Association Lire C'est Vivre

What Association Lire C'est Vivre does

Association Lire C'est Vivre is a French non-profit cultural association (association loi 1901) founded in 1989 and headquartered at 5 square d'Athènes, 91300 Massy, Île-de-France, with primary operational presence at the Maison d'Arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis. The organization promotes reading and literary access inside French prisons, operating multiple libraries within the Fleury-Mérogis complex (D1 through D5 buildings and the Maison d'arrêt des Femmes, which houses the Médiathèque Simone Veil with 6,454 books, 96 audio books, 432 CDs, and periodical subscriptions) and at the Centre de Semi-Liberté de Corbeil-Essonnes. Programs include reading circles (cercles de lecture), author visits, philosophy seminars, slam and bande dessinée workshops, theater and cinema events, and an "auxiliaire de bibliothèque" (ABF) training program that certifies detained persons as library auxiliaries. The association co-organizes the annual Prix Goncourt des détenus, a national literary prize voted on by incarcerated readers across 31 penitentiary establishments, in partnership with the Académie Goncourt, Centre National du Livre (CNL), and Ministry of Justice.

The organization offers no proprietary technology or software product; the website (lirecestvivre.org) is a WordPress-based informational and donation platform. Service delivery is in-person and human-mediated, executed by a small staff of five employees and a network of trained volunteers, with programs newly extended into scientific outreach via a "Parlons Science" cycle with the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA) starting February 2024 and into national-library collaborations via a joint "Histoire de Corps" workshop with the Bibliothèque nationale de France in October 2023. The association's beneficiary segment is exclusively people in detention in French prisons, with secondary outreach to young foreign minors and juvenile detainees through partnerships with the Institut du monde arabe and slam workshops.

The business model is donations- and membership-driven: services are provided free of charge to incarcerated individuals, with funding sourced from individual donors, members ("Adhérer/Faire un don"), and public grants tied to partnered programs. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct relationships with the Administration Pénitentiaire and SPIP for facility access, plus earned media coverage in outlets including France Info, Le HuffPost, Slate, France Culture, El País, and France 5. Leadership comprises Bernadette Coupechoux (Présidente), Nelly Tieb (Présidente d'honneur and founding volunteer), and co-Présidentes Nicole Fernandez Ferrer and Annie Kensey.

Name

Association Lire C'est Vivre

Legal name

Association Lire C'est Vivre

Website

https://lirecestvivre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association Lire C'est Vivre is a French non-profit founded in 1989 that promotes reading and culture in French prisons through libraries, reading circles, author visits, and the Prix Goncourt des détenus literary prize, serving incarcerated individuals across correctional facilities led from Massy, Île-de-France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prison Library and Cultural Outreach Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ)

Keywords

• Prison library services
• Reading promotion programs
• Literacy in detention
• Cultural outreach non-profit
• Incarcerated reader engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Massy

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. Donations and Membership: The association operates primarily through donations and membership fees from supporters. The website includes options to 'Adhérer/Faire un don' (Join/Make a donation).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Association Lire C'est Vivre runs prison libraries (D1–D5 and the Médiathèque Simone Veil at the Maison d'arrêt des Femmes) within the Maison d'Arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis, facilitates reading circles, organizes author visits, cultural events (slam, comics, cinema, philosophy, science), and operates the national Prix Goncourt des détenus literary prize across 31 penitentiary establishments. It also trains detained persons as library auxiliaries (ABF certification) and delivers cultural outings such as visits to the BnF and the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse.

Product overview

Association Lire C'est Vivre is a non-profit cultural and educational organization that promotes reading and literary access in French prisons. Rather than a software product company, it provides cultural programs and services including prison libraries, reading circles, literary awards, cultural events, and educational workshops for detained persons. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prison Libraries at Maison d'Arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis
• Médiathèque Simone Veil at the Maison d'arrêt des Femmes (MAF)
• Reading Circles (Cercles de lecture)
• Prix Goncourt des détenus
• Library Auxiliary Training (Auxiliaires de bibliothèque)
• Parlons Science Cycle
• Author Encounters and Cultural Workshops

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Partnership for 'Parlons Science' cycle - scientific encounters in prison. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, paléoclimatologue and former IPCC co-chair, conducted first conference on climate at Fleury-Mérogis in February 2024.
• Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2023Joint workshop 'Histoire de Corps' combining writing, reading aloud, and bookbinding. Association facilitated permission de sortir for 5 detained men to visit BNF site Richelieu and attend exhibition 'Manuscrits de l'extrême'. Restitution held at BNF site François Mitterrand during Nuit de la Lecture 2024.
• Centre National du Livre (CNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Prix Goncourt des détenus - literary prize awarded by detained readers. CNL hosts national deliberation sessions and coordinates with Ministry of Justice and Académie Goncourt.
• Maison de la PoésieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for author encounter with Constance Debré at Fleury-Mérogis women's prison.
• Pôle Culture du SPIP (Service Pénitentiaire d'Insertion et de Probation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrison administration cultural department that partners on various activities including 'Mille et une vies' storytelling workshop and access to detention facilities.
• CEAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience partnership for 'Parlons Science' encounters bringing scientists to prison for discussions with detained persons.
• Institut du monde arabeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibrarian from Institut du monde arabe conducted sessions with young foreign minors and auxiliary librarians on Arabic writing, art books, and calligraphy.
• Coeur d'EssonneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community partners for youth book fair visits and library accessibility projects.
• Académie GoncourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Prix Goncourt des détenus initiative, providing literary legitimacy and author access for the prisoner jury program.
• Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Culture / Direction de l'administration pénitentiaire)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partners supporting the Prix Goncourt des détenus initiative and overall prison reading access programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Book Aid International: UK charity that provides books to libraries and reading programs in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, including prison libraries. Comparable as a book-provision and library-development non-profit serving disadvantaged populations, though with international rather than France-specific focus.
• Association Française pour la Lecture: French national association promoting reading and literacy across all audiences. Comparable as a French reading-promotion organization, but operating at a national advocacy level rather than direct prison service delivery.
• National Literacy Trust: UK charity dedicated to improving literacy across all ages, including prison programs. Comparable in literacy-promotion mission and reach, with broader audience but overlapping prison-segment work.

Others

• Service Pénitentiaire d'Insertion et de Probation (SPIP): French government agency responsible for prisoner reintegration and probation that partners with Lire C'est Vivre. Not a direct peer but a key government counterpart whose policies and cooperation directly affect the association's operations.

Direct peers

• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières: French non-profit operating libraries and reading programs in crisis and prison settings globally. Directly comparable as a peer organization providing library services to incarcerated and disadvantaged populations, with similar volunteer-driven, donation-funded model.
• Prisoners' Education Trust: UK charity funding and supporting education in prisons, including reading and writing programs. Comparable in prison-education mission and donor-funded delivery model, though with a broader educational scope.
• Shannon Trust: UK charity that runs the Toe by Toe peer-mentored reading program in prisons, training prisoners to teach other prisoners. Closely comparable in mission, prison setting, and peer-led delivery model.

Emerging players

• Lire et Faire Lire: French volunteer-based reading-promotion association that places retirees in schools to read with children. Comparable as a French reading-promotion non-profit with a volunteer delivery model, but focused on youth rather than prison settings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-lire-c'est-vivre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Association Lire C'est Vivre