GREF - Groupement Education sans Frontières

What GREF - Groupement Education sans Frontières does

GREF — Groupement Education sans Frontières is a French international solidarity association (loi 1901 non-profit) founded in 1990 by education professional Gaby Cohn-Bendit together with a small team of teachers and Education Nationale cadres. The organization is headquartered at 18-26 rue Goubet in Paris's 19th arrondissement and operates through a decentralized network of 15 regional delegations spanning mainland France. Its volunteer-driven model delivers programs built on active-pedagogy methodology and a co-construction approach with local partners, respecting public policies and pursuing locally adapted sustainable development.

The association's activities fall into three core service lines: migrant accompaniment in France (including language and residency-related support), Education à la Citoyenneté et à la Solidarité Internationale (ECSI) programs for French local communities, and partnership-based education and training projects delivered across more than 25 so-called Southern countries. Documented international engagements include ongoing work with the FMEEP (Fédération Marocaine pour la Généralisation de l'Enseignement Préscolaire) on early childhood education in Morocco, training accompaniment at the Ecole de la Deuxième Chance (E2C) in Salé, Morocco, and an exploratory deployment to Albania in 2026. Domestic delivery is anchored by 15 regional teams, a national convention (Journées Nationales), member communications via the Flashinfo newsletter, and advocacy actions such as the February 2026 mobilization in Angers against tightened language requirements for migrants.

GREF is funded through membership fees, donations processed via the HelloAsso platform, and public funding; it has no disclosed revenue figure, no commercial product, and no proprietary technology. The organization maintains a WordPress-based website and a member portal at gref.asso.fr/espacedoc, and engages with the public primarily through events, conferences, its website, and social channels. With 15 paid employees and a broad volunteer base, the association operates as a lean, mission-driven entity rather than a technology or commercial enterprise.

Name

GREF - Groupement Education sans Frontières

Legal name

Groupement Education sans Frontières

Website

https://gref.asso.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GREF is a Paris-based French international solidarity non-profit (loi 1901) founded in 1990 by Gaby Cohn-Bendit, supporting migrant integration in France and delivering education and training partnership projects in 25+ Southern countries through 15 regional delegations and a volunteer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education and Solidarity Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF), Inclusion-Focused SEL for Diverse Learners (ECE) (EDACAOAK), Emergency Education / Education in Emergencies (EiE) (BPADADAN)

Keywords

• International education programs
• Migrant integration services
• Citizenship education initiatives
• Education partnership projects
• Teacher training support

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GREF is an international solidarity association that develops and runs educational and social-support programs in France and in more than 25 partner countries of the Global South. In France, it supports migrants with language and administrative accompaniment and delivers Education à la Citoyenneté et à la Solidarité Internationale (ECSI) programs; abroad, it co-constructs education and training projects with local institutions and civil society organizations, including early-childhood education, second-chance schools, and teacher training.

Product overview

GREF (Groupement Education sans Frontières) is an international solidarity association (association loi 1901) founded in 1990 by Gaby Cohn-Bendit. The organization operates as a social/educational service provider rather than a technology company. It offers educational programs and support services including migrant accompaniment, citizenship and international solidarity education (Education à la Citoyenneté et à la Solidarité Internationale), and international education and training projects. Activities include regional coordination across 15 French regions, international partnership projects in over 25 countries, webinars, national meetings (Journées Nationales), and member/adherent management services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Migrant Accompaniment Services Support services for migrants and refugees in France, including language support and assistance with administrative procedures related to residence permits, as well as advocacy against restrictive language-level requirements imposed on exiled persons.
• Citizenship and International Solidarity Education Programs (ECSI) Education à la Citoyenneté et à la Solidarité Internationale programs promoting active citizenship, international solidarity, and civic awareness among French audiences and local communities.
• International Education and Training Partnership Projects Partnership-based education and training projects delivered in more than 25 countries of the Global South, including early-childhood programs (e.g., with FMEEP in Morocco), second-chance schools (Ecole de la Deuxième Chance Salé), and teacher/educator training.
• Regional Coordination Services Coordination of activities across 15 French regional teams, organizing local events, training, and partnerships with territorial stakeholders across France.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FMEEP (Fédération Marocaine pour la Généralisation de l'Enseignement Préscolaire)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGREF works with FMEEP on early childhood education projects in Morocco, providing training support to FMEEP supervisory staff for preschool generalization.
• Ecole de la Deuxième Chance (E2C) Salé, MaroccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for training accompaniment at the Second Chance School in Salé, Morocco, supporting education and professional integration.
• Local partner institutions and civil society organizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGREF builds projects locally or responds to requests from partner countries, their institutions, and civil society organizations, establishing active partnerships based on equal relationships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International): Large French-headquartered INGO working on disability and inclusion in fragile contexts, with a strong education-in-emergencies practice that overlaps with GREF's EiE partnerships.
• Plan International France: Large international child-rights and education INGO with French entity operating in many of the same Southern countries as GREF, but at much larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• UNICEF France: Major UN agency with French national committee funding education and child-protection programs in developing countries — operates in overlapping geographies and beneficiary segments as GREF.

Others

• Coordination SUD: French national coordination body for international solidarity NGOs (GREF's press releases reference Coordination SUD communiqués) — peer as an institutional ecosystem counterpart rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Éclaireuses Éclaireurs de France: French secular scouting movement with strong civic and international education programs via ECSI — comparable as a French-territory civic-education peer with international solidarity programs.

Direct peers

• ATD Quart Monde: French-founded international NGO working on extreme poverty and access to education with co-construction methodology — comparable to GREF in its equal-to-equal partnership philosophy and education focus for vulnerable populations.
• Ligue de l'Enseignement: Major French civic education federation emphasizing active pedagogy and citizenship education — aligned with GREF's founding pedigree and active-methods positioning (GREF has previously intervened at Ligue student events).
• Solidarité Laïque: French federation of associations supporting education and citizenship projects internationally; comparable to GREF in combining French civic education (ECSI) with Southern country education partnerships.
• Aide et Action (Action Education): French-headquartered international solidarity NGO focused on access to quality education in developing countries, including early childhood, vocational training, and teacher capacity building — the closest direct comparator to GREF's international education partnership model.
• France Volontaires: French public-interest organization sending volunteers to international solidarity projects; overlaps with GREF's volunteer-driven model of pedagogy-focused international assignments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupement-des-educateurs-sans-frontieres

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 GREF - Groupement Education sans Frontières