Læseforeningen*

What Læseforeningen* does

Læseforeningen is a Danish non-profit civic society organization (forening) founded in 2010 and headquartered at Godsbanen in Aarhus C, with a project office in Copenhagen and a secondary site in Ebeltoft. The organization introduced the guidet fælleslæsning (guided collective reading) method to Denmark, a structured facilitation protocol in which trained volunteer reading guides lead weekly group sessions combining aloud reading, open questions, and collective reflection on shared literary texts. Approximately 400 trained volunteers organize roughly 250 weekly reading communities across 15+ Danish cities, embedded in care homes, psychiatric institutions, schools, libraries, housing associations, and community venues, serving populations including elderly citizens experiencing loneliness, youth in vulnerable positions, psychiatric patients, ethnic minorities, and school children.

The product surface extends beyond the core reading groups into a structured ecosystem of programs: a 3-day reading guide training course, the Skolen for Læsekunst external professional training (a 4-day course at Hald Hovedgård priced at 12,500 DKK), the skønlitterær aktivister development program for young people (120 trained since 2022), the skønlitterær følgeven (literary companion) role for youth in vulnerable positions, the annual sommerskole summer school at Rødding Højskole, the Tankegræs youth literary magazine, the Skønlitterær beredskabsplan anthology co-published with Forlaget Novellix, and the Tilst Læser literary festival.

Revenue is generated primarily through multi-year grants from Danish private foundations and public sector sources — including Det Obelske Familiefond (3,247,310 DKK over 3 years), Nordea-fonden (~1 million DKK over 3 years), Region Midtjylland (2.5 million DKK for 2025-2028), Velux Fonden, Honoré Fonden, TrygFonden, Fonden Ensomme Gamles Værn, and CISU — supplemented by three tiers of individual membership (100/200/300 DKK annually), donations, and external training and summer school fees. The organization is led by founder-Director Mette Steenberg with a small professional secretariat of approximately 9 staff, and the delivery model is volunteer-driven with no commercial sales motion and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Læseforeningen*

Legal name

Læseforeningen

Website

https://laeseforeningen.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Læseforeningen is a Danish non-profit founded in 2010 that operates the guidet fælleslæsning method, training around 400 volunteer reading guides to run roughly 250 weekly reading communities for elderly, youth in vulnerable positions, psychiatric patients, and ethnic minorities across Denmark.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Reading and Literary Social Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reading Comprehension & Close Reading Enrichment (EDAMAJAB), K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention (EDANAJAA)

Keywords

• Community reading programs
• Guided collective reading
• Literary social services
• Volunteer reading groups
• Reading facilitator training

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus C

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership with automatic yearly renewal. Regular membership costs 300 kr/year, reduced membership 200 kr/year, and volunteer membership 100 kr/year. Membership provides access to volunteer programs, sommerskole, and other member activities.
2. Donations: One-time donations accepted from supporters. Covered by 14-day withdrawal right.
3. External funding (private foundations and public grants): The organization is primarily funded by external private foundation grants and public sector project funding. Sources include Nordea-fonden, Velux Fonden, Det Obelske Familiefond, Honoré Fonden, Fonden Ensomme Gamles Værn, Region Midtjylland's kultur- og sundhedspulje, and various municipal collaborations. Multiple multi-year project grants documented (e.g., 2.5 million kr for Region Midtjylland psychiatric infrastructure; 275,000 kr for 'Læsefællesskaber på modersmål').
4. Course and training fees: External partners and individuals can pay to attend the 4-day course in guided collective reading at Hald Hovedgård. Course costs 12,500 kr, including accommodation and meals. Also provides free training to volunteer reading guides.
5. Sommerskole participation fee: Annual summer school for active volunteer reading guides charges 300 kr per participant, covering accommodation and bus transport from Copenhagen, Odense, or Aarhus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Læseforeningen operates volunteer-led weekly reading communities across Denmark using its proprietary "guidet fælleslæsning" (guided collective reading) method, which combines reading aloud with open questions and collective reflection on fiction texts. The organization trains volunteer reading guides (læseguider) who facilitate approximately 250 weekly reading groups serving vulnerable populations including elderly experiencing loneliness, youth in vulnerable positions, psychiatric patients, and ethnic minority communities. Supplementary offerings include training courses, a literary magazine (Tankegræs), a published anthology (Skønlitterær beredskabsplan), and an annual summer school.

Product overview

Læseforeningen is a Danish civil society organization founded in 2010 that operates a single unified methodology called 'guidet fælleslæsning' (guided collective reading) supported by multiple complementary programs. The core offering consists of volunteer-led reading communities that meet weekly across Denmark. The organization also provides training programs (Uddannelsen i guidet fælleslæsning, Skønlitterære aktivister, Skønlitterære følgevenner), manages publications (Tankegræs magazine, Skønlitterær beredskabsplan anthology), runs educational initiatives (Skolen for Læsekunst, Sommerskole summer school), and organizes events (Tilst Læser festival). All offerings are built around the guided collective reading methodology and aim to combat loneliness and social isolation through literature-based community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skolen for Læsekunst: School for Reading Art - provides courses in guided collective reading for external partners including teachers, authors, priests, social educators, and other professionals.
• Aarhus Levende Litteraturby
• Skønlitterære følgevenner
• Skønlitterær beredskabsplan
• Tankegræs

Products and services

• Annual Membership
• 4-Day Course in Guided Collective Reading at Hald Hovedgård
• Sommerskole (Summer School)
• Skønlitterær beredskabsplan (Literary Emergency Plan) Anthology
• Tankegræs (Literary Magazine)

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 250 weekly reading communities organized across Denmark
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, local, international, editorial, academic, strategic and municipal.

• Region MidtjyllandmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Region Midtjylland's kultur- og sundhedspulje awarded 2.5 million DKK for 'En skønlitterær infrastruktur – læsefællesskaber i og efter psykiatrien' project (2025-2028) in partnership with multiple psychiatric institutions, libraries, and civil society organizations across the region.
• Caritas DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Caritas Danmark for the 'Læsefællesskaber på modersmål' project, where Caritas provides access to existing community structures and participant recruitment for elderly ethnic minorities.
• GodsbanencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGodsbanen is a major cultural production center in Aarhus and the primary headquarters for Læseforeningen. Collaboration on multiple projects including 'Det Poetiske Kvarter' and hosting the organization's secretariat.
• Aarhus LitteraturcentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAarhus Litteraturcenter works to create lively and diverse encounters with literature and advocates for literature beyond the physical book, including bringing literature into urban spaces. Co-partner in 'Det Poetiske Kvarter' project.
• INSP! (Roskilde)localStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for training sessions of literary companions in Roskilde. INSP! provides physical space for the training program.
• Skolen for Recovery (Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year collaboration on the 'Skønlitterær brobygning og medskabelse i Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri' project, developing a model for literary communities bridging psychiatry and civil society, supported by Velux Fonden.
• Zmistom (Ukraine)internationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian partner organization (based in Odesa) that initiated contact and collaborated to bring guided collective reading to Ukraine. Læseforeningen trained 8 Ukrainian activists from Zmistom partner NGOs in June 2025. Project runs 12 months with return visits planned.
• Forlaget NovellixeditorialStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partnership for the anthology 'Skønlitterær beredskabsplan' released January 2026. Novellix handles distribution and sales of the publication. Novellix publishes small books with one novella per book, featuring cover art by Scandinavian graphic designers.
• Roskilde BibliotekerlocalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Roskilde Libraries for the literary activist program in Roskilde, providing venue and local coordination support. Project supported by Nordea-fonden.
• VIA University CollegeacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for the 'Fælles om læsning' (Common about reading) project, which systematically tested guided collective reading in Danish public schools over three years, with research contribution from Lise Majgaard, lecturer at VIA.
• DFUNK - Dansk Flygtningehjælp UngdomlocalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Flugtens mange ansigter' (Many faces of escape) guided reading events at Godsbanen in Aarhus, targeting refugee youth and exploring themes of escape through literature.
• Tænketanken Fremtidens BibliotekerstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the think tank on the 'Skønlitterære aktivister' (Literary activists) project, aimed at strengthening young people's democratic voice and creating meaningful communities based on literature.
• Odense KommunemunicipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for reading communities targeting elderly with ethnic minority backgrounds in Odense, funded by Odense Municipality.
• Københavns UniversitetacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration for the 'Ensomhedens æstetik' (Aesthetics of loneliness) project, where Læseforeningen provides reading community methodology for a study on how solitary Copenhageners experience and manage loneliness, supported by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond 2025-2028.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stichting Lezen: Dutch foundation dedicated to promoting reading and literacy across age groups, with research, advocacy, and program delivery roles. Comparable as a national reading-promotion nonprofit in a neighboring European market.
• Foreningen !les: Norwegian reading promotion association working to increase reading engagement across age groups and vulnerable populations. Closest Scandinavian functional analogue to Læseforeningen, operating as a national nonprofit in a near-adjacent market.
• The Reading Agency: UK charity focused on tackling life's big challenges through reading, including reading groups for older adults and people with mental health conditions. Operates similar volunteer-led reading community programs with national reach.
• Aarhus Litteraturcenter: Danish literary center working to create diverse encounters with literature and bring literature beyond the physical book. Active co-partner with Læseforeningen on Det Poetiske Kvarter, with overlapping mission around literary community-building in Aarhus.
• The Reader: UK charity that pioneered shared reading groups for wellbeing and mental health, using a methodology closely paralleling Læseforeningen's guidet fælleslæsning. Comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit delivering facilitator-led literary communities to vulnerable populations.

Broad incumbents

• Dansk Biblioteksforening: Danish Library Association representing public libraries nationwide. A broader incumbent in the Danish literary/cultural infrastructure space that Læseforeningen partners with but does not compete with at scale.
• Det Danske Kulturinstitut: Danish Cultural Institute promoting Danish culture internationally with offices in multiple countries. Adjacent in cultural-mission space and relevant for international expansion comparison; broader portfolio than Læseforeningen's focused literary offering.

Regional players

• Svenska Litteraturfrämjandet: Swedish literature-promotion association running book circles, reading groups, and literary events nationally. Comparable Swedish peer with very similar book-club and guided-reading activities, operating in a neighboring Nordic market.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@laeseforeningen
• Facebookfacebook.com/laeseforeningen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laeseforeningen
• Instagraminstagram.com/laeseforeningen

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 Læseforeningen*