Stiftung Digitale Chancen

What Stiftung Digitale Chancen does

Core offerings combine project delivery with reusable digital tools and educational content. National programs include Digital mobil im Alter (tablet PCs and digital training for seniors, run with O2 Telefónica since the foundation's early years), Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen (rural digital infrastructure co-developed with Fraunhofer IESE, comprising the DorfFunk mobile app, DorfPages village websites, and digital noticeboards), DigiAssist, DiKomBi, MoiN (with AWO Schleswig-Holstein), KulturPass media literacy toolkits, and BISI. International/Erasmus+ work spans CyberMe (cybersecurity for young women), E-HEALth Literacy, AMEDY (digital media education for disabled youth), AMeLiE (counter-online-hate-speech), and the QueeResilience LGBTQ+ youth guidebook. Educational publications include the Digital Glossar for seniors, the Digitale Dorfheld*innen trainer guide, the Anti-Rumour Toolkit, and a practice guide for digital village innovation. The annual Smart Hero Award, co-organized with Meta, provides visibility for social-media-driven social engagement.

The foundation does not sell products commercially; all services, tools and materials are provided free of charge. Funding comes from project-based grants and programs administered by federal ministries (BMBF, BMFSFJ, BMI, BMEL), regional governments (Lower Saxony ministry committing roughly EUR 2M for the statewide Digitale Dörfer rollout), the European Commission (Erasmus+, with an EU Transparency Register listing), corporate partners (Telefónica O2), and tax-deductible donations processed via Fundraisingbox and bank transfer. Distribution occurs through direct community engagement, partner organizations such as AWO and municipal networks, the ALL DIGITAL Weeks network across 22 European countries, and downloadable self-service materials on the foundation's website. Advisory governance is provided by a 30-organization Beirat chaired since May 2025 by Dr. Susanne Pauser of the Deutscher Caritasverband, while executive direction is led by Chair of the Board Jutta Croll together with four further board members.

Name

Stiftung Digitale Chancen

Legal name

Stiftung Digitale Chancen

Website

https://digitale-chancen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftung Digitale Chancen is a Berlin-based non-profit foundation founded in 2002 that researches digitalization's societal impacts and runs nationwide and European projects promoting digital participation and media literacy for seniors, children, youth, people with disabilities, and rural communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Inclusion and Media Literacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundational Computer & Device Literacy (EDAAAIAA), Assistive Technology & Accessible Digital Skills (EDAAAIAK), Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Digital inclusion services
• Media literacy education
• Digital participation programs
• Rural digitalization platforms
• Non-profit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The foundation accepts donations to support its mission of digital equality. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made through their website via Fundraisingbox or bank transfer.
2. Public Funding and Grants: Project-based funding from government ministries including BMBF, BMFSFJ, Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, and EU programs such as Erasmus+. The foundation receives programmatic funding for specific digital inclusion and media literacy initiatives.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Collaborations with corporations such as Telefónica O2 for specific projects like Digital mobil im Alter. These partnerships support project activities but are not equity investments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stiftung Digitale Chancen is a non-profit charitable foundation that implements nationwide and international projects to promote digital participation and strengthen media literacy, particularly for seniors, children, people with disabilities, and rural populations. Its core deliverables include the Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen rural digitalization platform (DorfFunk app, DorfPages, digital noticeboards), Digital mobil im Alter (tablet PCs and training for seniors), as well as EU-funded media literacy projects (CyberMe, E-HEALth Literacy, AMeLiE, AMEDY). The foundation also publishes educational materials, toolkits, and guides free of charge, and co-organizes the annual Smart Hero Award.

Product overview

Stiftung Digitale Chancen (Digital Opportunities Foundation) is a nonprofit charitable foundation based in Berlin that operates various social projects and produces educational materials rather than commercial products. The foundation's offerings include: (1) National projects such as Digital mobil im Alter (tablet PCs and training for seniors with O₂ Telefónica), DigiAssist (digital assistance for people with disabilities), DiKomBi (digital skills for people 60+ in Schleswig-Holstein); (2) International projects including CyberMe (cybersecurity for young women, EU), E-HEALth Literacy (digital health literacy, Erasmus+), AMEDY and AMeLiE (media literacy for disabled youth and against hate speech); (3) Rural digital inclusion through Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen platform with DorfFunk app, village webpages, and LandNews; (4) Children and youth programs including KulturPass media literacy toolkits and QueeResilience guidebook; (5) The Smart Hero Award recognizing social media activism. The foundation also publishes educational resources including Digital Glossar for seniors, trainer guides for Digital Village Heroes, Anti-Rumour Toolkit, and practice guides for digital village innovations. All offerings are free public-good initiatives, not commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Digitale Dörfer platform deployed to municipalities across Lower Saxony, reaching over 100 communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Experimentelles Software Engineering (IESE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Co-leading the 'Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen' project with SDC. Fraunhofer IESE provides technical expertise for the digital village platform while SDC contributes project management and community engagement experience. The partnership develops and scales digital village solutions for rural communities.
• Telefónica O2 GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Long-standing partnership with Telefónica O2 for the 'Digital mobil im Alter' project providing tablet PCs and digital training for seniors. The collaboration combines corporate resources with foundation expertise in digital inclusion to address digital exclusion among elderly populations.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Landesverband Schleswig-HolsteincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for 'MoiN - Miteinander online im Norden' (MoiN) project. AWO provides access to its network of approximately 100 local associations and 14,500 members. SDC develops and adapts digital solutions for AWO's civic engagement and volunteer coordination needs.
• Meta PlatformsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the annual Smart Hero Award, recognizing projects that use social media for societal good. Meta provides sponsorship and platform support for the award which has grown to attract thousands of online viewers.
• Erasmus+ Programme PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partnership network through Erasmus+ funding for projects including E-HEALth Literacy (with partners from Greece, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia), AMEDY, CyberMe, and others. SDC coordinates international consortia developing digital inclusion and media literacy solutions.
• ALL DIGITAL NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network coordinated by SDC for the ALL DIGITAL Weeks campaign involving 23 national coordinators from 22 countries. SDC serves as German national coordinator and European coordination hub for digital skills and inclusion activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mozilla Foundation: US-based non-profit running digital literacy, internet health, and AI literacy programs globally; comparable as a foundation channeling philanthropic and grant funding into media literacy and open-web initiatives.
• Bibliothek & Information Deutschland (BID): German library and information services umbrella association; comparable because public libraries are central partners in SDC's senior and rural digital inclusion work, and BID runs related digital literacy and "Digitaler Ort" type programs nationally.
• Internet Society (ISOC): Global non-profit advocating for an open, affordable internet and running digital inclusion / digital skills programs worldwide; shares SDC's mission of equitable internet access but at a much larger international scale.
• Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband (DVV): National association of Germany's ~900 adult education centers (Volkshochschulen) that deliver large-scale digital literacy courses to adults and seniors; operates with greater scale and an established institutional delivery channel across Germany.

Direct peers

• ALL DIGITAL: European network for digital inclusion and skills of which SDC is the German coordinator; SDC runs ALL DIGITAL Weeks across 22 countries with 23 national coordinators, making it both member and operational implementer of this peer network.
• BAGSO (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen): German umbrella association of senior citizens' organizations operating federal programs on digital participation for older adults; directly comparable to SDC's "Digital mobil im Alter" and DiKomBi senior digital literacy programs.
• Wikimedia Deutschland: German non-profit chapter of the Wikimedia movement promoting free knowledge, digital participation, and media literacy; comparable as a Berlin/Germany-based civil society foundation supported by grants and donations in the digital public-interest space.

Emerging players

• Digitale Gesellschaft: German/Swiss non-profit advocating for digital rights, privacy, and freedom of expression; comparable advocacy and educational remit in the digital civil society space, though more policy/advocacy-oriented than SDC.
• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung: Berlin-based think tank working on technology policy including digital infrastructure and inclusion; comparable as a small Berlin non-profit producing research and policy recommendations in adjacent areas of digitalization.
• Stiftung Lesen: German non-profit foundation promoting reading and media literacy with a growing digital focus; comparable mission structure (charitable foundation, federal funding mix, focus on media competence for vulnerable groups).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/digitalechancen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitalechancen
• Instagraminstagram.com/stiftung_digitale_chancen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftung Digitale Chancen