KICKFAIR e.V.

What KICKFAIR e.V. does

KICKFAIR e.V. is a German nonprofit registered association (eingetragener Verein, VR 1731 Amtsgericht Esslingen) headquartered in Ostfildern near Stuttgart, operating since 1994 (formally constituted 2007) with a staff of approximately 16. The organization uses street football as a non-formal educational methodology to teach democratic competencies to children and youth aged roughly 10–17, primarily through partner schools (Hauptschulen, Realschulen, Gesamtschulen, Mittelschulen) across Germany. Its core product is the Three-Halves Method, a structured playing format in which participants negotiate rules before a match, play in the second phase, and reflect on fairness and democratic behavior in the third; this is operationalized via the StraßenfußballDEMOKRATIEtoolkit (24 democracy concept cards, image cards, and teaching materials), the KICKFAIR Akademie for educator training, STRAßENFUßBALLporträts video storytelling, and DEMOKRATIEdialoge community dialogue events.\n\nThe business model is a grant-funded nonprofit model in which schools and youth receive the entire methodology, toolkit, training, and event access free of charge. Revenue is sourced from foundation grants (Robert Bosch Stiftung, Beisheim Stiftung, Dirk Nowitzki Stiftung, Stiftung Kick ins Leben), federal government funding (Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, Bundeskanzleramt, Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement-supported entities such as Deutsche Postcode Lotterie), and individual donations. Go-to-market operates through three motions: a community-led model in which Youth Leaders who progressed through the program activate younger cohorts; an event-driven model anchored by the Common Ground #24 project (24 events across 24 Bundesliga cities during UEFA EURO 2024 reaching 12,000+ youth from 150 schools); and a direct-to-channel model in which schools request the toolkit and Akademie training through the website. Distribution extends internationally to partner organizations in 16 countries across South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.\n\nKICKFAIR holds seven high-credibility awards including Laureus Sport for Good, UNAOC Intercultural Innovation Award, UNESCO Decade recognition, and selection into the German Federal Ministry of the Interior's official UEFA EURO 2024 program. Leadership is a two-person board (Regina Saur, 1st Chair; Anja Tegtmeier, 2nd Chair). The organization is operationally active with no subsidiaries, no M&A history, and no publicly disclosed financial statements beyond its Transparente Zivilgesellschaft reporting.

Name

KICKFAIR e.V.

Legal name

KICKFAIR e.V.

Website

https://kickfair.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KICKFAIR e.V. is a German nonprofit that uses street football and a proprietary Three-Halves Method to teach democratic competencies to youth through 150+ partner schools, funded by federal grants and foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (61171), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)

Keywords

• Youth civic education
• Street football methodology
• Democracy education programs
• Global learning curriculum
• School partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ostfildern

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Grants: KICKFAIR receives funding from foundations and corporations including Robert Bosch Stiftung, Dirk Nowitzki Stiftung, Beisheim Stiftung, Stiftung Kick ins Leben, and others who support youth education and democracy programs.
2. Government Funding: Federal ministry funding from Bundesministerium des Innern and Bundeskanzleramt supports specific projects like Common Ground #24 and the DEMOKRATIEdialoge series.
3. Donations: Individual donations from supporters who believe in the organization's mission of youth democracy education through street football.
4. Membership Fees: As a registered association (e.V.), KICKFAIR may receive membership contributions from its members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KICKFAIR e.V. delivers civic and global learning education for children and adolescents using street football as its core experiential methodology. It produces and disseminates the StraßensefußballDEMOKRATIEtoolkit, runs the KICKFAIR Akademie training program for educators and youth leaders, and convenes participation formats such as Common Ground #24 and DEMOKRATIEdialoge. Programs are delivered primarily through a national partner-school network and reach both educators (B2B) and youth participants (B2C).

Product overview

KICKFAIR e.V. operates a unified educational methodology built around street football as a vehicle for democracy education. The core offering consists of the KICKFAIR street football methodology (three-halves approach), complemented by the #StraßenfußballDEMOKRATIEtoolkit for classroom implementation, STRAßENFUßBALLporträts for inspirational storytelling, and DEMOKRATIEdialoge for community engagement. Additional offerings include the KICKFAIR Akademie for professional training, Globales Lernen materials for international perspectives, and the Common Ground #24 project initiative. Together these products form an integrated ecosystem where street football serves as the experiential foundation for democratic learning, personal development, and youth empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StraßenfußballDEMOKRATIE: A project combining street football with democracy education, including the DEMOKRATIEtoolkit, STRAßENFUßBALLporträts, and DEMOKRATIEdialoge.
• Common Ground #24
• KICKFAIR Akademie

Products and services

• StraßensefußballDEMOKRATIEtoolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% of surveyed youth fully agree they are engaged and contribute to democratic coexistence (2024 survey)
• +3 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Formation (Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partner organization in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. Implements street football for education access, with Youth Leader Talia representing the organization.
• Chigol (Chile)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partner organization in Chile contributing to global learning network and exchange programs.
• Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan (India)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partner from India in the Training-of-Trainers network, using sport for social change.
• ActionAid Hellas (Greece)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partner from Greece participating in global Training-of-Trainers exchange.
• Vakapipoko (Paraguay)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partner from Paraguay in the global street football network.
• Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025German institute for foreign relations supporting international exchange and cultural dialogue programs.
• ROOF FootballminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Football for development organization partner in international network.
• DFL StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Joint organization of Youth Forum #24 with DFL Stiftung, Lernort Stadion, and VfL Wolfsburg. Focus on youth participation and engagement conditions.
• VfL WolfsburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Co-host of Youth Forum #24 at Volkswagen Arena. Partnership for promoting youth engagement through football.
• Lernort Stadion e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Partner in Youth Forum #24 initiative focused on youth participation conditions in football and society.
• RB LeipzigcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Host venue for DEMOKRATIEdialog Leipzig at RB-Arena. Partnership bringing together youth with sustainability and civic engagement.
• VfB-Stiftung "Brustring der Herzen"coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2024Partnership for the 'Alle spielen mit – Demokratie gewinnt' event held at VfB Stuttgart stadium. Joint initiative using football's power to promote democratic participation among youth.
• STELPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2024Partner alongside VfB-Stiftung and KICKFAIR for youth democracy events. STELP is a humanitarian aid organization using sports for social impact.
• BVB-LernzentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2024Dortmund-based partner organizing street football events at BVB stadium locations, enabling youth engagement in the Ruhr region.
• Common GoalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024International partner in the football for good movement. KICKFAIR is part of the Common Ground #24 consortium funded by BMI.
• AMANDLAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in the Common Ground #24 consortium, bringing football for development expertise.
• Teach First DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Educational partner in Common Ground #24, contributing expertise in youth development and school partnerships.
• Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und EhrenamtminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-organizer with Deutsche Postcode Lotterie of dialogue events on engagement and democracy.
• Stiftung Kick ins LebencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Munich-based foundation enabling KICKFAIR's Querpass-Zukunft program and partnerships with Mittelschulen in Munich.
• FC Bayern MünchenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner providing support for youth engagement programs and creating new learning spaces.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Street League (UK): UK charity using sport, particularly football, to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into education and employment. Shares the sport-as-vehicle-for-youth-development thesis but with a stronger employability rather than civic-education angle.

Others

• SOS-Kinderdörfer (SOS Children's Villages Germany): Large German non-profit supporting children and young people in difficult family situations through residential care, education, and advocacy. Comparable scale and German non-profit context, but distinct mission area (welfare vs. civic education through sport).
• Aktion Mensch: Major German social-impact organization funding inclusion, education, and civic participation projects with lottery proceeds. Comparable scale, funding role, and civic-participation focus, but not a direct sport-for-development competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation supporting sport-for-development programs worldwide and awarding the Laureus Sport for Good Award. Operates at much larger scale as a funder/network rather than direct program delivery, comparable in mission but not delivery model.

Direct peers

• Lernort Stadion e.V. German association offering civic and political education programs at Bundesliga stadiums. Joint co-host of Youth Forum #24 with KICKFAIR, using football venues as civic learning spaces with overlapping school and Bundesliga-club networks.
• Common Goal (formerly streetfootballworld): Global football-for-good collective that convenes clubs, foundations, and NGOs around sport-based social change. KICKFAIR is an active Common Ground #24 consortium partner with Common Goal, sharing the football-for-development mission and network model.
• Teach First Deutschland: German non-profit placing top graduates as teachers and leaders in schools serving low-income communities. KICKFAIR and Teach First Deutschland are co-partners in Common Ground #24, both targeting educational equity in Hauptschulen/Realschulen/Gesamtschulen.
• AMANDLA: South African football-for-development NGO using the sport as a vehicle for youth education and social inclusion. KICKFAIR and AMANDLA are co-partners in Common Ground #24, sharing street-football-based youth engagement methodology.
• Right To Play: Global organization using sport and play to educate and empower children in marginalized communities. Highly comparable mission (sport-based youth education and civic development) with direct in-country operations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung (DKJS): Large German foundation running national programs for youth participation, education, and democratic development. Shares KICKFAIR's focus on school-based youth civic engagement and is a comparable scale player in the German non-formal education landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kickfair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kickfair-e-v

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 KICKFAIR e.V.