Carl-Schurz-Haus/Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V.

What Carl-Schurz-Haus/Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V. does

Carl-Schurz-Haus / Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V. is a registered German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1952 and headquartered at Eisenbahnstraße 62 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. The organization operates as a bilateral cultural institute dedicated to German-American relations, serving the Freiburg region with a portfolio that includes English language courses (for children, students, adults, corporate clients, and schools), a physical and digital library with a dedicated youth collection, cultural events and exhibitions, study abroad and exchange counseling including the Carl-Schurz Scholarship for a high school year in Madison, Wisconsin, a business networking community, and a podcast series ('Carl & Company').

The institute's core technology footprint consists of digital library services, an online catalog system, video/podcast production capabilities, and a multi-platform social media presence (Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube). There is no proprietary software product, and service delivery is fundamentally in-person at the Freiburg headquarters supplemented by digital enrollment and remote-access library resources. The headquarters is currently undergoing renovation, with the main entrance closed until approximately October 2026 and a temporary rear entrance in use.

The business model is a hybrid typical of European cultural associations. Revenue and funding derive from five streams: subscription-style language course fees (children, adult, corporate, and school programs with monthly or annual billing), annual membership dues, one-time event admission fees, professional services fees for study abroad consulting, and managed-services-style public funding grants. Institutional funding comes from the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Kultus, Jugend und Sport, Stadt Freiburg, and the US Embassy Berlin / US Consulate General Frankfurt. Distribution is primarily direct at the Freiburg site, with school and corporate training delivered through channel partnerships. As a non-stock-issuing e.V., the organization is member-governed with no shareholders, parent company, or external equity ownership.

Name

Carl-Schurz-Haus/Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V.

Legal name

Carl-Schurz-Haus / Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V.

Website

https://carl-schurz-haus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carl-Schurz-Haus / Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V. is a Freiburg-based German non-profit founded in 1952 that delivers English language courses, library services, cultural events, and study abroad counseling to promote German-American cultural exchange in southwestern Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Language Course Fees: Revenue from English language courses for children, adults, and corporate clients. Courses include general English, business English, test preparation, and summer academies.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for community engagement and access to library services and cultural events.
3. Event Admissions: Ticket sales and admission fees for cultural events, exhibitions, lectures, and special programs.
4. Study Abroad Consulting: Fees for counseling and preparation services for students seeking high school exchange programs in the USA.
5. Public Funding and Grants: Institutional support from German government ministries and municipal authorities for cultural exchange mission.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Carl-Schurz-Haus is a non-profit cultural institute that delivers English language education to children, students, adults, corporate clients, and schools, and operates a physical and digital German-American library in Freiburg. It complements teaching with cultural events and exhibitions, a podcast series, study-abroad counseling (including the Carl-Schurz Scholarship for a high-school year in Madison, Wisconsin), and a German-American Business Community network for transatlantic professional exchange.

Product overview

Carl-Schurz-Haus / Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V. is a cultural and educational institution offering a portfolio of services centered on German-American cultural exchange. The core offerings include structured English language instruction across all age groups (children, adults, corporate clients, and schools), a physical and digital library with a dedicated youth section, cultural events and exhibitions, a podcast series, study abroad advisory services including a scholarship program, and a business networking community. The institute operates as a unified service organization rather than a software platform, with all offerings delivered through in-person and digital channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• English Language Courses for Children & Students Structured English instruction for children and school-age students, including regular semester courses and holiday programs such as the Summer Academy in Freiburg.
• English Language Courses for Adults English instruction for adult learners, including general English and business English, with a broad selection of courses for individuals.
• Corporate Language Training Customized English language training programs designed for businesses and organizations, delivered on-site under multi-year contracts.
• School Programs English language offerings and partnerships tailored for schools and educational institutions, including curriculum integration and teacher support.
• Library Services Physical library with books, media, and resources on German-American topics, including a Young Library (Junge Bibliothek) and Digital Library (Digitale Bibliothek), with online catalog access.
• Study Abroad & Exchange Consulting Advisory services for students interested in study abroad and high school exchange programs in the United States, including the Carl-Schurz Scholarship for a school year in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Events & Exhibitions Cultural events, lectures, exhibitions, and public programs promoting German-American cultural exchange, with ticket-based and free admission offerings.
• Podcast: Carl & Company Podcast series produced by the institute covering cultural and transatlantic topics, distributed via YouTube and other podcast channels.
• German-American Business Community Networking platform connecting German and American business professionals in the Freiburg region for professional exchange and commercial opportunities.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (Ministerium für Kultus, Jugend und Sport)coreOthersState-level government ministry providing institutional funding and support for cultural and educational programs. Represents the regional government backing the organization's mission of cultural exchange and language education.
• Stadt FreiburgcoreOthersThe city of Freiburg municipal government as a local funding and institutional partner, supporting the organization's operations within the city.
• Auswärtiges Amt (German Foreign Office)coreOthersGerman Federal Foreign Office providing funding and institutional recognition as part of Germany's public diplomacy efforts to maintain transatlantic cultural relations.
• US Embassy Berlin and US Consulate General FrankfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diplomatic representation of the United States in Germany supporting cultural exchange programming. Provides American perspective and resources for German-American cultural initiatives.
• German-American Business CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal community group within Carl-Schurz-Haus connecting German and American business professionals for networking and commercial exchange opportunities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• British Council: The UK's international organization for cultural relations and English-language teaching, with operations globally. Closely analogous model combining English instruction, cultural events, and diplomatic support — only much larger and geographically dispersed.
• Inlingua Sprachschule: International network of language schools delivering adult and corporate language training. Comparable in core offering (private language instruction for individuals and businesses) but with a much wider geographic footprint.
• Berlitz Corporation: Global language-instruction company offering adult, corporate, and kids English courses. Directly competes in the same adult and corporate language-training lanes, but as a much larger for-profit incumbent.
• Goethe-Institut e.V. Germany's primary publicly funded cultural and language institute with a global footprint, offering German courses and cultural events. Same funding architecture (Auswärtiges Amt) and community-language-school mission, but vastly larger scale and broader remit.

Others

• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst): Germany's national agency for international academic exchange and study-abroad funding. Complementary rather than competitive — overlapping with Carl-Schurz-Haus's study-abroad consulting and scholarship work, but focused on university-level exchange.
• Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD): Federal agency under the KMK that administers school exchange programs with the U.S. and other countries. Overlaps with the institute's high-school exchange advisory and Carl-Schurz Scholarship for Madison, Wisconsin.

Direct peers

• Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Heidelberg: Sister institute in the German-American Institute network in Heidelberg, offering English courses, cultural events, and a library under a near-identical mission and governance model. The most directly comparable peer in scope, funding mix, and programming.
• Amerika Haus e.V. Berlin: Berlin-based German-American cultural center operating events, exhibitions, and English-language programming. Functions as a larger, urban counterpart to Carl-Schurz-Haus with the same transatlantic cultural-exchange mandate.
• Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen: Another regional DAI within the same federal network, also based in Baden-Württemberg, delivering comparable English instruction, cultural programming, and German-American exchange services.
• Alliance Française de Fribourg-en-Brisgau: Local French cultural and language institute operating in the same Freiburg region, with the same non-profit, community-based, multi-segment course-and-events model. Comparable as a sister city-based foreign cultural institute.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carlschurzhaus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CarlSchurzHausFreiburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarlSchurzHaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carl-schurz-haus
• Instagraminstagram.com/carlschurzhaus
• TikToktiktok.com/@carlschurzhaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Carl-Schurz-Haus/Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut e.V.