French Institute for Civil Society Organisations

What French Institute for Civil Society Organisations does

The French Institute for Civil Society Organisations (Institut francais du Monde associatif, IFMA) is a French non-profit research institute founded in 2019 and headquartered in Villeurbanne/Lyon, operating under association loi 1901 law as an organisation d'interet general. Its mission is to identify knowledge gaps about the French associative sector, fund targeted academic research through annual research-support programmes, and disseminate findings via open-access white papers, working groups, webinars, and national encounters. The institute operates with approximately 8 employees and is led by Delegue general Floriant Covelli, with Vice-President Brigitte Giraud and founder Simone Andre as key historical figures. Its thematic axes cover socio-economic models of associations, private generosity, ecological transition, governance, and democracy in Europe.

IFMA's product surface consists of white papers (livres blancs), an annual research-grant programme, working groups, an eponymous annual research prize (Prix Simone Andre), participatory research projects such as ASSTER, and a LinkedIn-based research network positioned as the first dedicated research community on associative life. There is no proprietary technology platform; the institute functions as a knowledge intermediation and grant-making intermediary rather than a software or data product company. Revenue is generated solely through partner contributions and donations from a diversified coalition of foundations (Fondation de France, Fondation Carasso, Fondation Credit Cooperatif), public institutions (INJEP, FONJEP), and corporations (ENGIE, Institut Merieux, RYDGE Conseil, Agence LIMITE), with donors receiving French tax benefits available to associations d'interet general. No revenue figure, funding round, or financial benchmark is disclosed.

Name

French Institute for Civil Society Organisations

Legal name

Institut français du Monde associatif

Website

https://institutfrancaisdumondeassociatif.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Partner contributions and donations: As an association d'intérêt général (non-profit of general interest), the institute relies on partner contributions from corporations, foundations, public partners, and civil society actors who support its mission. Donors receive tax benefits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The French Institute for Civil Society Organisations (IFMA) is a non-profit research institute that funds, produces, and disseminates academic knowledge about the French associative (civil society) sector. It operates an annual Research Support Programme awarding grants to researchers, publishes open-access white papers, runs collaborative working groups, hosts national encounters and webinars, awards the annual Prix Simone Andre research prize, and conducts participatory research projects such as ASSTER on associations and territories.

Product overview

The French Institute for Civil Society Organisations (IFMA) is a research support organization, not a software product company. It operates a portfolio of knowledge-sharing offerings including white papers (livres blancs), a competitive research grant programme, working groups, events, and an annual research prize (Prix Simone Andre). The core offering is the Research Support Programme which funds academic research addressing knowledge gaps in civil society. Key publications include white papers on ecological transition, private generosity, and associative democracy. The institute also conducts its own participatory research projects such as ASSTER, which examines associations' contribution to territorial development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Livres blancs (White Papers) Open-access published research syntheses addressing key themes in civil society knowledge needs, including ecological transition, private generosity, and associative democracy in Europe.
• Programme de soutien à la recherche (Research Support Programme) Annual research grant programme supporting projects that address identified knowledge needs of civil society organizations and their partners, targeting social science researchers working on civil society topics.
• Prix Simone Andre Annual research prize named after the institute's founder, awarded to researchers advancing knowledge about civil society.
• Groupes de travail (Working Groups) Collaborative research groups bringing together researchers and associative actors to address specific themes including socio-economic models, governance, and territories.
• Evenements et webinaires (Events and Webinars) National encounters, webinars, and conferences on civil society topics including Franco-German perspectives on private generosity and socio-economic models in sports.
• ASSTER Project Participatory research project studying relationships between associations and territories across three sites: Seine Saint-Denis department, Mulhouse agglomeration, and Brissac-Loire-Aubance community.
• Premier réseau LinkedIn de recherche sur le fait associatif LinkedIn group dedicated to research on associative life, open to researchers working on these topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 months of collaborative work producing white papers on associative territories and ecological transition
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• Fondation de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxelle Davezac, Managing Director of Fondation de France, supports the institute's mission to strengthen knowledge about the civil society sector through research.
• FONJEPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatrick Chenu, President of FONJEP, supports research on socio-economic models and the role of associations as actors of general interest and vectors of social change.
• Agence LIMITEmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerXavier Gay, Director General of Agence LIMITE, emphasizes the institute's role in highlighting the relational substrate of civic action essential for social, economic, and democratic functioning.
• RAMEAUmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles-Benoît Heidsieck, President and Founder of RAMEAU, values the institute's spaces for contradictory dialogue and confrontation of experiences facing systemic challenges.
• ENGIEmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerValérie Gaudart, Director of Culture and Community at ENGIE, supports the institute's work to highlight civil society and engagement opportunities to broader audiences.
• RYDGE ConseilmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBernard Bazillon, President of RYDGE Conseil, contributes to cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange between academic expertise and practical intelligence of field actors.
• Carasso FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarie-Stéphane Maradeix, Former Managing Director of Carasso Foundation, emphasizes that research is essential to understand the ecosystem in which they operate.
• INJEPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThibaut de Saint Pol, Director of INJEP, supports developing knowledge about civil society organisations to enhance and highlight their contribution to society and democracy.
• Fondation Crédit CoopératifmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHugues Sibille, Former President of Fondation Crédit Coopératif, supports improving civil society through forward-looking strategies and understanding ongoing transformations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FONJEP: French public funding body for youth and popular education that supports associations through multi-year grants. IFMA partner operating in the same ecosystem of funding and capacity-building for associations.
• Centre Français des Fondations: French association of foundations that supports research, training, and convening of the French foundation ecosystem, paralleling IFMA's role as a knowledge hub for associations and their funders.
• RAMEAU: French research and consulting organization dedicated to understanding the purpose and civic infrastructure of associations. IFMA partner that delivers comparable thought leadership and convening on associative purpose.
• Fondation Carasso: Spanish-rooted foundation with French operations that explicitly funds civil society research and participatory programmes. IFMA partner with closely comparable funding and research-support mandate.
• INJEP (Institut national de la jeunesse et de l'éducation populaire): French public research institute focused on youth and popular education; core research and funding partner of IFMA. Performs comparable research, publication, and knowledge dissemination functions for adjacent civil society themes.
• Association Française de Fundraising: French fundraising association providing training, research, and advocacy for charities; shares IFMA's mission of strengthening the French civil society ecosystem through knowledge and capacity building.

Broad incumbents

• Fondation de France: The largest French foundation, which is both a strategic partner to IFMA and an overlapping actor supporting civil society research and grant-making. Operates at much larger scale with broader philanthropic programs.
• Philea (formerly European Foundation Centre): Pan-European philanthropy network providing research, advocacy, and convening across the European foundation sector; analogous to IFMA's role but at continental scale and across a broader member base.
• Candid (formerly Foundation Center): US-based data, research, and knowledge platform for the non-profit sector. Functions as a sector knowledge broker analogous to IFMA but at significantly larger scale and with proprietary data assets.

Emerging players

• Independent Sector: US non-profit coalition that conducts research, advocacy, and convening on the civil society sector. Operates a parallel role to IFMA in the United States and is a useful international comparison point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyMJZb0iRQ0ntxh8JDv0F_A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-francais-du-monde-associatif

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about French Institute for Civil Society Organisations