What Caritas München does

Caritas München (legal name: Caritasverband der Erzdiözese München und Freising e.V.) is the Catholic diocesan welfare association for Munich Stadt and Landkreis, founded in 1899 and headquartered at Hirtenstraße 4, 80335 München. It serves as a Spitzenverband der freien Wohlfahrtspflege and operates a comprehensive multi-service welfare portfolio across poverty relief, elderly and hospice care, refugee and migration support, childcare (Kitas/Krippen/Kindergarten/Hort), addiction counseling, and community engagement. Service delivery is anchored in a distributed physical network of 21 counseling centers, 12 Alten- und Servicezentren (ASZ), 17 facilities in the 'Leben bis zuletzt' palliative/hospice area, multiple Kindertageseinrichtungen, and a mobile services fleet (Fashion Truck, TauschGut), supplemented by five volunteer centers and a volunteer exchange in Ismaning.

Beneficiaries receive services free of charge, with Caritas München funded through five main streams: church subsidies from the Erzdiözese, municipal and government subsidies from the Landeshauptstadt München and Landkreis, private donations collected via RaiseNow/PayPal/SEPA, foundation grants (Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Gewinn-Sparverein der Sparda-Bank München, SZ-Adventskalender, St. Antonius-Stiftung, Glücksspirale), and nursing care insurance reimbursements (SGB V) for hospice and palliative services. The organization holds the DZI-Spendensiegel continuously since 1996 and operates under a Vorstand led by Diözesan-Caritasdirektor Prof. Dr. Hermann Sollfrank.

The technology stack is entirely third-party and non-proprietary: RaiseNow for donation processing, Optimizely for newsletters, Matomo and Pirsch for web analytics, Klaro! for GDPR consent, Podigee for podcast hosting, CareMates for nursing care administration, and SoCura Systems as external Data Protection Officer. No public APIs, mobile applications, or in-house AI capabilities are disclosed. The organization historically operated with 83 listed employees supplemented by 300+ volunteers at peak, and in September 2022 suffered a cyberattack that has continued to disrupt mail and online application processing.

Name

Caritas München

Legal name

Caritasverband der Erzdiözese München und Freising e.V.

Website

https://caritasmuenchen-region.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Caritas München is the Catholic diocesan welfare association for Munich Stadt and Landkreis, providing free social services (counseling, elderly care, refugee support, childcare, hospice, addiction) to people in need through 21 counseling centers, 12 senior centers, and 17 hospice facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623), Other Residential Care Facilities (62399), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Home Hospice Nursing Visits (RN/LPN) (HSABAFAL), Adult Day Respite Programs (Daytime Relief) (HLADAKAC), Dementia/Alzheimer’s Respite Care (Specialized) (HLADAKAG)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Elderly care services
• Childcare services
• Refugee support services
• Volunteer coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Church subsidies: Kirchliche Zuschüsse (church subsidies) from the Erzdiözese München und Freising form a core funding stream for Caritas München as the Catholic Church's welfare arm.
2. Government and municipal subsidies: Communal and government subsidies from the Landeshauptstadt München and Landkreis München fund specific programs including elderly care, refugee support, and social counseling services.
3. Donations and charitable contributions: Private donations and charitable giving from individuals, collected online via RaiseNow platform, direct debit, and PayPal, and through campaigns such as 'Wärme spenden' and 'Brücken bauen'. Donors are acknowledged with Dankes-E-Mails and Spendenbestätigungen (donation receipts).
4. Foundation and project funding: Funding from foundations such as Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Gewinn-Sparverein der Sparda-Bank München, SZ-Adventskalender, Zonta-Club, St. Antonius-Stiftung, and the Glücksspirale for specific projects.
5. Nursing care insurance reimbursements: Refinanzierung (reimbursement) through nursing care insurance (SGB V) for hospice and palliative care services.

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Caritas München operates as the Catholic welfare organization for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, delivering a multi-service social welfare ecosystem across Munich city and Landkreis. Core offerings include general social counseling at 21 locations, home-based elderly care through 12 senior centers, hospice and palliative care across 17 facilities, childcare (Kitas) for ages 0-16, refugee support services (including the Infopoint at Munich Hauptbahnhof), addiction counseling, and volunteer coordination through five Freiwilligen-Zentren. Services are delivered free of charge to eligible individuals, funded through church subsidies, municipal and government grants, donations, and insurance reimbursements.

Product overview

Caritas München is a Catholic charitable organization providing comprehensive social services in Munich city and district. The organization operates as a unified welfare association offering multiple interconnected services including childcare facilities (Kitas), general social counseling at 21 locations, home care and elderly services through 12 senior centers, hospice and palliative care, five volunteer centers, and various specialized programs for poverty relief, refugee support, and community engagement. Services are delivered through neighborhood-based centers (Caritas München Ost, Süd, West, Nord, Mitte) and include both direct service provision and coordination of volunteer engagement. The organization celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Superar: A free music education program for children and young people in Munich, enabling cultural participation.
• youngcaritas
• Begegnungszentrum D3
• TauschGut
• Fashion Truck
• JoMa Begegnungsstätte
• Antonius-Küche
• Brücken bauen

Products and services

• Kindertageseinrichtungen (Kitas)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200,000 refugees supported at the Infopoint am Hauptbahnhof (2022–2023)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RaiseNow AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationRaiseNow AG provides the online donation platform for Caritas München's website (spenden.caritas-nah-am-naechsten.de). The Swiss company processes online donations including direct debit and credit card payments. As a CDN provider for the donation infrastructure, RaiseNow also serves as content delivery infrastructure.
• SozialBank AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationSozialBank AG (Geschäftsstelle München, Karlsplatz 10) processes direct debit payments for online donations and manages the donation account (IBAN: DE70 7002 0500 0000 0055 56). It is the designated social sector bank partner for processing donation payments.
• PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationPayPal serves as an alternative payment processor for online donations, enabling donors without bank accounts to contribute via PayPal. Part of the RaiseNow payment processing ecosystem.
• Optimizely (Episerver) GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationOptimizely provides the newsletter distribution platform and email communication services for Caritas München, sending donation acknowledgments, thank-you emails, and newsletters to donors and subscribers. Data processed on servers within the EU.
• SoCura Systems gGmbHminorOthersSoCura Systems gGmbH (Kaltenbornweg 3, 50679 Köln) serves as the external Data Protection Officer (Datenschutzbeauftragter) for Caritas München, as required under DSGVO and KDG.
• Deutsche Postcode LotterieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for the TauschGut (food sharing) project. Provides financial support through lottery proceeds dedicated to social and environmental projects.
• Landeshauptstadt München (City of Munich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner providing funding for the Begegnungszentrum D3 (encounter center), 'Weiße Ware' project (107,000 € per year, 2023-2026), and various other social programs. The city also hosts and coordinates the refugee response at Munich Central Station.
• Erzdiözese München und Freising (Archdiocese of Munich and Freising)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Catholic Archdiocese is the founding and sponsoring body of Caritas München. It provides church subsidies, shared premises (e.g., Antoniuskirche/Kirchenraum), and theological/spiritual mandate. The 2024 Dekanatsreform (deanery reform) affects coordination between parishes and Caritas services.
• Youthcaritas Deutschland / Youngcaritas EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederation partners for the youngcaritas program in Munich. The 2023 Summer University brought 55 young adults from across Europe to Starnberg. Over 80 youngcaritas locations exist nationwide.
• Weißer Rabe, Bahnhofsmission, and DB-Sicherheitsdienst (Munich Central Station ecosystem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative network at Munich Hauptbahnhof supporting Ukrainian refugees and other vulnerable travelers, including the Caritas Infopoint, Weißer Rabe, Bahnhofsmission, and Deutsche Bahn security personnel. The coalition enabled 24/7 operations across three shifts with over 300 volunteers.
• Diakonia inhouse / Trägerverein Johannes und Maria – Begegnung in der Au e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the JoMa Begegnungsstätte (encounter center), combining Caritas München Ost's social programs, Diakonia's inclusive café with sustainable food offerings, and the Trägerverein for community integration.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Malteser München: Catholic-affiliated welfare organization providing hospice, palliative care, refugee assistance, and social services in Munich. Directly comparable in hospice/palliative focus and ecclesiastical anchoring.
• AWO München (Arbeiterwohlfahrt): Major secular welfare association operating in Munich with overlapping services in elderly care, social counseling, refugee support, and family services. Comparable funding model combining municipal subsidies and donations.
• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Bayern: Umbrella welfare association coordinating member organizations in Bavaria, including social counseling, refugee services, and family support. Operates under the same Spitzenverband framework as Caritas.
• Johanniter München: Protestant order's welfare arm operating in Munich, with overlapping services in home care, hospice, refugee support, and emergency aid. Comparable regional service delivery model.
• Diakonie München: Protestant counterpart to Caritas in Munich, providing parallel social welfare, elderly care, and counseling services. Directly comparable as the other major Spitzenverband operating identical service categories in the same geography.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) München: Welfare organization providing elder care, social services, and refugee support in Munich with comparable funding mix of municipal subsidies, donations, and reimbursements.
• Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz (BRK München): Munich chapter of the Bavarian Red Cross, providing elder care, hospice services, refugee aid, and social services under a comparable nonprofit structure with similar municipal and insurance reimbursement funding.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Caritasverband: National umbrella organization overseeing all regional Caritas associations in Germany. Provides funding, governance, and policy coordination; relevant as the parent network and a comparable large-scale welfare operator.

Regional players

• Caritasverband für die Diözese Augsburg: Neighboring Bavarian diocesan Caritas association serving the Augsburg region with the same service portfolio (elderly care, counseling, refugee aid, Kitas). Directly comparable by structure but operates in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Sozialverband VdK Bayern: Large Bavarian social advocacy and services organization focused on elderly and disabled populations with counseling, benefits navigation, and care support. Comparable target demographic and partially overlapping service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CaritasMuenchen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-m%C3%BCnchen

Compliance2 records

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 Caritas München