics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Caritasinter
• Facebookfacebook.com/caritas.international
• Instagraminstagram.com/caritas_international
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Caritas international