What Les clowns stéthoscopes does

Les Clowns Stéthoscopes is a French nonprofit association (Association Loi 1901, recognized of general interest) founded in 1999 and headquartered in Bègles/Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It delivers professional, fully improvised clown-artist interventions — always in duo format — to vulnerable populations in healthcare and institutional settings, including hospitalized children, elderly residents of EHPADs, children in pediatric home hospitalization, incarcerated parents during prison visits, and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a medico-educational institute. The organization operates 8,040 encounters per year, with weekly duo visits across 8 hospital services (including CHU de Bordeaux — Hôpital des Enfants and Hôpital Haut-Lévêque — and CH de Libourne) and biweekly visits across a rotating pool of EHPADs in Gironde.

The service model is built on a roster of 14 paid professional clown-artists who each complete 125 hours of annual continuing education in clown technique, healthcare concepts, and professional practice analysis. The association also runs a live theater show ('Danser sur des œufs') distributed through cultural venues across Nouvelle-Aquitaine and a structured training program for caregivers ('Au diapason des émotions'). All services are delivered free at the point of use.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual donations and annual memberships processed via HelloAsso (with French tax deductions of 66% for individuals and 60% for businesses), corporate mécénat across 30+ named sponsors (including AXA, E.Leclerc, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Rotary, Lions Club), public subsidies from the Ville de Bordeaux, Département de Gironde, and Ministère de la Culture, and income from solidarity events (races, gift wrapping at Joué Club, honey sales from Mériadeck rooftop beehives) plus theater show fees. The association has been a member of the Fédération Française des Associations de Clowns Hospitaliers (FFACH) since 2011, aligning it with shared quality standards and a national network of 20 associations.

Name

Les clowns stéthoscopes

Legal name

Les Clowns Stéthoscopes

Website

https://lesclownsstethoscopes.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Clowns Stéthoscopes is a French nonprofit association founded in 1999 that delivers professional improvisational clown-artist duo interventions in hospitals, EHPADs, home care, prisons, and medico-social institutes across Gironde, reaching 8,040 vulnerable beneficiaries annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Clown Intervention Services

NAICS

Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Stand-Up Comedy Shows (MPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s Entertainment Booking (Clowns, Characters, Princess Parties) (HSACAHAF)

Keywords

• Hospital clown interventions
• Healthcare clown artistry
• Clown-in-care programs
• Pediatric hospital clowns
• Clown artist training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bègles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors can make one-time or monthly donations online via the HelloAsso platform or by sending a check. Donations are tax-deductible: 66% deduction for individuals (up to 20% of taxable income) and 60% for businesses (up to 0.5% of annual revenue). HelloAsso generates tax receipts automatically for online donations.
2. Membership Fees: Individuals can become members of the association by paying an annual membership fee via HelloAsso or by paper form. Members can participate in general assemblies, vote on activities, elect board members, and contribute to the associative life.
3. Corporate Sponsorship (Mécénat): Corporate partners can sponsor specific hospital programs or provide financial, in-kind, technological, or skills-based support. Sponsorship benefits include CSR tax deductions (60% of donation amount, up to 0.5% of annual revenue), positive brand image, societal impact, employee engagement, and territorial anchoring. Sponsors include financial sponsorship, salary rounding (arrondi sur salaire), in-kind donations, technology sponsorship, skills sponsorship, and shared product programs.
4. Solidarity Actions and Fundraising Events: The association organizes solidarity events including running races (solidarity races with sports clubs and schools), face painting sessions, gift wrapping at partner stores (Joué Club), sales of honey from beehives on Mériadeck shopping center rooftop, car rallies, and car boot sales. These events generate fundraising revenue and community engagement.
5. Theater Show Revenue: The association produces and performs a live theater show 'Danser sur des œufs' (Dancing on Eggs), presented at cultural venues in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Revenue comes from show fees charged to presenting venues and co-production arrangements. The show features six clown-artist performers and has toured to venues in Bordeaux, Biganos, Arès, Cenon, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gradignan, Cestas, and Eysines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Les Clowns Stéthoscopes delivers professional, fully improvised clown duo interventions in healthcare and social settings across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, primarily in pediatric hospitals (Hôpital des Enfants CHU Bordeaux, Hôpital Haut-Lévêque, CH de Libourne), EHPADs (nursing homes), pediatric home hospitalization (Clowns@Home), prison visiting areas, and medico-educational institutes for adolescents with autism. The association operates 14 professional clown-artists delivering 8,040 encounters per year, supported by 125 hours of annual continuing education per artist. All services are free of charge to beneficiaries and funded through donations, membership fees, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Les Clowns Stéthoscopes is a non-profit artistic association founded in 1999, providing professional clown performances in healthcare settings across Bordeaux and Gironde region. The core offering consists of weekly duo-based improvisational performances in pediatric hospital wards (CHU Bordeaux, Hôpital Haut-Lévêque, CH Libourne), nursing homes (EHPAD), pediatric home hospitalization, and prison visitation programs. The portfolio includes artistic interventions (Interventions en pédiatrie, Clowns@Home, Interventions en EHPAD), special programs (Les clowns au parloir, Projet Saute-Mouton, Un été culturel), caregiver support training (Formation 'Au diapason des émotions'), a public theater show ('Danser sur des œufs'), and recreational activities for children. All services emphasize improvisation, authenticity, and emotional connection with vulnerable populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interventions en pédiatrie Weekly duo clown performances in pediatric wards of CHU Bordeaux (Hôpital des Enfants and Hôpital Haut-Lévêque), CH Libourne (Hôpital Robert Boulin), and other facilities, serving children with conditions including oncology, hematology, neurology, and cardiology. Free of charge to hospitalized children and their families.
• Clowns@Home Clown duo accompaniment during pediatric home hospitalization (HAD Bagatelle), supporting children with frequent care needs including invasive or palliative treatment at home. Year-round service delivered in partnership with home hospitalization teams.
• Interventions en EHPAD Regular clown duo visits every two weeks to nursing homes (EHPADs), supporting elderly residents including those with Alzheimer's disease or neurodegenerative conditions. Includes the 'Bal des Clowns' dance and creative movement program. 5 EHPADs visited every two weeks across a network of 13+ EHPADs in Gironde.
• Les clowns au parloir Clown improvisation duos at the SAS (Structure d'Accompagnement à la Sortie) of Centre pénitentiaire Bordeaux-Gradignan, facilitating family visits and emotional connections between incarcerated parents and their children during prison visiting hours.
• Projet Saute-Mouton (IME) Weekly clown improvisation sessions at Institut Médico-Éducatif (IME) Saute-Mouton, supporting adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD/TSA) through artistic expression and non-verbal communication. 24 encounters per year with biweekly visits.
• Un été culturel à l'hôpital Summer cultural program maintaining clown performances in pediatric wards and EHPADs when other artistic projects typically pause, preventing double isolation for patients. Supported by the French Ministry of Culture.
• Formation 'Au diapason des émotions' Professional training program for caregivers and family caregivers on emotional intelligence and relational skills, titled 'Au diapason des émotions: Prendre soin de la relation'. Offered to healthcare workers and family caregivers of elderly or ill individuals.
• Spectacle 'Danser sur des œufs' Theater production by six Clowns Stéthoscopes artists exploring themes of illness, aging, and care through clown performance. Performed at cultural venues in Nouvelle-Aquitaine including Espace Culturel Biganos, Théâtre des 4 saisons Gradignan, Théâtre Jean Vilar Eysines, and others. Revenue comes from show fees charged to presenting venues.
• Activités ludiques (Colorigolade, cocotte, jeux, coloriages) Printable games, coloring activities (Colorigolade), paper folding (cocotte), and card collection for children engaging with the clown characters. A supplementary engagement offering tied to the association's clown characters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,040 encounters per year with children, elderly people, families, and healthcare workers across hospital and EHPAD settings
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fédération Française des Associations de Clowns Hospitaliers (FFACH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Les Clowns Stéthoscopes has been a member of FFACH since 2011. The federation groups 20 associations of professional hospital clowns in 30 departments across France, representing 300+ professional comedians in 150+ establishments. FFACH promotes the profession of clown-in-healthcare through professionalization, experience-sharing, and resource pooling. It ensures quality cohesion and monitoring of member associations and represents them to public authorities and healthcare stakeholders.
• Association Des boules au nez (Dordogne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Clowns Stéthoscopes was accompanied in setting up the prison visiting program (Les clowns au parloir) at Centre pénitentiaire Bordeaux-Gradignan by Des boules au nez, an association that has regularly intervened in prison settings in Périgueux and Bergerac for several years. Des boules au nez shared its experience and methodology for clown interventions in correctional facilities.
• CHU de BordeauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing institutional partnership with CHU de Bordeaux for weekly clown duo interventions in multiple pediatric services: Hôpital des Enfants (onco-hematology, neurology) and Hôpital Haut-Lévêque (pediatric cardiology, cardiac and pediatric intensive care). The association's presence is officially recognized on the CHU website.
• CH de Libourne (Centre Hospitalier de Libourne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Centre Hospitalier de Libourne for weekly clown duo interventions in the pediatric service, bringing the association's services to children and families in the Libourne area.
• HAD Bagatelle (Hospitalisation à Domicile Pédiatrique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HAD Bagatelle for the Clowns@Home program, where clown duos accompany home hospitalization teams during home medical visits for pediatric patients with serious or rare diseases throughout the year.
• Ministère de la Culture (Summer Cultural Program)minorOthersSupport from the French Ministry of Culture for the 'Un été culturel à l'hôpital' summer program, which maintains artistic programming in hospitals and EHPADs during the summer when many cultural projects are suspended. This is part of a national initiative to combat double confinement of hospitalized children and EHPAD residents.
• Joué Club (Mérignac & St Médard en Jalles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Joué Club stores in Mérignac and St Médard en Jalles for the 'gift wrapping' (paquets cadeaux) solidarity action during November and December holidays. Volunteer teams wrap gifts at these stores to raise funds for the association.
• Centre Commercial MériadeckminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mériadeck shopping center where the association sells honey from beehives located on the shopping center's rooftop, as a fundraising and awareness-building activity.
• HelloAssocoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform used for online membership, one-time donations, and monthly donations. HelloAsso handles payment processing and automatically generates tax receipts for donors. The association's donation pages are hosted at helloasso.com/associations/les-clowns-stethoscopes.
• Multiple EHPADs (Ehpad MGEN Arès, Ehpad Compostelle Soulac-sur-Mer, Ehpad Manon Cormier Bègles, Ehpad de Vertheuil, Ehpad Grand Bon Pasteur Bordeaux, Ehpad Les Platanes le Doyennés Bordeaux, Ehpad La Maison Fontaudin Pessac, Ehpad Les Jardins de l'Alouette Pessac, Ehpad Paul-Louis Weiller Arès, Ehpad Home Marie Curie Villenave d'Ornon, Ehpad Tropayse Bassens, Ehpad Les balcons de Tivoli Le Bouscat, Ehpad Le Sablonat Bordeaux)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner13+ EHPADs across Gironde partner with Les Clowns Stéthoscopes for regular biweekly clown visits as part of the clown-in-geriatric-care program initiated in 2011. Projects are co-constructed with care and administrative teams. The association visits 5 EHPADs every two weeks, rotating across the network of partner facilities.
• IME Saute-Mouton (Institut Médico-Éducatif)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IME Saute-Mouton for a weekly creative improvisation program serving adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 24 encounters per year, with clown duos visiting every two weeks during dedicated time slots. The project uses clown techniques and non-verbal communication to engage adolescents who have difficulty with traditional cultural outings.
• Centre pénitentiaire Bordeaux-Gradignan (SAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Structure d'Accompagnement à la Sortie (SAS) of Centre pénitentiaire Bordeaux-Gradignan for the 'Les clowns au parloir' program. Clown duos perform improvisations during prison visiting hours to support parent-child relationships during incarceration. This project is aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2009 penitentiary law on cultural rights.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Dr. Clown: Canadian therapeutic clown organization working in hospitals and care facilities. Comparable non-profit mission and duo-based intervention model, though operating in a different national healthcare system.
• Hearts & Minds: UK-based charity delivering professional clown doctor visits to hospitalized children. Comparable operating model but focused on UK hospitals, providing a regional parallel for benchmarking.
• Petits Bonheurs: Swiss foundation running professional hospital clown programs in pediatric wards. Highly comparable methodology and non-profit structure, operating in a different geography (Switzerland) but serving the same populations.

Direct peers

• Le Rire Médecin: The largest professional hospital clown association in France, founded in 1991. Operates with a similar duo-based improvisational clown model in pediatric hospitals across France, and is a fellow FFACH member—making it the most direct comparable to Les Clowns Stéthoscopes.
• Compagnie du Tire-Lune: French hospital clown association focused on pediatric clown interventions; fellow FFACH member. Comparable non-profit structure and improvisational duo delivery model.
• Association des Boules au Nez: A Dordogne-based hospital clown association, fellow FFACH member, and known partner of Les Clowns Stéthoscopes for prison visiting interventions at Bordeaux-Gradignan. Highly comparable operating model in pediatric and geriatric settings.
• Association des Clowns de l'Espoir: Another French hospital clown association that is a member of FFACH. Operates clown duo interventions in hospitals and EHPADs using an improvisational methodology closely aligned with Les Clowns Stéthoscopes.

Others

• HelloAsso: French non-profit donation and membership platform used by Les Clowns Stéthoscopes and thousands of similar French associations. Serves as the digital infrastructure provider and ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor.
• La Ligue contre le cancer: Major French health charity that funds wellbeing and quality-of-life programs for cancer patients, including art and clown initiatives. Competes for the same donor base and corporate sponsorship pool in the Gironde/Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

Broad incumbents

• Fondation des Hôpitaux: Major French healthcare charity focused on improving hospitalized children's wellbeing. While not a direct clown operator, it funds and supports similar wellbeing programs and competes for the same corporate mécénat and individual donor pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCL1RxJyV5bd70Wanen96D7A
• Facebookfacebook.com/clowns.stethoscopes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-clowns-stethoscopes
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesclownsstethoscopes33

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Les clowns stéthoscopes