Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V.

What Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V. does

Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V., founded in 1958 and headquartered in Marburg, Germany (with a Berlin Bundesgeschäftsstelle), is a registered charitable association (eingetragener Verein) and Germany's leading self-help organization for people with cognitive disabilities and support needs and their families. It operates through a federated structure of 471 local and regional associations and 16 state-level associations, with a 64-employee federal office that coordinates advocacy, publications, training, and member services. Core products include the Lebenshilfe-Zeitung (92,000 circulation quarterly), the Teilhabe professional journal (3,964 subscribers), Rechtsdienst der Lebenshilfe (3,772 subscribers), the Lebenshilfe Verlag book publishing operation (10 new titles in 2025), Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) digital content including an online dictionary, the Bildungsinstitut inForm (111 training events with 2,021 participants in 2025), the SEH-WEISEN art calendar program, and the Bubl independent complaints office. A digital legal module "Recht der Menschen mit Behinderungen" was launched on the beck-online platform in October 2024.

Revenue is generated through five streams: recurring membership dues from the 471 local/regional and 16 state associations, public grants (federal ministry BMFSFJ, statutory health insurance GKV, Aktion Mensch), donations and testamentary bequests (via an online spenden-portal), publication and merchandise sales (online shop), and framework-agreement partnerships with corporate sponsors (Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom, Ford, Novartis, toom Baumarkt, Airbnb, IU Internationale Hochschule). Go-to-market is community-led, with the federal body serving as advocacy coordinator, policy spokesperson, and service backbone for member associations that in turn deliver direct disability services nationwide. Federal-level revenue was reported at 13.814M EUR for FY2023/2024 under the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft disclosure standard.

Name

Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V.

Legal name

Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V.

Website

https://lebenshilfe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V. is Germany's leading self-help association for people with cognitive disabilities and their families, operating a 471-association federation that delivers advocacy, publications, training, and member services nationwide from Marburg and Berlin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Contributions: Revenue from 471 local and regional associations plus 16 state associations that form the membership base of the organization.
2. Publications and Book Sales: The Lebenshilfe Verlag publishes books, guides, journals (Teilhabe, Rechtsdienst der Lebenshilfe), Lebenshilfe-Zeitung (92,000 circulation), Magazin in Leichter Sprache, and merchandise including the SEH-WEISEN calendar. Products sold through the online shop and by subscription.
3. Donations and Fundraising: The organization actively solicits donations through its website and campaigns. They run donation drives, donation portals, and receive testamentary bequests. The IBAN for donations is DE26 5139 0000 0000 5010 00 at Volksbank Mittelhessen.
4. Public Funding and Grants: Federal ministry funding (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend: 210,000 EUR), statutory health insurance subsidies (§ 20h SGB V), Aktion Mensch project funding (115,000 EUR combined), and various foundation grants.
5. Corporate Partnerships and Framework Agreements: Framework agreements with Volkswagen, Ford, Deutsche Telekom, and other companies provide rebates to member organizations. Sponsorships and corporate collaborations (toom, Novartis, Airbnb, IU Internationale Hochschule) support projects and activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

No source-backed factual content available; the input contains no resolvable WX-prefixed source IDs supporting any factual claim about the company's core offering.

Product overview

Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V. is a non-profit self-help association for people with disabilities offering a portfolio of publications and services. The core offerings include the Lebenshilfe-Zeitung (92,000 circulation), Fachzeitschrift Teilhabe (3,964 subscribers), Rechtsdienst der Lebenshilfe (3,772 subscribers), and various books including the standard guide 'Recht auf Teilhabe' (8th edition 2026). The SEH-WEISEN art calendars showcase artwork by artists with disabilities. The organization operates the Bildungsinstitut inForm for education, the Lebenshilfe Verlag for publishing, and maintains a digital presence including a shop, Wörterbuch in Leichter Sprache, and a legal module on beck-online. The Bundesweite unabhängige Beschwerdestelle (Bubl) provides independent complaint handling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lebenshilfe Verlag: The publishing house of Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe, specialized in publications on intellectual disability and disability assistance.
• Bildungsinstitut inForm
• SEH-WEISEN Kalender
• BOBBY Medienpreis
• Lebenshilfe-Zeitung (LHZ)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,414 approved funding applications totaling 39.9 million EUR processed through Lebenshilfe for Aktion Mensch in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Volkswagen and Volkswagen NutzfahrzeugecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Framework agreement partner providing vehicle rebates and special conditions for member organizations, services, and employees of the Lebenshilfe network.
• Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Telekom Business SolutionscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFramework agreement partner providing telecommunications and technology rebates for member organizations and employees.
• FordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFramework agreement partner providing vehicle rebates and special conditions for member organizations.
• toom BaumarktminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperation partner with joint projects in Easy Language. Baumarkt (home improvement) chain also supports Lebenshilfe campaigns and activities.
• AirbnbminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership focused on promoting accessible travel and inclusion in tourism.
• Novartis – Teilhabe durch DigitalisierungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project 'Participation through Digitalization' - partnership focused on digital inclusion for people with disabilities.
• Story House EgmontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to publish Donald Duck comics in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache). First cooperation released in April 2025.
• IU Internationale HochschuleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational partnership supporting inclusive higher education and potentially student recruitment for disability services careers.
• Fünf Fachverbände für Menschen mit BehinderungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of five disability organizations representing approximately 90% of disability services in Germany. Joint advocacy, position papers (including 'Keine Kürzungen bei der Teilhabe'), and coordinated policy engagement.
• BAG SELBSTHILFE e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Association of Self-Help - umbrella organization of around 120 nationwide self-help organizations. Lebenshilfe is a member and active participant.
• Deutscher BehindertenratcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Disability Council - coordination body for disability advocacy in Germany. Lebenshilfe participates in this umbrella organization.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Der Paritätische: Umbrella organization for ~10,000 independent social-purpose associations in Germany, structurally analogous to Lebenshilfe's role as a self-help association federation. Operates in adjacent advocacy spaces and shares the federated, member-funded model.
• Sozialverband VdK Deutschland: Large German social advocacy association serving disabled, chronically ill, and elderly members with comparable membership-driven advocacy, legal consultation services, and policy engagement at the Bundestag level.
• Bundesverband für körper- und mehrfachbehinderte Menschen (bvkm): National advocacy association for people with physical and multiple disabilities, operating a similar self-help, advocacy, and family-support model. Most direct head-to-head peer on disability-specific policy representation, though focused on physical rather than cognitive disabilities.
• Aktion Mensch: Germany's largest private disability funding organization and a core financial partner of Lebenshilfe. Operates in the same disability advocacy space but with a lottery-based funding model rather than membership dues, processing the €39.9M in project funding Lebenshilfe intermediated in 2025.

Emerging players

• Special Olympics Deutschland: German affiliate of the global Special Olympics movement focused on intellectual disabilities—the same population Lebenshilfe serves. Operates sports and inclusion programs with comparable self-advocacy principles, representing a focused peer rather than a broad competitor.
• Bundesverband Autismus Deutschland: National autism advocacy organization in Germany with similar self-help, parent-driven structure and Easy Language content focus. Covers a narrower disability segment but overlaps significantly with Lebenshilfe on family support and policy advocacy.
• Kindernetzwerk e.V. German umbrella for parent associations of children with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Shares the self-help association model and family-support value proposition, though with a narrower child-focused mandate.

Others

• Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU): Germany's largest environmental NGO with a federated member-association structure across federal, state, and local levels. Not a competitor but a structural peer demonstrating the same large-scale, federation-driven advocacy model Lebenshilfe operates.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare association with a federated diocesan structure and comparable advocacy, service delivery, and funding-mix profile. Both organizations operate federated networks delivering social services with public and member funding.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant welfare federation analogous to Caritas, with a federated member-association structure and overlapping service areas including disability assistance. Diakonie also engages in disability policy advocacy alongside its broader welfare mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/LebenshilfeDeBV
• Facebookfacebook.com/lebenshilfe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesvereinigung-lebenshilfe
• Instagraminstagram.com/Lebenshilfe.Bundesvereinigung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe e. V.