Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. - Landesverband

What Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. - Landesverband does

Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. - Landesverband is the state-level association (Landesverband) of the Lebenshilfe federation in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, founded in 1964 and headquartered in Hürth. It is a registered charitable self-help organization (Amtsgericht Köln VR 700965) that advocates for the rights, participation, and self-determination of people with disabilities and their families. The organization is composed of local and district member associations (Orts- und Kreisvereinigungen) plus extraordinary member organizations, and is affiliated with Der Paritätische NRW as its Spitzenverband and the Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe at the federal level.

The service portfolio spans advocacy, member services, education, travel, and accessibility. Core offerings include the digital association magazine "Angesagt" (winner of the Media-V-Award 2025 jury prize), the quarterly "Lebenshilfe journal," the "Schöne Zeiten" accessible travel program, the federal volunteer service programs (BFD/FSJ), the "Büros für Leichte Sprache" (Easy Language) translation service, and the self-advocacy body "Lebenshilfe Rat NRW." The wholly-owned subsidiary Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH delivers continuing education, training, and seminars, while the subsidiary Lebenshilfe NRW Berufskolleg gGmbH operates a vocational college. The supporting foundation Stiftung Lebenshilfe NRW and the Betreuungsverein Lebenshilfe NRW extend the institutional footprint.

Revenue is generated through membership dues, donations (processed via Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AG and AmazonSmile), and fee-based educational and travel services, alongside funding from Aktion Mensch, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Krankenkassen NRW Selbsthilfeförderung, LVR, and the Landesbehindertenrat NRW. Distribution is regional and leans on the local/district member association network, the state headquarters, the education subsidiary, and digital channels including the website, newsletter, and beUnity community app. The organization is operationally active, with 2026 advocacy activity including a planned Mahnwache against proposed cuts to Eingliederungshilfe.

Name

Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. - Landesverband

Legal name

Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V.

Website

https://lebenshilfe-nrw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. is the state-level charitable self-help association for people with disabilities and their families in North Rhine-Westphalia, founded in 1964 and headquartered in Hürth. It delivers advocacy, education, travel, and accessibility services through a federated network of local and district member associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy and Social Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Business Associations (81391), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Self-help association
• Accessible travel programs
• Easy language translation
• Voluntary social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hürth

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The organization is composed of Orts- und Kreisvereinigungen (local and district associations) and additional extraordinary member organizations that pay membership dues.
2. Donations and charitable contributions: The organization accepts donations through its website, facilitated by Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AG, and through AmazonSmile program.
3. Educational and travel services (via Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH): Continuing education, seminars, and travel programs (Schöne Zeiten) offered through the subsidiary Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lebenshilfe NRW is a charitable self-help association (eingetragener Verein) that advocates for the rights, participation, and self-determination of people with disabilities in North Rhine-Westphalia and delivers a portfolio of member-facing services. Its core offerings include continuing education and seminars (via subsidiary Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH), accessible group travel (Sch\u00f6ne Zeiten), Easy Language translation services (B\u00fcros f\u00fcr Leichte Sprache), and federal voluntary service programs (Bundesfreiwilligendienst and Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr). It is funded by membership dues from its local and district member associations, donations, and grants from social welfare funders.

Product overview

Lebenshilfe NRW is a state-level self-help organization for people with disabilities and their relatives in North Rhine-Westphalia, founded in 1964. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of services including digital publications (Angesagt magazine, Lebenshilfe journal), a travel program called 'Schöne Zeiten' for people with disabilities, educational services through Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH, voluntary service programs (BFD/FSJ), and accessibility services such as Easy Language offices. The organization also operates a digital community app via beUnity, an online portal/extranet for members, and maintains a network of self-advocacy bodies through the Lebenshilfe Rat NRW. Key projects include the cultural project LebensMomente and the sibling project Geschwisterprojekt. The portfolio is structured around advocacy, services, and community engagement rather than a traditional software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Angesagt: Digital association magazine of Lebenshilfe NRW providing news about the state association and local/district associations in NRW.
• Lebenshilfe journal
• Schöne Zeiten
• LebensMomente
• Büro für Leichte Sprache
• Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW

Products and services

• Sch\u00f6ne Zeiten travel program Accessible group travel program for people with disabilities, offering vacation trips within Germany and abroad including cruises, themed trips, and trips for children and youth, bookable online or via PDF forms.
• B\u00fcros f\u00fcr Leichte Sprache (Easy Language offices) Translation of texts into Easy Language (Leichte Sprache), an accessible language format for people with intellectual disabilities, provided through member organizations operating as Easy Language offices.
• Freiwilligendienste (BFD/FSJ volunteer programs) Bundesfreiwilligendienst (BFD) and Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr (FSJ) volunteer programs offered to young people and people with disabilities, allowing them to serve at care and support facilities, supported by seminars and an application process.
• Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH continuing education Continuing education, further training, and seminars for people with and without disabilities, delivered by the wholly-owned subsidiary Lebenshilfe Bildung NRW gGmbH through its dedicated portal bildung.lebenshilfe-nrw.de.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Der Paritätische NRWcoreOthersDer Paritätische NRW is the Spitzenverband (top-level umbrella association) of Lebenshilfe NRW. As an umbrella organization in the non-profit welfare sector in North Rhine-Westphalia, it provides institutional support and representation for its member organizations including Lebenshilfe NRW.
• Stiftung Aktion MenschmajorOthersAktion Mensch is a German social funding organization (Stiftung) that supports social projects. It is listed as a Förderer (funder) of Lebenshilfe NRW, providing financial support for projects and initiatives.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Krankenkassen NRW - SelbsthilfeförderungminorOthersListed as a Förderer providing self-help funding (Selbsthilfeförderung) from health insurance funds in NRW, supporting the organization's self-help activities.
• LVR – Landschaftsverband RheinlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVR supports self-representation of people with disabilities in NRW and is listed as a partner/supporter of Lebenshilfe NRW's advocacy work.
• Landesbehindertenrat NRWmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Förderer and partner supporting the qualification of social volunteers (Qualifizierung soziales Ehrenamt) for people with disabilities in NRW.
• Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AGminorOthersProvides donation processing services through the BFS-Net.Tool XXL integration on Lebenshilfe NRW's website. Donations made through the platform are processed and transferred by Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AG.
• AmazonSmileminorOthersAmazonSmile donation integration allowing supporters to direct a portion of their Amazon purchases to Lebenshilfe NRW as a charitable cause.
• Bundesvereinigung LebenshilfecoreOthersThe federal association of Lebenshilfe organizations, serving as the national parent organization. Lebenshilfe NRW is listed as linked to this national umbrella organization.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lebenshilfe Bayern: Bavarian state association of Lebenshilfe, also a Landesverband under the Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe. Provides the same advocacy, voluntary services, and member support in a different German state, making it a directly comparable peer.
• BAG Selbsthilfe: Federal umbrella of disability and chronic-illness self-help organizations in Germany. Shares the self-help, peer-led, and advocacy DNA of Lebenshilfe NRW but operates federally and across many disability categories.
• Lebenshilfe Baden-Württemberg: State-level sister association of Lebenshilfe serving people with disabilities in Baden-Württemberg. Operates the same federal brand, member-association model, and advocacy/service mix, making it the closest structural peer in a different Länder.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe: Federal umbrella organization of the Lebenshilfe movement; Lebenshilfe NRW is explicitly affiliated with it. Comparable in mission and brand, but operates at the national level with policy and standards work rather than direct service delivery.
• Sozialverband VdK Nordrhein-Westfalen: Large social advocacy association for disabled, chronically ill, and elderly people in NRW. Overlapping beneficiary base and advocacy themes but with a broader mandate beyond intellectual/developmental disability.
• Der Paritätische NRW: Top-level umbrella welfare association (Spitzenverband) of which Lebenshilfe NRW is a member. Comparable in advocacy and member representation but serves a broader nonprofit portfolio beyond disability.
• Diakonie Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe: Protestant welfare association in NRW that runs disability care, inclusion, and education services. Direct geographic overlap and competing for state contracts and voluntary workers (BFD/FSJ).
• Aktion Mensch: Germany's largest social funding organization for disability inclusion and youth welfare. Directly funds Lebenshilfe NRW projects and shares the inclusion mission, but operates as a grantmaking foundation rather than a membership-based service association.
• Caritas Nordrhein-Westfalen: Regional arm of the Caritas welfare network in NRW, operating disability services, counseling, and integration assistance. Competes for the same public funding and member base but on a much broader social welfare remit.

Emerging players

• Special Olympics Deutschland: German arm of Special Olympics providing sports and inclusion programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable target group and values, with a narrower scope (sports) and a national rather than state footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lebenshilfenrw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lebenshilfe Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. - Landesverband