KEFB

What KEFB does

KEFB (Katholische Erwachsenen- und Familienbildung im Bistum Essen gGmbH) is a non-profit Catholic adult and family education provider headquartered in Essen, Germany, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Diocese of Essen (Bistum Essen). The organization delivers education services across 13 regional locations in the Ruhr diocese spanning West, Middle, and East regions, complemented by a Moodle-based online learning platform. Its core product portfolio includes: (1) approximately 5,200+ in-person events per year across 10 subject categories (parents and children, faith, art and culture, everyday life, society and politics, health, cooking, languages, career/volunteering, creativity); (2) the proprietary PräOn (Prävention Online) self-paced e-learning modules for prevention training against sexualized violence, delivered on Moodle with three intensity variants (Basis, Basis-Plus, Intensiv) ranging from 3-12 hours; (3) the Kompetenzzentrum Prävention, a competence center providing certified prevention training to parishes and institutions; and (4) institutional products including the Institutionelles Schutzkonzept (ISK) framework and BNE (Education for Sustainable Development) programming.

KEFB's business model combines four revenue streams: (1) per-course fees from individual participants (set per event with need-based reductions funded by state subsidies), (2) state funding (Landesmittel) covering up to 100% of certain programs, (3) donations and sponsorship targeted at low-threshold offerings for migrants and disadvantaged groups, and (4) a small investment income contribution (EUR 28,617 in 2023). Distribution is primarily community-led through the physical regional facility network, supplemented by self-serve online course registration and in-house B2B training delivery at partner sites (KiTas, schools, healthcare institutions, parishes). Marketing channels include the kefb.info website, regional program brochures, Instagram and Facebook accounts, and referral partnerships with family centers, parishes, and community organizations.

Customer segments are diversified across families with children, working adults, migrants and socially disadvantaged populations, church employees requiring §9 Präventionsordnung certification, seniors, and kindergarten/school staff. The organization serves a participant base of 57,797 (FY2023) with 90.1% recommendation rate. Recent strategic priorities include the diocesan-led 'Christlich leben. Mittendrin.' transformation process, a 2024-2026 organizational development initiative, planned location consolidation, BNE certification pursuit, and digital expansion of prevention training into new institutional verticals (healthcare).

Name

KEFB

Legal name

Katholische Erwachsenen- und Familienbildung im Bistum Essen gGmbH

Website

https://kefb.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KEFB is a non-profit Catholic adult and family education provider in the Ruhr diocese of Germany, operating 13 regional locations and a Moodle-based online platform to deliver 5,200+ courses annually to 57,797 participants, with proprietary prevention training products certified under church-mandated compliance requirements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: Participants pay course fees for educational programs. Fee reductions available for customers in special life situations with financial need, subject to state funding limits.
2. State Funding (Landesmittel): Government funding from the state, with some reductions of up to 100% for certain programs.
3. Donations and Sponsorship: Donations from supporters to enable education for all people in the Ruhr diocese. Sponsors sought for low-threshold educational offerings especially for migrants and their families.
4. Investment Income: Returns from securities and financial investments contributed 28,617.67 EUR in 2023 (prior year: 14,597.64 EUR).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KEFB (Katholische Erwachsenen- und Familienbildung im Bistum Essen gGmbH) is a Catholic adult and family education provider that delivers in-person and online courses across ten subject categories (parents and children, faith, art and culture, everyday life, society and politics, health and movement, cooking, languages, career and volunteering, and creativity) at 13 regional locations across the Ruhr diocese. It also operates the Kompetenzzentrum Prävention (Competence Center for Prevention) offering training against sexualized violence, including the proprietary PräOn (Prävention Online) self-learning modules delivered via Moodle.

Product overview

KEFB (Katholische Erwachsenen- und Familienbildung im Bistum Essen gGmbH) is a Catholic adult and family education provider operating across the Diocese of Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The organization functions as a multi-location educational institution offering a portfolio of in-person and online courses spanning ten subject categories (parents and children, faith, art and culture, everyday life, society and politics, health and exercise, cooking, languages, career and volunteering, and creativity). The product portfolio includes the PräOn (Prävention Online) self-paced e-learning program delivered via Moodle for prevention of sexualized violence, a dedicated BNE (Education for Sustainable Development) course and strategy framework, regional Programmheft (course catalog) publications, and the Institutionelles Schutzkonzept (ISK) policy framework. Services are delivered through eleven locations organized into West, Middle, and East regions, supplemented by a digital platform offering online courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PräOn (Prävention Online): Online self-learning modules for prevention training against sexualized violence, available on the Moodle platform. Offers courses in three variants: Basis, Basis-Plus, and Intensiv, with time requirements from 3 to 12 hours.

Products and services

• PrävOn (Prävention Online) Online self-learning prevention training against sexualized violence, delivered via Moodle in three variants (Basis, Basis-Plus, Intensiv) ranging from three to twelve hours across up to nine modules, with learning diary documentation and certificate issuance. Targeted at church employees, volunteers, and institutional staff needing §9 Präventionsordnung compliance.
• Online Course Catalog (Online-Kurse) Digital learning platform offering courses across ten categories: parents and children, faith and thinking, art and culture, everyday life, society and politics, health and movement, cooking and enjoyment, languages, career and volunteering, and creativity. Available to individual learners for lifelong learning across topics.
• Kompetenzzentrum Prävention (Prevention Competence Center) Center providing planning, coordination, delivery, and development of prevention training formats and advanced seminars against sexualized violence for parishes, associations, and institutions — both on-site and digital.
• BNE Courses and Strategy (Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung) Education for Sustainable Development programming including a dedicated Moodle self-paced course for staff and a framework of eight core sustainability goals targeting BNE certification for adult learners and employees.
• In-house Team Days and Custom Training at Partner Sites Customized in-house training days and custom PräOn prevention modules delivered at partner organizations including kindergartens, schools, healthcare institutions, and parishes, combining digital and in-person formats tailored to the host organization's needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90.1% of surveyed participants would recommend their course to others
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• KiTa-ZweckverbandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Ongoing cooperation with the kindergarten association providing custom PräOn (Prävention Online) modules for daycare staff. The collaboration includes ongoing support for individual KiTas and employees in the context of prevention training. Module 2 (Legal Foundations) was provided for all participants in the new KiTa year.
• Johannes-Kessels-AkademiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntensive prevention courses (12 hours each) conducted at the academy in Gladbeck with 14 classes (approx. 310 students) in school year 2022/23. Combined digital and in-person training formats delivered.
• Praxis für Sexualität DuisburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in conducting the 180-hour advanced training for Tim Westphal as 'Fachkraft Prävention und Intervention' (Prevention and Intervention Specialist), along with Kinderschutzbund Krefeld.
• Kinderschutzbund KrefeldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in conducting the 180-hour advanced training for Tim Westphal as 'Fachkraft Prävention und Intervention' (Prevention and Intervention Specialist), along with Praxis für Sexualität Duisburg.
• ARIC-NRW e.V. (Anti-Rassismus Informations-Centrum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted sensitization workshop 'Umgang mit Rassismus' (Dealing with Racism) for KEFB Region Mitte employees in November 2024, providing inputs and exercises on racism and discrimination fundamentals.
• ClimateMindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration started in 2023 for climate communication training and sustainability initiatives. In January-July 2025, collaboration with climate psychologists continued with advanced training concept for all full-time employees.
• Bistum EssencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing institutional framework, mission alignment, and coordination through the Ressort Kulturentwicklung. Partners in transformation process 'Christlich leben. Mittendrin.' (CLM) and prevention coordination with Präventionsbeauftragte Dorothé Möllenberg.
• kreuz + queerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLGBTQ+ support organization cooperating with KEFB to reach younger and same-sex couples as target audiences for educational offerings.
• Trauteam des Bistums EssenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurch marriage preparation team cooperating with KEFB to reach engaged couples and young families.
• Familienzentren and FamiliengrundschulzentrencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily centers and family school centers as key cooperation partners for reaching parents and families with educational programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• KEB Deutschland (Katholische Erwachsenenbildung): Umbrella association of Catholic adult education providers across all German dioceses; KEFB is a member-context peer offering the same faith-based adult education services in the Ruhr region.
• Kolping-Bildungswerk: Catholic adult and continuing education network closely comparable to KEFB in mission, faith-based affiliation, and adult/family education programming across German dioceses.
• Familienbildungsstätte Bonn: Public family education center in a comparable NRW city offering parent-child, family, and adult education programs with similar community-led delivery and subsidized course model.
• Volkshochschule Essen (VHS): Publicly funded adult education center operating in the same Essen geography as KEFB, offering overlapping course categories (languages, health, culture, politics) with state subsidies; the most direct local competitor.
• Bildungswerk der Erzdiözese Köln: Catholic adult education provider for the Archdiocese of Cologne operating a comparable multi-location model of lifelong learning courses and prevention training under the same German Catholic framework.
• Evangelisches Bildungswerk Westfalen und Lippe: Protestant counterpart to KEFB operating in the same North Rhine-Westphalia region with similar lifelong learning, family education, and qualification programs across multiple locations.
• Katholische Erwachsenenbildung Bayern (KEB Bayern): State-level umbrella of Catholic adult education in Bavaria; a regional Catholic adult education peer operating under the same national church adult education framework as KEFB.

Others

• ARIC-NRW e.V. Anti-racism information center in NRW that is a current strategic partner of KEFB (conducting sensitization workshops for KEFB staff); an ecosystem-adjacent organization rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• DAA Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie: Large national adult and vocational education provider with broader workforce training focus; comparable in its multi-location delivery and use of state funding, but operates as a broad commercial/educational incumbent rather than a faith-based community specialist.
• Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw): Major adult and vocational education group in Germany; competes for state training subsidies and corporate upskilling mandates that overlap with KEFB's 'Beruf und Ehrenamt' course category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kefbimbistumessen
• Instagraminstagram.com/kefb_imbistumessen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kefb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KEFB