CliniClowns Austria

What CliniClowns Austria does

CliniClowns Austria (Verein CliniClowns Austria) is a Vienna-based non-profit association founded in 1991 as the first therapeutic clown organization in Europe. Its core service is the delivery of therapeutic clown visits to chronically and seriously ill children, adults, and geriatric patients in hospitals and care facilities across Austria. The service is provided by 73 specially trained therapeutic clowns through a rigorous 1.5-year training program, deployed across 150 stations in 56 hospitals and care facilities in Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Vorarlberg, generating approximately 1,700 visits per year and 6,048,542 cumulative laughter minutes since founding. The organization also runs a research association (CliniClowns Forschungsverein) that publishes evidence-based literature on humor therapy.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven in line with its non-profit status. Primary revenue streams include individual donations, corporate "Patenschaft" (sponsorship) programs for hospital visits, public-sector funding from the Bundeskankleramt, Land Niederösterreich, and Stadt Wien, e-commerce merchandise sales (books, DVDs, puzzles, the RecycelBär® Ice recycled plush toy with €6 donation per sale), and benefit events such as "Ganz Wien lacht." Customer beneficiaries are end-patients (served free of charge), while payer-side customers are individual donors, corporate sponsors, and institutional/public funders. The organization holds the Österreichisches Spendengütesiegel and Spendenbegünstigte Einrichtung status and is audited by KPMG Austria.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer in service delivery (bedside visits) and direct-to-funder in resource acquisition (donor and corporate outreach). Distribution is exclusively domestic across four Austrian regions, with no global footprint claimed. There are no digital products, no apps, no APIs, and no disclosed technology platform beyond the corporate website (cliniclowns.at) and e-commerce shop. Leadership is an association board chaired by President Friedrich Jonak with Managing Director Eva Radinger, supported by a multidisciplinary Vorstand.

Name

CliniClowns Austria

Legal name

Verein CliniClowns Austria

Website

https://cliniclowns.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CliniClowns Austria is a Vienna-based non-profit founded in 1991 that deploys 73 specially trained therapeutic clowns to visit chronically and seriously ill children, adults, and geriatric patients across 56 hospitals and care facilities in Austria, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and public-sector grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Healthcare Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics (HLAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Health Coaching (HSADAGAA)

Keywords

• Therapeutic clowning services
• Humor therapy programs
• Hospital bedside visits
• Nonprofit healthcare support
• Pediatric medical care

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: Primary revenue stream from individual donations and corporate sponsorships. Companies can become sponsors or take over 'patenschaften' (sponsorships) for individual visits or longer periods in hospitals or nursing homes of their choice.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce shop selling books, DVDs, puzzles, foam clown noses, and the RecycelBär Ice (recycled teddy bear with €6 donation per sale).
3. Benefit Events: Charity events like 'Ganz Wien lacht' benefit evening generating donations through ticket sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CliniClowns Austria delivers free therapeutic clown visits to chronically and seriously ill children, adults, and geriatric patients directly at their bedsides in hospitals and care facilities across Austria. 73 specially trained clowns provide moments of joy, lightness, and emotional support to patients and their families, conducting approximately 1,700 visits per year across 56 hospitals and nursing homes. The service is funded through donations, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and benefit events.

Product overview

CliniClowns Austria is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 as a pioneer of humor therapy in Europe. The core offering is the CliniClowns-Visiten program, where 73 specially trained clowns conduct therapeutic visits to approximately 150 hospital stations and care homes across Austria, serving chronically ill children, adults, and geriatric patients. The organization supplements this with Clown Sponsorship programs for companies, an online shop selling books and merchandise (including titles like 'Jeder glückliche Tag beginnt mit einem Lächeln', 'Dr. Trööt', and 'Humortraining'), and operates a Research Association for scientific study of humor therapy. An annual benefit event 'Ganz Wien lacht' also supports funding. Key statistics: 6,048,542 laughter minutes since 1991, 73 clowns, 56 hospitals and facilities, 1,700 annual visits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CliniClowns-Visiten (Therapeutic Clown Visits) Specially trained CliniClowns conduct therapeutic visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and care facilities, bringing joy and emotional support to chronically and seriously ill children, adults, and geriatric patients. 73 clowns serve approximately 150 stations across 56 hospitals and care facilities in Austria, conducting 1,700 visits per year at no cost to patients. The service combines empathy, sensitivity, and theatrical skills to provide moments of lightness and escape from pain, fear, and isolation.
• Clown Patenschaft (Corporate Clown Sponsorship Program) A sponsorship program allowing companies or individuals to support specific clown visits or longer-term engagements at chosen hospitals or nursing homes. Pricing is customized upon inquiry and operates as a multi-year contract. This program enables corporate partners to fund the operations of CliniClowns visits in specific facilities of their choice.
• CliniClowns Online Shop (Merchandise) Online e-commerce shop selling books, gift books, DVDs, puzzles, foam clown noses, and the RecycelBär Ice eco-friendly plush toy (made from approximately 8 recycled PET bottles). Proceeds support the clown visit programs. Prices range from €2 (clown noses) to €24.90 (books), with the RecycelBär Ice at €25.80 including a €6 fixed donation per sale.
• Ganz Wien lacht - Benefizabend (Benefit Evening) Annual charity event featuring live performances and celebrity appearances, with ticket sales proceeds supporting the regular clown visit programs. Tickets for the 'Ganz Wien lacht' benefit evening are priced at €99 per ticket including snacks and selected drinks, with entire proceeds going to CliniClowns Austria.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,048,542 laughter minutes generated since 1991
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wiener Gesundheitsverbund (Vienna Health Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVienna's public health system operator enabling CliniClowns visits across Vienna's municipal hospitals
• Compact ElectricminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompact Electric CEO Ulrike Haslauer organizes the 'Ganz Wien lacht' benefit evening on September 10, 2026 at U4 venue
• U4 (Venue)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVienna club venue hosting the 'Ganz Wien lacht' benefit evening for CliniClowns Austria
• werteArt-VerlagminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of gift books for CliniClowns shop including 'Liebe + Lache' and 'Lachen ist gesund' series
• KPMG AustriacoreOthersKPMG Austria GmbH provides independent financial auditing services for the nonprofit organization

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Le Rire Médecin: French nonprofit founded in 1991 that operates professional clown visits in pediatric wards of French hospitals. Directly comparable in mission, training approach, and hospital partnership model to CliniClowns Austria.
• Red Noses International: The most direct competitor: an international nonprofit founded in Austria that trains and deploys hospital clowns across more than 10 European and Middle Eastern countries. Competes for the same hospital contracts, corporate sponsors, and donor pools in Austria.
• Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe: US-based hospital clown troupe serving pediatric patients in New England hospitals. Comparable mission of bedside therapeutic clowning, though operating in a different geography and healthcare system.
• Dream Doctors Project (Israel): Israeli nonprofit that integrates professional medical clowns as part of multidisciplinary hospital teams, including pre-operative and emergency care. Comparable mission and increasingly evidence-based approach to humor therapy.
• Theodora Children's Foundation: Swiss-headquartered nonprofit that runs the 'Dream Doctors' program — sending professional artists (including clowns) into hospitals to visit seriously ill children. Closely comparable mission, target population, and operating model across European pediatric hospitals.

Others

• Humana People to People: Large international nonprofit network operating community development and health projects across multiple countries. Relevant as a comparable Austrian/European donor-funded social-services nonprofit operating at much larger scale.
• European Federation of Hospital Clown Organizations (EFHCO): Umbrella organization representing hospital clown charities across Europe — a peer in the sense that CliniClowns Austria could be a member and benefits from sector-wide advocacy, research, and best-practice sharing.

Regional players

• Clown Doctors (Australia): Australian program placing professional clowns in children's hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. Operates a comparable bedside-clowning model but in a different geography, with similar hospital partnership and training rigor.

Broad incumbents

• Gesundheit! Foundation (Patch Adams): Global advocacy and project organization founded by Dr. Patch Adams promoting humor in healthcare — broader mission (advocacy, education, hospital construction) but the spiritual parent of the modern therapeutic clowning movement CliniClowns belongs to.
• Caritas Österreich: Austria's largest nonprofit social services organization, with overlap in elderly care, hospital pastoral support, and family services — relevant as a benchmark for scale, donor base depth, and government funding relationships in the Austrian nonprofit landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cliniclowns-austria

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 CliniClowns Austria