Clown Me In

What Clown Me In does

Clown Me In is a Lebanese nonprofit humanitarian clowning organization, legally registered as Awrad Association and headquartered in Beirut (with a secondary listing in Mkalles). Founded in 2012 by Sabine Choucair and Gabriela Munoz — both trained in physical theatre in London — the organization uses clowning, street theatre, and arts-based social therapy to deliver psychosocial relief, community healing, and advocacy interventions to disadvantaged communities, Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and children across Lebanon and internationally. Core programs include the annual Lebanon Tour (24 performances across 10+ areas in the 2018 cycle, reaching 4,600+ beneficiaries), the We Must Clown youth training pipeline, the Caravan Project for refugee storytelling (100+ communities across Lebanon, Tunisia, and Europe), the IDEAS BOX social therapy workshops, the CATCH facilitator-training initiative, and the IIVVSS performance training institute.

The underlying 'technology' is a domain-specialized Social Therapy Framework combining performance art, clowning techniques, and structured psychosocial exercises, supported by a physical venue ('Clown Me In The House', acquired in late 2019). No software platform, AI capability, or proprietary IP beyond brand recognition and the methodology itself is in evidence. The organization operates event-driven and community-led GTM motions, reaching beneficiaries directly in the field and distributing impact via trained clown troupes, workshops, and digital content (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok).

The business model is a non-profit funding stack: the majority of revenue derives from donations and grants (GlobalGiving/GoFundMe campaigns, foundation grants from Fondation SESAM, DROSOS, Prince Claus Fund, Selat, Swedish Institute, British Council, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Embassy of Switzerland), supplemented by private event bookings and corporate team-building fees, merchandise sales (tote bags, bubble wands), and a membership program priced at 10 USD monthly or 100 USD yearly. Core services to beneficiaries are free; revenue-generating channels cross-subsidize free programming. The organization employs approximately 16 staff and volunteers, is led by co-founder Sabine Choucair (first female recipient of Italy's Il Clown nel Cuore award, 2019), and has documented activity across 18+ countries with 30+ organizational partnerships.

Name

Clown Me In

Legal name

Awrad Association

Website

https://clownmein.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clown Me In is a Lebanese humanitarian nonprofit using clowning, street theatre, and arts-based social therapy to deliver psychosocial relief and community programs to refugees, children, and disadvantaged communities across Lebanon and 18+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Arts Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Parades, Carnivals & Street Fairs (MPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Humanitarian clowning services
• Social therapy programs
• Clowning workshops
• Community art performances
• Psychosocial relief programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primary funding comes from individual donations via GoFundMe/GlobalGiving campaigns, foundation grants (Fondation SESAM, DROSOS), and institutional supporters (British Council, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Embassy of Switzerland, Swedish Institute). No revenue from product sales as primary income.
2. Private Event Bookings and Team-Building: The organization offers private performances for corporate events and team-building activities, with fees contributing to funding free performances in disadvantaged areas.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including tote bags, soap bubble wands, bubble concentrates, and other gadgets, with proceeds supporting free performances and workshops.
4. Membership Program: Monthly membership at 10 USD or 100 USD yearly, offering ambassadorship, event invitations, and member-only booking rates for private performances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Clown Me In is a humanitarian clowning nonprofit that uses performance art, physical theatre, and social therapy to deliver free street performances, clowning workshops, and psychosocial relief programs to disadvantaged communities, refugees, and crisis-affected populations primarily in Lebanon and internationally. The organization trains community members as clowns through its We Must Clown program and IIVVSS institute, then deploys them in annual tours, school programs, and artivism advocacy campaigns. It supplements free beneficiary services with private event bookings, merchandise sales, and a tiered membership program.

Product overview

Clown Me In is a humanitarian NGO offering a portfolio of live artistic programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include street performances and shows that provide psychosocial relief to disadvantaged communities, clowning workshops for personal development and community empowerment, and social therapy programs using arts to help people explore vulnerabilities and build resilience. Supporting programs include the 'We Must Clown' youth empowerment initiative, annual Lebanon tours reaching thousands, Artivism advocacy campaigns, the IIVVSS theatre training institute, The Caravan Project for refugee storytelling, and merchandise for fundraising. The organization operates as a non-profit, not as a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• We Must Clown: A workshop program that provides free clowning workshops to young people from different backgrounds, enabling them to express themselves through clowning and join the yearly Clown Me In tour.
• The Caravan Project
• IIVVSS (International Institute of Very Very Serious Studies)

Products and services

• Street Performances and Shows Interactive clown performances and street theatre shows that spread laughter and provide psychosocial relief to disadvantaged communities, refugees, and crisis-affected populations across Lebanon and internationally.
• Clowning Workshops Professional clowning and theatre training workshops teaching participants to discover their inner clown, build characters, and use clowning as a tool for social change and personal expression.
• Art and Social Connection (Social Therapy) Arts-based social therapy programs that explore human vulnerabilities, help individuals accept themselves, and provide psychosocial support through creative engagement with refugees and crisis-affected populations.
• Artivism Programs Advocacy through artistic interventions where clowns act as activists to transmit humanitarian and environmental messages, engaging the public on social and political issues including public health, environment, and civic protest.
• Merchandise Creative merchandise including tote bags, soap bubble wands, bubble concentrates, and other gadgets, with proceeds supporting free performances and workshops.
• Private Event Performances and Team-Building Paid private clown performances and team-building activities for corporate events, family celebrations, and special occasions, available at member-only discounted rates.
• Membership Program Recurring membership subscription at $10/month or $100/year that includes participation in the conception of work, ambassador role, regular event updates, annual member gathering, and members-only rates for booking private performances.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9,200 people reached through 2017-2018 Lebanon tours alone
• +5 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clowns Without Borders SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Partnership on the Creative ArTs for CHange (CATCH) project — a two-year initiative training Syrian and Lebanese people to lead group workshops for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, providing psychosocial support through creative art forms. Financially supported by the Swedish Institute.
• Clowns Without Borders USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on annual Lebanon tours and international clowning missions. Clowns Without Borders USA clowns joined the 2017 and 2018 Lebanon tours, and Sabine Choucair participated in Lesvos Greece missions with CWB USA.
• All In Theatre (London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephen Sobal from All In Theatre served as guest trainer for the 2017 and 2018 We Must Clown workshops and Lebanon tours, co-training new clowns alongside Sabine Choucair.
• Beirut DCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Caravan Project (artistic direction by Sabine Choucair) and the CATCH project, with Beirut DC co-running workshops for Syrian refugees.
• The Caravan ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSabine Choucair served as Artistic Director. The project puts Syrian refugee voices at the heart of street theatre, touring Lebanon, Tunisia, and Europe. The project has reached over 100 communities.
• INTERSOS and Goethe InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the IDEAS BOX project — social therapy workshops (theatre/storytelling and digital storytelling) for youth in Choueifat, Lebanon.
• PanOptikum (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSabine Choucair collaborated with PanOptikum in Freiburg, Germany on the 'Power of Diversity – The Crossing Lines' project, developing the piece HOCHWASSERZUKUNFT (High Water Future) with youth and refugees.
• KAFA (Enough Violence and Exploitation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner2020 collaboration during COVID-19 confinement: created 5 videos with games for families at home, promoting mental and physical health routines.
• Al JanaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual participation in the Janana Mobile Festival — a mobile arts festival for Palestinian and Syrian refugee children touring Lebanese cities including Beirut, Tripoli, Baalbeck, Saida, and Tyre.
• UN Habitat LebanonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Clown Me In to perform hand-washing and hygiene-themed performances in public schools across Lebanon (supported by Ministry of Culture), October-November 2015.
• International Institute for Very Very Serious Studies (IIVVSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Sabine Choucair — a performance training program in Beirut focusing on social street theatre, using Clown Me In's new space as its classroom.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Le Rire Médecin: French nonprofit that brings professional clowns into pediatric hospitals to support sick children. Highly comparable model but geographically focused on France and thus primarily a regional peer.

Others

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International humanitarian medical organization frequently partnering with cultural organizations in crisis response. Comparable humanitarian footprint and donor base, though focused on medical rather than cultural intervention.

Direct peers

• Clowns Without Borders Sweden: Swedish arm of the Clowns Without Borders network, partnering with Clown Me In on the CATCH (Creative ArTs for CHange) project training Syrian and Lebanese artists.
• Hearts & Minds: Scottish charity delivering clown doctor and Elderflowers programs in healthcare settings. Direct peer in professional clown visits to children and elderly in hospitals and hospices.
• Patch Adams / Gesundheit! Institute: Pioneering humanitarian clowning organization founded by Dr. Patch Adams. Comparable mission of using humor and clowning for healing; Sabine Choucair's Il Clown nel Cuore award lists Patch Adams among prior recipients.
• Red Noses International: Austria-based charitable organization running professional healthcare clowning programs in hospitals and refugee settings across Europe and the Middle East. Operates the same humanitarian clowning model at greater scale.
• Clowns Without Borders USA: US nonprofit bringing laughter to children in crisis zones worldwide through clown performances. Closest direct peer; actively partners with Clown Me In on annual Lebanon tours and Lesvos Greece missions.
• Beirut DC: Beirut-based nonprofit producing documentary and cultural programs on refugee and human rights issues; collaborating partner with Clown Me In on the Caravan Project and CATCH workshops.
• Theodora Children's Charity: UK-based charity that sends professional 'Giggle Doctors' into hospitals to bring joy and laughter to children. Comparable mission of using trained performers for psychosocial relief, with stronger institutional hospital partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Big Apple Circus: Established New York-based circus incorporating humanitarian outreach programs. Shares clowning and variety show traditions but operates at much larger scale as a circus company rather than a humanitarian-focused NGO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clownmein
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyEmYkkK_bYWW6DrWtIBQUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/clownmeinpage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clown-me-in-lebanon
• Instagraminstagram.com/clownmein
• TikToktiktok.com/@clownmein

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Clown Me In