Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben (GIZ) gGmbH

What Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben (GIZ) gGmbH does

Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben (GIZ) gGmbH is a Berlin-based non-profit organization founded in 2000 that delivers integration services for migrants and refugees, primarily anchored in the Spandau district and increasingly extending into Mitte and Reinickendorf. Its core offerings span language courses, school-based integration programs delivered across 14+ schools, community navigation through the Integrationslots*innen team, multilingual support (35+ languages), and a digital layer via the SuRe online service and E-Learning platform. The organization also operates as a licensed telc testing center and a recognized youth welfare provider, and runs the heimaten bei berlinovo partnership with housing provider berlinovo.

The operating model is grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue is sourced from Berlin Senate administrations (Senatsverwaltungen), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), and adjacent public funders. The organization converted from a registered association (e.V.) to a non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH) in 2018, reflecting a more structured governance framework, and currently operates with a small team of approximately 21 employees out of its Reformationsplatz 2 hub.

Beyond its core integration mandate, GIZ gGmbH has begun extending into adjacent welfare verticals such as pregnancy counseling and a discrimination registration point, indicating a strategy of broadening the funded service envelope while maintaining its school- and community-based delivery model. The 25th anniversary in 2025 marks a milestone of institutional continuity rather than scale, and the organization's competitive position rests on embedded access to Berlin's migrant communities, regulatory accreditations, and multilingual human capital rather than on technology or IP.

Name

Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben (GIZ) gGmbH

Legal name

Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben gGmbH

Website

https://giz.berlin

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GIZ gGmbH is a Berlin-based non-profit founded in 2000 that provides integration services, language courses, and educational support for migrants and refugees, delivered across 14+ schools and multiple community programs with a 21-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Integration Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Language Schools (61163), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interpretation, Translation & Language Access Training (Community Interpreting) (EDAAADAJ), Language Immersion Programs & Camps (Local/Seasonal) (EDAMAFAL), Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching) (EDAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Integration services
• Language courses
• Migration counseling
• Adult literacy
• Community education

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: Primary funding from German federal and Berlin state government ministries including Senatsverwaltung für Integration, Arbeit und Soziales, Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie, and Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit und Pflege through Landesrahmenprogramm and other public programs
2. EU Funding (ESF+): European Social Fund Plus funding for specific projects like Lerncafe Spandau basic education programs
3. Federal Ministry Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung funding through Kultur macht stark program for reading clubs
4. Donations: Charitable donations accepted as non-profit organization (gemeinnützig anerkannt)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GIZ gGmbH is a non-profit organization providing intercultural integration services to migrants, refugees, and the broader Spandau district community in Berlin. Core offerings include certified integration and vocational language courses (A1-C2 with telc/DTZ examinations), multilingual integration counseling (Integrationslots*innen in 13+ languages), school-based learning support (*IDEA program), adult literacy education (Lerncafe), and community meeting spaces (heimaten bei berlinovo). Services are delivered free of charge and funded primarily through Berlin Senate ministries, the European Social Fund Plus, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Product overview

GIZ is a nonprofit organization (gGmbH) providing a diverse portfolio of integration and education services rather than a unified software product. The offerings include: language courses (Integration Courses and Vocational Language Courses A1-C2), the *IDEA learning support program, multilingual Integration Advisors (Integrationslots*innen) service, school support services (pedagogical assistance, inclusion assistance, supplementary learning support), basic education and literacy support through Lerncafe Spandau, the heimaten community center for vocational orientation, collegial consultation via SuRe online, and specialized counseling services (migration counseling, pregnancy counseling, registration office for discrimination incidents). These services are delivered through classroom instruction, digital platforms, and direct community outreach across Spandau district in Berlin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• *IDEA: A learning support program based on a basic competency framework with intercultural, thinking, discovery, and application components. Offers educational assistance at schools including supplementary learning, bonus school programs, inclusion assistance, and holiday schools.

Products and services

• Sprachkurse - Integrationskurse und Berufssprachkurse Certified integration courses and vocational language courses covering A1-C2 levels, including telc examinations and Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), designed for adult immigrants and migrants in Berlin.
• Integrationslots*innen Spandau Multilingual integration support service providing free language mediation, counseling, and accompaniment for refugees and migrants in Spandau district, offering consultations in up to 13 languages.
• Lerncafe Spandau Learning cafe providing basic education and literacy support for adults with low literacy levels in Spandau, funded by the European Social Fund Plus and the state of Berlin.
• heimaten bei berlinovo Community meeting place in Hakenfelde offering vocational orientation for refugees, German language support, cultural events, and intergenerational activities including children's reading club and senior gatherings.
• *IDEA Lernförderung Basic competence program for learning support based on four steps (Intercultural, Thinking, Discovery, and Application), training spelling, grammar, language comprehension, reading comprehension, mathematics, and logical thinking at partner schools.
• Pädagogische Assistenz Certified training program for pedagogical assistants, qualifying participants to work in educational settings with intercultural competence.
• Schulische Inklusionsassistenz School inclusion assistance providing pedagogical and nursing support for children and youth with disabilities, enabling their right to education under §2 Schulgesetz.
• Registerstelle Spandau Documentation and monitoring service for racist and discriminatory incidents in Spandau district, part of the Berlin Register network.
• FeMUTter Pregnancy conflict counseling and contraception/sexuality consultation service for women, offering workshops and information events in multiple languages.
• SuRe online Collegial consultation service for pedagogical professionals, offering workshops on-site and digitally via web conference, plus coaching training programs.
• Coaching-Maßnahmen nach AVGS Individual coaching measures according to AVGS (Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein) for job integration support.
• Stark im Job Job accompaniment and support service for newly employed individuals, providing guidance in the new work environment.
• Einstieg Beruf Career entry service helping migrants and refugees navigate the German job market.
• Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zugewanderte (MBE) Migration counseling service for adult immigrants providing guidance on integration, employment, and social participation.
• WORK FOR REFUGEES Vocational integration program specifically designed for refugees to prepare them for the German labor market.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,827 students served in school programs in 2017 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Senatsverwaltung für Integration, Arbeit und SozialescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Landesrahmenprogramm Integrationslotsinnen und Integrationslotsen Berlin - primary funder of the Integrationslots*innen Spandau project providing multilingual integration support
• berlinovocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2021Partnership for 'heimaten bei berlinovo' project - a community meeting point in Hakenfelde for professional orientation and integration of refugees
• Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie (SenBJF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2020Funder of SuRe online project providing collegial consultation for pedagogical specialists through workshops and web conferences
• Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung (DKJS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership for Ferienschulen (holiday schools) providing German language and literacy support for refugee and newly immigrated students during school holidays
• Europäische Union / Europäischer Sozialfonds Plus (ESF+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial support for Lerncafe Spandau basic education offerings for adults with low literacy levels
• Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) / Stiftung LesencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKultur macht stark funded intercultural reading club for children aged 6-12, offered free twice weekly at heimaten
• Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit und PflegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder of FeMUTter project providing pregnancy conflict counseling and contraception/sexuality consultations
• Türkische Gemeinde in DeutschlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeinLand - Zeit für Zukunft program supporting intercultural photography project 'Auf der Suche nach dem Ich'
• Spandau District Schools NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 12+ schools in Spandau district for supplementary learning support, bonus program activities, and inclusion assistance
• Stadtbibliothek SpandauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with Bezirkszentralbibliothek Spandau for reading club and World Literacy Day events

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Diakonie Berlin: Provides migration counseling, integration support, language courses, and social services across Berlin under a parallel non-profit welfare model. Operates comparable youth welfare and refugee integration programs.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Berlin: Welfare organization delivering integration courses, Migrationsberatung, family support, and youth services — same funder pool (Berlin Senate, federal programs) and same target populations as GIZ.
• Flüchtlingsrat Berlin: Berlin refugee council providing advocacy, counseling, and integration support to asylum seekers and refugees. Closely comparable to GIZ's Integrationslots*innen and refugee-focused projects, though advocacy-led rather than service-delivery.
• Berliner Volkshochschulen (VHS): Berlin's public adult education centers deliver state-funded Integrationskurse, Berufssprachkurse, and telc/DTZ exams — the same core services GIZ provides. VHS is the dominant public competitor for integration course seats in Berlin.
• Malteser Berlin: Humanitarian organization running refugee shelters, integration courses, and migration counseling in Berlin. Directly comparable to GIZ's Flüchtlingsarbeit and Migrationsberatung service lines.
• DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz) Berlin: German Red Cross regional chapter delivering refugee integration services, family support, and youth programs — competing for the same Senatsverwaltung für Integration funding pool as GIZ.
• Caritas Berlin: Major non-profit welfare organization running Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderte (MBE), youth welfare services, and family counseling — directly comparable to GIZ's MBE, FeMUTter, and Schulische Inklusionsassistenz offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Berlitz Deutschland: Large private language school chain offering integration and corporate language courses across Germany. Less specialized in refugee/migrant support than GIZ, but competes for Integrationskurs students and exam candidates.
• telc GmbH: Provider of standardized German language examinations (A1-C2, DTZ). GIZ is a licensed telc examination center — telc is the upstream standard-setter whose exam demand drives part of GIZ's service economics.

Emerging players

• Babbel: Berlin-based digital language learning platform. Represents the technology-enabled delivery model that public funders increasingly favor, putting pressure on community-based in-person providers like GIZ to add digital channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/giz.berlin.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/giz_berlin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-interkulturelles-zusammenleben-ggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gesellschaft für Interkulturelles Zusammenleben (GIZ) gGmbH