fka - Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V.

What fka - Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V. does

fka - Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) under German law, founded in 1987 and headquartered in the Menschenrechtszentrum (Human Rights Centre) in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. It provides free-of-charge social and procedural counselling, migration counselling (MBE), initial orientation courses (EOK), integration accompaniment, and trauma-focused mental health services to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants across the Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Rhein-Neckar, Baden-Baden, Rastatt, and southern Rhineland-Palatinate (Germersheim) regions. The organization operates through 40 full-time staff and 100+ volunteers, and maintains affiliated sub-brands including the atman Institute for Mental Health and Migration and the international House of Hope trauma-therapy project (currently active in The Gambia, following the conclusion of the Senegalese phase in March 2022). Additional community programming includes MiA women's courses, the 'Menschen stärken Menschen' mentoring scheme, sewing cafés, and a professional sewing workshop.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally low-tech: a WordPress website (hosted by Strato AG) available in German, English, and French, with newsletter distribution via CleverReach, donation processing via PayPal and betterplace.org, and standard consent (Usercentrics) and bot-protection (Google reCAPTCHA) tooling. There is no proprietary software product; the 'product' is human-delivered counselling, education, and therapeutic service.

The revenue model is a three-pillar non-profit structure: (1) government grants and EU structural funds (BMI, BAMF, BMFSFJ, AMIF, ESF, Rhineland-Palatinate state, Federal Government Commissioner for Migration); (2) institutional donations from foundations (Aktion Mensch, Heidehof Stiftung, Gertrud Maria Doll Stiftung, GlücksSpirale, GIZ-supported international projects); and (3) individual donations and membership fees, primarily raised through the 'Hilf uns zu helfen!' campaign on betterplace.org, PayPal, and direct bank transfer. The go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: demand is generated via word-of-mouth, partner referrals, presence in state reception centres, and a network of cooperation partners, with no pricing applied to beneficiary services.

Name

fka - Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V.

Legal name

fka – Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V.

Website

https://fka-ka.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

fka is a Karlsruhe-based non-profit founded in 1987 that delivers free social counselling, migration advisory, language courses, and trauma therapy to refugees and migrants across Baden-Württemberg and southern Rhineland-Palatinate, operating 40 staff and 100+ volunteers, and funded by public grants, foundations, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Migration Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Refugee counseling services
• Migration support programs
• Asylum social counseling
• Trauma therapy migrants
• Integration education courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Public Funding: fka receives funding from government bodies including the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, the European Union (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund), ESF (European Social Fund), the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and other public institutions. These grants support core operations including counselling, education, and trauma work programmes.
2. Institutional Donations and Sponsorship: fka receives institutional support from foundations and charitable organisations including Aktion Mensch, Heidehof Stiftung, Gertrud Maria Doll Stiftung, and GlücksSpirale. These donations fund specific projects and general operations.
3. Individual Donations and Membership: fka raises funds from private individuals through direct bank transfers, PayPal, and the betterplace.org platform. The organisation also recruits members who pay membership fees. The primary fundraising campaign is titled 'Hilf uns zu helfen!' (Help us to help!).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

fka provides free social and procedural counselling, migration counselling for adult immigrants (MBE), initial orientation courses (EOK) and integration accompaniment to refugees and migrants in Baden-Württemberg and southern Rhineland-Palatinate. Through the affiliated atman Institute for Mental Health and Migration and the House of Hope project in West Africa, it also delivers specialist trauma therapy (including Narrative Exposure Therapy), complemented by community-building services such as sewing and women's cafés, sponsorship programmes, internships, and membership.

Product overview

fka – Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V. is a non-profit refugee support organization founded in 1987, offering a portfolio of interconnected social services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include social and procedural counseling, migration counseling (MBE), initial orientation courses (EOK), and integration accompaniment. Specialized services include trauma work through the atman Institute for Mental Health and Migration and the House of Hope project in West Africa. Community-building services include sewing cafés, a women's café, and tea room. The organization also operates sponsorship programs, volunteering opportunities, internship placements, and membership programs. Services are delivered through the Human Rights Centre in Karlsruhe and branch offices in Germersheim, reaching refugees in the Karlsruhe, Mannheim, and southern Rhineland-Palatinate regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• atman Institut für seelische Gesundheit und Migration: Institute for Mental Health and Migration offering migrants counselling and access to therapeutic support for PTSD.
• House of Hope
• MiA – Migrantinnen einfach stark im Alltag
• KüKa

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 full-time staff and 100+ volunteers serving migrants across multiple German cities since 1987
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• betterplace.orgcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline donation platform used by fka to collect individual donations for its 'Hilf uns zu helfen!' campaign and the 'House of Hope – Trauma und Versöhnung' project in The Gambia. Provides a structured digital fundraising mechanism.
• PayPalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment service provider enabling direct digital donations to fka via PayPal transfer.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Facebook)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform where fka maintains a public profile for community engagement, project dissemination, and outreach. Joint controller arrangement (Controller Addendum) in place per GDPR requirements.
• atman – Institut für seelische Gesundheit und MigrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist institute affiliated with fka providing mental health and migration expertise, offering trauma counselling and access to therapeutic support for PTSD for migrants. Represents a deep internal/affiliated programme rather than an external partner.
• House of Hope (Dakar/Senegal; now The Gambia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational trauma therapy project led by fka since 2018, offering Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) to returnees in Dakar/Senegal. Project ended in Senegal in March 2022 and is being continued in The Gambia. Includes train-the-trainer programme for local counsellors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare organisation, providing counseling, integration courses, and refugee support nationwide. Directly comparable to fka as a Parität-style welfare organisation delivering MBE, EOK, and integration services to refugees across multiple German states.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Germany: Global humanitarian organisation with German operations delivering refugee resettlement, integration, and psychosocial support. Directly comparable to fka in providing combined counseling, language, and integration support, and in deploying specialist mental-health programming for refugees.
• ProAsyl: Leading German refugee rights and advocacy organisation, providing individual counseling, legal aid, and policy work for asylum seekers. Directly comparable to fka in serving the same beneficiary group with counseling support, though ProAsyl is more advocacy-focused and operates federally.
• Malteser Hilfsdienst: Catholic aid organisation delivering refugee integration counseling, language courses, and psychosocial support across Germany. Directly comparable to fka in service portfolio, target population, and reliance on public grants combined with private donations.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant welfare association operating Migrationsberatung, refugee counseling, and integration programmes across Germany. Directly comparable to fka in target population, service portfolio (counseling, language, integration), and public-grant funding model.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK): German Red Cross operates nationwide refugee and asylum services including counseling, integration courses, and first-reception support. Directly comparable to fka in delivering state-commissioned refugee services and in operating across multiple LEA-adjacent locations.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major German welfare association providing refugee and migrant integration services including MBE, language courses, and psychosocial support. Directly comparable to fka in service mix, target beneficiaries, and reliance on public grants plus donations.
• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Germany: International Catholic organisation providing psychosocial support, legal counseling, and integration accompaniment for refugees in Germany. Directly comparable to fka in combining trauma-informed support, advocacy, and accompaniment services for asylum seekers.

Broad incumbents

• Der Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband: National umbrella welfare association under which fka is the largest refugee-sector affiliate in Baden-Württemberg. Broad incumbent operating across all social-services domains; relevant as the institutional home providing fka affiliation, advocacy, and shared funding access.

Emerging players

• Bundesfachverband unbegleitete minderjährige Flüchtlinge (BumF): German specialist umbrella for unaccompanied minor refugees, providing advocacy, counseling, and capacity-building for member organisations. Comparable to fka in serving a refugee sub-population with specialized support and in operating as a registered association dependent on public and donor funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fka-freundeskreis-asyl-karlsruhe-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about fka - Freundeskreis Asyl Karlsruhe e.V.