Fondation Delafontaine

What Fondation Delafontaine does

Fondation Delafontaine is a private foundation of public utility established in 1964 by Renée Delafontaine and headquartered in Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The foundation delivers specialized education, therapeutic care, and socio-professional integration services to approximately 260 children, adolescents, and adults with mental disabilities (including intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and polyhandicap) across the Canton of Vaud. Its operations are organized into two sectors: the Enfance & Transition sector comprising four sections for minors (Les Matines, Les Semailles, L'Orée, La Violette) with approximately 100 places, and the Social & Professional sector comprising L'Elan-TEM (school-to-work transition, 50 places) and La Cordée (sheltered workshops and day centres, ~130 places). Service delivery relies on multidisciplinary teams of 196-201 collaborators including specialized teachers, educators, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychomotor therapists, psychologists, and nurses, following a transdisciplinary approach formalized in the foundation's charter.

The foundation's underlying methodology combines specialized pedagogy, social education, and therapeutic care within individualized projects, supported by adapted communication tools including pictograms, communication books, and telegraphic systems. Integrated work placements are a core component of the adult programme, with La Cordée workers operating inside partner enterprises such as Migros Vaud (over 35-year partnership), Micarna, and Gemma gastronomie. Revenue is derived primarily from cantonal government subsidies through the SESAF (specialized schools) and SPAS (social-professional workshops) funding streams administered by the Canton of Vaud, supplemented by parent/resident contributions, Swiss disability insurance (AI) payments, workshop subcontract revenue, and donations. Admissions are exclusively directed through cantonal referral bodies (DGEO-OSPES for minors, DCISH for adults), with no commercial customer acquisition. The foundation operates from six locations across Canton de Vaud (Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Prilly, Ecublens, Yverdon-les-Bains, Orbe, Lausanne) and reports an annual operating budget of approximately CHF 15.9 million (FY2016).

Name

Fondation Delafontaine

Legal name

Fondation Delafontaine

Website

https://fondationdelafontaine.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fondation Delafontaine is a Swiss non-profit foundation providing specialized education, therapeutic care, and socio-professional services to approximately 260 children, adolescents, and adults with mental disabilities across the Canton of Vaud through six specialized sections and multidisciplinary teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Mont-sur-Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Canton of Vaud subsidies (SPAS and SESAF): The primary revenue stream is cantonal government subsidies. The Canton of Vaud funds the operating costs of the specialized schools (SESAF) and the social and professional workshops (SPAS). Subsidies cover the net charges of sections for both minors and adults, accounting for the majority of the foundation's annual budget of approximately CHF 15–16 million.
2. Contributions from parents and residents: Parents and legal guardians make contributions toward the cost of care. Pensionnaires (residents/participants) also pay contributions. These contributions are standardized per cantonal guidelines.
3. Workshop revenue (ateliers): La Cordée's workshops (boulangerie,-Menuiserie, blanchisserie, cafétéria, céramique, papier, sérigraphie) generate revenue through subcontracted work and commissioned production. Revenue from workshop activities is reinvested into materials and operations.
4. AI (disability insurance) contributions: The Swiss disability insurance (Assurance invalidité, AI) contributes to pedagogical-therapeutic measures for covered individuals.
5. Donations: The foundation receives donations from individuals, companies, and other foundations. Donors include Migros Vaud and numerous private donors. Donations are used for educational materials, special projects, and equipment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fondation Delafontaine is a private foundation of public utility that provides specialized education, therapeutic care, and socio-professional integration services for children, adolescents, and adults with mental disabilities in Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. The foundation operates as an externat (day institution) with two main sectors: Enfance & Transition serving school-age children and adolescents, and Social & Professional providing workshops and adult day activities.

Product overview

Fondation Delafontaine is a private institution of public utility providing specialized education and social-professional services for people with mental disabilities. The organization operates through two sectors and six distinct sections: the Children & Transition Sector (Enfance & Transition) comprising Les Matines (ages 4-7, intellectual disabilities/autism, 20 places), Les Semailles (ages 7-14, intellectual disabilities, 35 places), L'Orée (ages 7-18, polyhandicap, 29 places), and La Violette (ages 4-14, autism spectrum disorders, 16 places); and the Social & Professional Sector comprising L'Elan-TEM (ages 18-65, vocational training center, 50 places with HASO-A autism unit) and La Cordée (ages 18-65, professional workshops, ~130 places). Combined, the foundation offers over 150 places for students and approximately 110 places for adults, supported by multidisciplinary therapeutic teams providing psychomotor, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, adapted sports, and nursing services. All sections follow a person-centered approach promoting autonomy through individualized projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Matines
• Les Semailles
• L'Orée
• La Violette
• L'Elan-TEM
• La Cordée
• Therapeutic Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 48,441 total attendance days across all sections (2013), with 25,781 student days (minors) and 22,660 adult workshop days (La Cordée).
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Migros VaudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMigros Vaud has maintained an integrated workshop partnership with La Cordée for over 35 years. Migros provides an open workshop within its Ecublens distribution centre for La Cordée workers who perform sorting, labelling, and distribution tasks. Several workers are also placed directly within Migros services. This partnership is described as a model of semi-integrated employment that enables real work experience for people with disabilities.
• MicarnaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicarna (a Migros group company) hosts La Cordée workers in maintenance and warehouse operations in collaboration with the regional distribution warehouse. This represents an emerging integrated work placement model aligned with new Swiss legislation promoting disability integration into mainstream workplaces.
• Direction générale de l'enseignement obligatoire et de la pédagogie spécialisée (DGEO)coreOthersDGEO is the cantonal body responsible for directing admissions to the Enfance & Transition sector (specialized schools for children and adolescents with disabilities). It assesses and refers students to the foundation's services and provides the primary funding stream through SESAF subsidies.
• Direction générale de la cohésion sociale (DGCS)coreOthersDGCS is a cantonal body within the Department of Health and Social Action (DSAS) that oversees social policy and social welfare services, including disability services. It provides oversight and subsidy framework for the foundation's adult services.
• Dispositif cantonal d'indication et de suivi pour personnes en situation de handicap (DCISH)coreOthersDCISH (operated by Pro Infirmis Vaud) is the cantonal indication and follow-up body for people with disabilities. It assesses and refers adults to socio-professional services, including La Cordée workshops, and manages the SPAS subsidy framework.
• Fondation ThéodoraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Théodora Foundation sends 'dream doctors' (artists) to visit children at Les Matines every two weeks. These visits provide a different dynamic, stimulate interest, awaken curiosity, and open children to the outside world as part of the pedagogical programme.
• Fondation Paint a SmileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaint a Smile artists created original murals at L'Orée school for children with polyhandicap. The artwork transforms the environment into an imaginative world with trees, animals, and sounds, providing sensory and emotional stimulation aligned with the foundation's humanistic pedagogical philosophy.
• Association vaudoise des organisations privées pour personnes en difficulté (AVOP)minorOthersAVOP is a Vaud cantonal association of private organizations serving people in difficulty. The foundation is a member, connecting it to a network of similar institutions in the region.
• Association Films Plans-FixesminorOthersFilms Plans-Fixes is a Swiss association that produces documentary films of notable personalities. It collaborates with the foundation on occasional projects, contributing to cultural engagement and documentation.
• Fondation Etoile filanteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondation Etoile filante supported the circus project at L'Orée, financing a 3-day camp under a real circus tent with a performance by L'Orée students alongside Cirque Starlight artists. The foundation's charter values openness and connection to cultural life.
• Association Petite Pomme en balademinorOthersA cultural association that brings storytelling and performance to the foundation's sites, contributing to artistic and cultural projects for students and workers.
• Gemma gastronomie (Orbe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGemma gastronomie provides an integrated workshop in Orbe where La Cordée Nord workers perform artisanal food production and complementary work in an enterprise setting. This partnership enables real work experience for adults with disabilities in a local enterprise.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• INSOS Schweiz: National umbrella association for social institutions serving people with disabilities in Switzerland. While INSOS is an industry body rather than a direct operator, its member institutions offer comparable specialized education and socio-professional services and face the same cantonal funding dynamics as Fondation Delafontaine.
• Pro Infirmis Vaud: Cantonal branch of Switzerland's leading disability advocacy and service organization, operating the DCISH referral system that channels adult placements to institutions like La Cordée. Broad incumbent in the same disability services ecosystem with overlapping stakeholder relationships.
• Curaviva Vaud: Swiss association representing institutions for people with care needs (disability, elderly, psychosocial). Operates in the same regulatory and funding ecosystem as Fondation Delafontaine and serves as an industry voice on cantonal subsidy frameworks.

Direct peers

• Stiftung Rossfeld: Swiss foundation in Bern operating a special school, vocational training centre, and residential services for children, adolescents, and young adults with physical disabilities. Comparable lifecycle-spanning service model and transdisciplinary therapeutic approach to Fondation Delafontaine's pediatric sections.
• Stiftung Wendepunkt: Swiss foundation offering residential and day services for adults with intellectual disabilities and psycho-social difficulties, with integrated workplaces in partner companies. Comparable mission and operational model, including integrated workshop placements similar to La Cordée's Migros partnership.
• Stiftung Mosaik: Swiss foundation providing sheltered workshops, day centres, and residential services for adults with intellectual disabilities in the Lucerne region. Directly comparable in service mix (vocational workshops, day programmes) and target population to Fondation Delafontaine's La Cordée adult services.
• Schulheim Schloss Kasteln: Swiss special school and residential institution for children and adolescents with cognitive impairments, behavioural difficulties, and autism spectrum disorders in Aargau. Comparable specialized pedagogy model and target population to Fondation Delafontaine's childhood sections.
• Fondation Petit Prince: Swiss Romande foundation providing day care, education, and therapeutic support for children with disabilities. Comparable specialized education model and French-speaking Swiss operational context to Fondation Delafontaine.
• Eben-Hézer Lausanne: Lausanne-based foundation offering sheltered workshops, day activities, and accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities in the Canton de Vaud. Directly comparable in geography, target population, and adult socio-professional service model.

Regional players

• Fondation de Vernier: Swiss foundation providing educational and social services in the Geneva region, with comparable focus on disability and social inclusion. Regional peer operating in adjacent French-speaking Swiss territory with similar service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-renee-delafontaine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fondation Delafontaine