Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar

What Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar does

Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar is Germany's oldest children's hospice, founded in 1998 and operated under the trusteeship of GFO (Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe mbH), a Catholic charitable network of more than 100 social and healthcare facilities employing over 15,000 people. Headquartered at Maria-Theresia-Str. 30a in Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Balthasar provides residential hospice care for families with children, adolescents, and young adults (0-27 years) diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses, beginning from the moment of diagnosis and continuing through bereavement. Its service portfolio spans the core inpatient hospice, the BalthasarMobil home-based pediatric nursing service, and the BalthasarZentrum multi-service hub — which houses the Trauerzentrum (grief center with child and youth mourning groups), the BalthasarAkademie (DHPV/DGP-certified grief counseling training), BalthasarKultur cultural programs, BalthasarNebenan neighbor services, and the Schreck-lass-nach-Koffer luggage service for traveling families.

The organization's revenue model is hybrid and characteristic of German non-profit hospice care: approximately 50% of operating costs are financed through statutory health insurance (Krankenkassen) reimbursements under German hospice-care regulations, with the remaining ~50% covered by charitable donations, bequests, sponsorships, and foundation contributions channeled through the affiliated BalthasarHelfen foundation. A separate fee-for-service revenue stream is generated through the BalthasarAkademie's professional training programs, notably the 9-module grief counseling qualification priced at €4,500 per participant with accommodation and meals included. The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary and consists of standard web infrastructure, open-source analytics (Matomo), open-source marketing automation (Mautic), PayPal donation processing, and a smart phone assistant (Aaron.ai) for appointment handling.

Customer acquisition is community- and referral-led: families enter the hospice through pediatricians, hospitals, and social-service referrals, while donor acquisition runs through social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), direct donor communications, community events, and seven celebrity patrons (including Christoph Maria Herbst, Rolf Zuckowski, and Birgit Schrowange) who lend public visibility. The organization is fully integrated into the GFO compliance framework, including Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (LkSG), Kirchlicher Datenschutz (KDG), and UN/ILO human rights standards.

Name

Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar

Legal name

Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe mbH (GFO)

Website

https://kinderhospiz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar, founded 1998 in Olpe, Germany, is the country's oldest children's hospice, providing residential and home-based pediatric palliative care, grief counseling, and certified training for families with life-limited children and young adults aged 0-27.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care (HLADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pediatric Hospice & Palliative In-Home Care (HSABAFAE), Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Pediatric hospice care
• Children's palliative care
• Grief counseling services
• Home pediatric nursing
• Hospice charity fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Olpe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Statutory Health Insurance Reimbursement (Krankenkassen): A portion of operational costs are covered by statutory health insurance (Krankenkassen) under German healthcare regulations for hospice care. This represents the primary institutional funding stream.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions (Zuwendungen/Spenden): Approximately 50% of total operating costs must be financed through donations, charitable contributions, and public support. The BalthasarHelfen foundation actively solicits donations, sponsorships, bequests, and foundation endowments.
3. Education and Training Fees: Revenue generated from educational programs such as the BalthasarAkademie's grief counseling qualification (Basisqualifikation zur Trauerbegleitung), which costs 4,500 EUR per participant. This represents a fee-for-service professional development offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Germany's oldest children's hospice (founded 1998) providing residential and home-based pediatric palliative and hospice care for children, adolescents, and young adults with life-limiting illnesses, beginning at the time of diagnosis. The organization delivers skilled nursing care, psychosocial support for the entire family unit (including healthy siblings), respite stays, end-of-life care, and long-term bereavement support through its in-patient facility, mobile home nursing service (BalthasarMobil), and a multi-service center offering grief counseling and certified training programs (BalthasarAkademie).

Product overview

Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar operates as a comprehensive hospice care organization offering a unified portfolio of services centered on supporting families with children, adolescents, and young adults facing life-limiting illnesses. The core offering is the residential children's hospice (Germany's oldest, established 1998) providing care from diagnosis, supplemented by home-based pediatric nursing (BalthasarMobil) and donation/fundraising support (BalthasarHelfen). The BalthasarZentrum serves as a multi-service hub combining grief support services (Trauerzentrum with child and youth mourning groups), professional education (BalthasarAkademie offering grief counseling qualifications), cultural programs (BalthasarKultur), and practical services (BalthasarNebenan, Schreck-lass-nach-Koffer). Approximately 50% of operating costs are funded through donations and charitable contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BalthasarHelfen: Foundation and donation arm of the children's hospice offering sponsorships, donations, and legacy gifts
• BalthasarMobil
• BalthasarZentrum
• BalthasarAkademie
• Trauerzentrum
• Balthasar-Gedenktag

Products and services

• Kinder- und Jugendhospiz (Residential Children's and Youth Hospice) Residential hospice stays in Olpe, Germany offering skilled nursing care for ill children and adolescents, respite for parents, psychosocial support for the entire family unit (including healthy siblings), end-of-life care, and continued bereavement support. Care begins at diagnosis and extends through bereavement.
• BalthasarMobil (Home-Based Pediatric Nursing) Mobile, home-based pediatric nursing and palliative care service delivering medical care and support for seriously ill children in their own homes. Part of the BalthasarZentrum service portfolio.
• BalthasarAkademie (Grief Counseling Qualification Training) Certified professional training program providing a basic qualification in grief counseling for adults with a specialized focus on supporting families when children die. The 9-module weekend program covers grief theory, methodology, self-reflection, and supervised practice. Total cost: 4,500 EUR including accommodation and meals at Tagungshaus Kardinal Schulte Haus in Bensberg. Payment is structured at 500 EUR per module.
• Trauerzentrum (Grief Counseling Center) Bereavement support center offering structured grief counseling for children, adolescents, and adults, including child mourning groups (ages 7-12), youth mourning groups, and ongoing counseling for bereaved family members following the death of a child.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• GFO - Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe mbHcoreOthersGFO is the parent organization/träger (trustee) of the Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Balthasar. GFO is a charitable organization operating more than 100 facilities in social and health services with over 15,000 employees. Franciscan values (franziskanische Werte) such as openness (Offenheit) and attentiveness (Zugewandtheit) are lived within the hospice. The GFO umbrella provides institutional support, shared services, and a framework for compliance including the Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (LkSG) commitments.
• BalthasarHelfen FoundationcoreOthersBalthasarHelfen is the fundraising and donation arm of the children's hospice. It manages donations (Spende), sponsorships (Patenschaft), bequests (Testament/Zustiftung), gift certificates (Balthasar-Geschenkurkunde), trust foundations (Treuhandstiftung), founder loans (Stifterdarlehen), and volunteer programs (Ehrenamt). This foundation is integral to covering the ~50% of operating costs that must be financed through charitable contributions.
• Sparkasse Olpe (Banking Partner)minorOthersThe Kinder- und Jugendhospizstiftung Balthasar holds its bank account at Sparkasse Olpe (BIC: WELADED1OPE, IBAN: DE76 4625 0049 0000 0555 58). This is a routine banking relationship for donation processing and organizational finances.
• Prominente Pat:innen (Celebrity Patrons)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerSeven prominent German personalities serve as patrons: Christoph Maria Herbst (actor), Moritz Netenjakob (comedian), Peter Prange (author), Ralf Schmitz (comedian), Birgit Schrowange (TV presenter), Kerstin Szymkowiak (athlete), and Rolf Zuckowski (musician). They publicly support the hospice, lending their names to raise awareness and credibility among the German public.
• Tagungshaus Kardinal Schulte Haus (Bensberg)minorOthersThe seminar venue used for the BalthasarAkademie's grief counseling training program. Located in Bensberg, it provides accommodation and meals as part of the training program package (included in the 4,500 EUR course fee).
• IN VIA (Freiwilligendienst Kooperationspartner)minorOthersThe hospice offers a Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr (FSJ / Voluntary Social Year) program exclusively in cooperation with IN VIA (Diözesanverband Paderborn). IN VIA is certified for quality standards of voluntary services in the Catholic sector. Young volunteers (from August 1, 2026 for 12 months) are placed at the hospice through this partnership.
• Katholische Datenschutzzentrum – Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (Supervisory Authority)minorOthersThe competent supervisory authority for data protection (as referenced in the privacy policy). Located at Brackeler Hellweg 144, 44309 Dortmund. Families and website visitors can file complaints regarding data protection violations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kinderhospiz Sternenbrücke: Hamburg-based children's hospice providing residential and ambulatory pediatric palliative care. Directly comparable to Balthasar in mission, patient population (life-limited children), funding model (donations + statutory insurance), and family-system care approach.
• Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Regenbogenland: Düsseldorf-area children's hospice offering residential stays and home-based palliative care for life-limited children. Directly comparable to Balthasar's residential + ambulatory + family-support model.
• Kinderhospiz Bärenherz: Leipzig-based children's hospice offering residential palliative care, home-based support, and sibling/parent programs. Directly comparable service portfolio and target demographic to Balthasar.
• Arche Noah Kinderhospiz: Gelsenkirchen-based children's hospice affiliated with Malteser, providing inpatient palliative care, ambulatory services, and family programs. Direct peer to Balthasar in mission and service mix.
• Kinderhospiz Löwenherz: Bremen-based children's hospice with residential facilities, ambulatory pediatric palliative care, and family grief services. Direct peer to Balthasar in scale, scope, and donation-driven funding model.
• Kinderhospiz St. Nikolaus: Bad Grönenbach-based pediatric hospice under Caritas/Allgäu network, offering residential palliative and respite care. Direct comparable to Balthasar's residential and family-focused offering.
• Björn Schulz Stiftung: Berlin-based foundation running children's and youth hospice services (Sonnenhof) with home-based palliative care and family bereavement support. Comparable in mission, services, and nonprofit structure to Balthasar.

Emerging players

• SAPV-Teams für Kinder und Jugendliche (regional providers): Specialized pediatric palliative home-care teams (Spezialisierte Ambulante Pädiatrische Palliativversorgung) operating across German federal states. Comparable to BalthasarMobil's home-care mission and partially overlap in service delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. Large German Catholic relief and healthcare organization operating pediatric hospice services (including Arche Noah) and ambulatory palliative care. Comparable as a broader nonprofit healthcare incumbent in the same space as GFO/Balthasar.
• Deutscher Kinderhospizverein e.V. National advocacy and support association for children's hospices and affected families in Germany. Comparable ecosystem context to Balthasar but operates as a network/advocate rather than a single-site care provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRa-twqjNQKajXgaCSrkEYw
• Facebookfacebook.com/KinderundJugendhospizBalthasar
• Instagraminstagram.com/kinderhospiz_balthasar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kinder--und-jugendhospiz-balthasar

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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