City Angels Italia

What City Angels Italia does

City Angels Italia is an Italian nonprofit voluntary organization (ODV) founded in 1994 in Milan by Mario Furlan, operating street-level solidarity and safety services across 20 Italian cities and 2 Swiss cities (Lugano, Chiasso), with a 21st city (Pavia) added in 2025 via a municipal agreement. The organization runs emergency street volunteering (Volontariato di Strada) using teams of 3-5 identifiable volunteers in blue berets and red jackets who distribute food, clothing, blankets, and assistance to homeless individuals, migrants, people with addictions, and at-risk women, while conducting visible crime-prevention patrols in collaboration with Italian police and Carabinieri. Its core product portfolio includes fixed homeless reception centers (notably the 50-capacity Centro Elio Fiorucci and the Oasi del Clochard prefabricated village, both in Milan), mobile units operating at train stations and airports (Malpensa since 2025), women's escort services in partnership with Scarpette Rosse (629 women accompanied in 2023), and order/security services at public events (Stramilano, Milan and Turin Marathons, Pride marches, concerts, football matches, school anti-bullying patrols). A differentiated offering is the Wilding (Autodifesa Istantiva) self-defense training program, a proprietary 2P (Psychology and Prevention) methodology developed by founder Mario Furlan that emphasizes mental preparation and avoidance of physical confrontation, positioned as a separately monetizable training product.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit construct. There is no commercial product revenue; the organization describes itself as a "poor association" relying on contributions. Revenue streams include individual monetary donations, the Italian 5x1000 tax designation (approximately 10,000 euros per year), 45-euro annual membership fees from 600+ volunteers that include registration and insurance, contributions from public institutions disclosed in transparency reports, and supplementary income from event security contracts and Wilding training. The volunteer base numbers over 600 (slight majority women, average age 36, 28% from outside Italy) against a small paid staff of approximately 10, with leadership provided by a 5-person board chaired by founder Mario Furlan and 20+ city-level coordinators. Recognition includes the Ambrogino d'Oro (1999), public praise from Pope Francis (2022) and President Mattarella (2024), the Rosa Camuna from Regione Lombardia (2025), and the Cavaliere al Merito della Repubblica Italiana awarded to Furlan (2024). The 600+ volunteer network is the operational backbone, and growth has come through city-by-city municipal partnerships rather than central expansion.

Name

City Angels Italia

Legal name

City Angels ODV (Organizzazione di Volontariato)

Website

https://cityangels.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City Angels Italia is a Milan-based nonprofit ODV founded in 1994 that delivers street-level solidarity and safety services — including homeless outreach, women's escorts, and event security — across 21 cities in Italy and Switzerland, powered by 600+ volunteers in distinctive blue berets and red jackets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Social Services / Street Assistance

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (624210), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Security (Residential/Community) (HSAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Event Security & Crowd Management (IMAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Volunteer street services
• Homeless assistance programs
• Public safety patrolling
• Self-defense training
• Women escort services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual monetary donations through the organization's website and direct bank transfers. The organization describes itself as a poor association that relies on donations to operate.
2. 5x1000 Tax Donation: Italian tax designation where taxpayers can direct 0.5% of their income tax to the organization. The organization receives approximately 10,000 euros annually from this source.
3. Membership Fees: Annual membership fee of 45 euros per volunteer, inclusive of registration and insurance.
4. Public Institution Contributions: Contributions received from public entities, with transparency reports published on the organization's website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

City Angels Italia is a volunteer street assistance organization that provides emergency street volunteering, homeless reception centers, women's safety escort services, public event order/security services, and proprietary Wilding self-defense training. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries by over 600 trained volunteers across 20+ Italian cities and 2 Swiss cities, supporting more than 3,000 people daily.

Product overview

City Angels Italia is a volunteer street assistance organization founded in 1994 in Milan. It offers a unified humanitarian service portfolio centered on street volunteering (Volontariato di Strada), which encompasses street patrol and safety services, homeless reception centers, women's escort services, and public event order services. The core offering is supplemented by Wilding self-defense training developed by founder Mario Furlan. The organization operates across 20+ Italian cities and 2 Swiss cities, helping over 3,000 people daily. The services are provided through a network of 600+ volunteers and managed locally by city coordinators. Programs include the annual Premio Campione award and the City Angels Run charity event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Street Volunteering Services (Volontariato di Strada) Street-level emergency volunteering services distributing food, clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags to homeless people and those in need across Italian and Swiss cities. Volunteers patrol in teams of 3-5, delivering food, clothing, blankets, and first aid to homeless and vulnerable individuals. Recognizable by blue beret and red jacket uniforms.
• Homeless Reception Centers (Centri di Accoglienza) 24/7 shelter and accommodation centers including Centro Elio Fiorucci (50-capacity in Milan, Via Pollini), Oasi del Clochard (village for homeless with prefabricated houses), and centers in Monza, Varese, and Sondrio. Services include meals, medical care, psychological support, legal assistance, language and job training courses.
• Street Safety and Patrol Services Crime prevention and deterrence services conducted in collaboration with law enforcement. Volunteers patrol streets, public transportation, and stations, intervening directly in manageable situations or calling authorities for serious incidents. Includes weekly nighttime presence at Malpensa Airport since 2025.
• Wilding Self-Defense Courses (Corso di Autodifesa) Instinctive self-defense and mental defense training (Wilding) developed by founder Mario Furlan. The 2P methodology (Psychology and Prevention) emphasizes avoiding confrontation as the primary strategy, teaching mental preparation, body language projection of confidence, and street safety awareness. Available to the public through the website's Corso di Autodifesa page.
• Women's Escort Service (Servizio Scorta) Safe accompaniment service for women who request it, including escort to homes to retrieve belongings from abusive ex-partners. Conducted in collaboration with the Scarpette Rosse association since 2023.
• Public Order Services (Servizi d'Ordine) Volunteer safety and order services at public events including Stramilano, Milano Marathon, Torino Marathon, Pride marches, concerts (Radio Italia), demonstrations, and football matches. Provides crowd management and attendee assistance.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Comune di PaviaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Agreement signed in 2025 for City Angels to operate in Pavia. New expansion partnership with municipal government.
• Scarpette RossecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership began in 2023 for escorting women threatened by ex-partners. When women need to collect belongings from former homes, City Angels accompanies them in collaboration with Scarpette Rosse.
• Osservatorio MilanominorOthersListed as a partner on City Angels website, appears to be a civic organization focused on Milan.
• WikiMilanominorOthersListed as a partner on City Angels website, appears to be a Milan-focused information platform.
• M'impegnominorOthersListed as a partner on City Angels website.
• Inter-Club MaduninaminorOthersListed as a partner on City Angels website, appears to be a Lions Club-type organization.
• Italian Police (Forze dell'Ordine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with police and Carabinieri for crime prevention and public safety. City Angels patrols alongside law enforcement, calls authorities when situations are dangerous, and provides testimony on incidents.
• Comune di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Milan municipality for public safety, including new service to patrol critical areas in afternoon hours.
• Lions ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lions Club in various cities including Turin and Lecco. Lions Club members support City Angels activities.
• Rotary ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotary Club provides support for Premio Campione awards.
• SK&MS Design and VidseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on fashion show with homeless people at Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
• ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerATM bus converted to help City Angels assist homeless people in Milan.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Italiana: Largest Italian Catholic social services network, providing emergency aid, homeless shelters, food distribution, and migrant support across all of Italy. Overlaps heavily with City Angels' humanitarian services but operates at a much larger scale and with paid staff.
• Croce Rossa Italiana (Italian Red Cross): National humanitarian organization providing first aid, emergency response, social assistance, and health services. Comparable in mission scope (vulnerable population support) and event-services capability, with a much larger professional infrastructure.
• Comunità di Sant'Egidio: Italian Catholic lay community active in humanitarian aid, homeless outreach, peace mediation, and assistance to the elderly and migrants. Comparable in street-level outreach to vulnerable populations and in the use of volunteers, though with a more international footprint.

Direct peers

• Fondazione Progetto Arca: Milan-based nonprofit operating shelters, mobile units, and street outreach for homeless people in Italy. Direct peer in the same geography and beneficiary population, with a comparable shelter and street-service model.
• Ronda della Carità (Federazione Italiana): Federation of Italian volunteer street associations that perform nighttime outreach to homeless and marginalized people. Most directly comparable to City Angels because of the same street-volunteering model, similar uniforms, and presence across multiple Italian cities.

Emerging players

• Emmaüs Italia: Italian branch of the international Emmaüs movement supporting homeless, refugees, and people in economic distress through community-based solidarity. Comparable in volunteer-driven, solidarity-based service model and cross-border European footprint.
• Banco Alimentare: Italian food-bank network that collects and redistributes surplus food to charitable organizations serving people in need. Comparable as a back-end supplier of food-distribution capacity that City Angels' street operations rely on.
• Emergency (ONG): Italian humanitarian NGO founded by Gino Strada, providing free medical care to victims of war and poverty. Comparable as an Italian nonprofit with high media visibility and volunteer-driven operations, though focused on medical rather than street services.

Regional players

• Opera San Francesco per i Poveri (Milan): Large Milan-based nonprofit providing meals, showers, clothing, medical care, and social services to homeless and poor people. Comparable in integrated service portfolio and same geography as City Angels' Milan headquarters.
• Pane Quotidiano (Milano): Historic Milan-based charity distributing free bread and food to people in need. Comparable in food-distribution and homeless-services activity within City Angels' primary geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCORWUM-efAt87D_W1EyTXJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityangels.it
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityangelsitalia/?hl=it
• TikToktiktok.com/@cityangelsitalia?_t=8bQazpoeaRh&_r=1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-angels-italia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 City Angels Italia