MAISON POPULAIRE

What MAISON POPULAIRE does

MAISON POPULAIRE is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1966 in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, operating as a centre d'éducation populaire dedicated to culture and leisure. The association delivers approximately 100 workshops per season across visual arts, digital arts, music, dance, circus, theater, philosophy, sport, and multimedia to a base of roughly 2,500-2,600 seasonal members spanning adults, children, families, and school groups. Its programming combines a contemporary art centre (Centre d'art contemporain) with curatorial and artistic residencies, a fablab (Pop [lab]) providing laser cutting, 3D printing, vinyl cutting, and CNC milling with 30 weekly workshop sessions annually, a concert and events calendar including the Nuit Pop festival, and creative community programs under the Fabrique créative and Fabrique à l'œuvre sub-brands.

The underlying operational platform is a single physical site at 9 bis rue Dombasle, Montreuil, with a planned relocation to the EIF industrial friche announced in October 2022 as part of a Ville de Montreuil urban redevelopment partnership. The technology layer is centered on the fablab's digital fabrication equipment and a basic web presence (maisonpop.fr) with social media, newsletter, and downloadable seasonal brochures. There is no proprietary software product; offerings are physical venue-based workshops, exhibitions, and events rather than digital goods.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit revenue mix: seasonal membership fees and workshop fees from individual adherents; ticket income from concerts, festivals, and special events; and, most significantly, recurring institutional subsidies from Ville de Montreuil, the Ministry of Culture (DRAC Île-de-France), Conseil régional d'Île-de-France, and Conseil départemental de Seine-Saint-Denis. The association is governed democratically through a general assembly (Assemblée Générale) and operates with a small staff of approximately 31 people, supplemented by workshop leaders and contracted artists. Strategic partnerships with cultural networks (TRAM, MAAD93, Danse Dense, Cinéma L'Écran, Centre Pompidou) extend programming reach within the Île-de-France cultural ecosystem.

Name

MAISON POPULAIRE

Legal name

Maison Populaire

Website

https://maisonpop.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maison Populaire is a French non-profit association in Montreuil (founded 1966) offering roughly 100 cultural workshops per season — spanning visual arts, digital fabrication (Pop [lab] fablab), music, dance, and theater — to approximately 2,600 seasonal members, funded by membership fees, ticket sales, and public subsidies from Ville de Montreuil, DRAC Île-de-France, and regional/departmental councils.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Cultural Center

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Educational & Youth Community Events (School/Youth Festivals) (MPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Popular education
• Cultural workshops
• Community arts center
• Amateur practice
• Contemporary art residencies

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreuil

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees (Adhésions): Members pay seasonal membership fees to participate in workshops and activities. The association offers approximately 100 workshops across various disciplines for adults and children.
2. Ticket Sales (Concerts & Events): Revenue generated from ticket sales for concerts, performances, and special events such as Nuit Pop festival and other cultural programming.
3. Public Funding & Subsidies: The association receives institutional support from Ville de Montreuil, Ministry of Culture (DRAC Île-de-France), Conseil régional d'Île-de-France, and Conseil département de Seine-Saint-Denis.
4. Workshop Fees: Fees for specialized workshops and master classes, including digital creation workshops, artistic residencies with public engagement components, and summer activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maison Populaire is a non-profit popular education association (Association d'éducation populaire) based in Montreuil, France, offering approximately 100 cultural workshops per season across visual arts, digital arts, music, dance, circus, theater, philosophy, and sports for adults and children. It operates a contemporary art center (Centre d'art), a Fablab (Pop [lab]) providing digital fabrication access, and an annual program of artist residencies, concerts, exhibitions, and community events serving more than 2,500 seasonal members.

Product overview

Maison Populaire is a cultural and community center (association d'éducation populaire) in Montreuil, France, offering a diverse portfolio of cultural products and services. The organization operates as a multi-faceted cultural platform consisting of over 100 workshops (Ateliers d'expression) for adults and children across arts, music, sports, dance, circus, theater, and digital media; a contemporary art center (Centre d'art) with rotating exhibitions and curatorial residencies; Pop [lab], a fablab providing access to digital fabrication tools; artistic residencies (Résidences artistiques) supporting emerging artists; concert and spectacle programming; and Fabrique créative, a creative hub for workshops and community events. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem promoting popular education through culture and leisure activities, serving over 2,500 members annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pop [lab]: Fablab (Fabrication Laboratory) providing access to digital tools including 3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, and numerical machining for Maison Populaire members.
• Centre d'art contemporain
• Fabrique créative
• Fabrique à l'œuvre

Products and services

• Ateliers d'expression (Workshops)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500-2,600 members per season with approximately 100 workshops
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ville de MontreuilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner providing ongoing support. The municipality owns the premises and has proposed the association's relocation to the EIF industrial friche as part of a major redevelopment project announced in October 2022. The city has been committed to youth and cultural development since the association's founding in 1966.
• Ministry of Culture (DRAC Île-de-France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational government cultural authority providing institutional funding and programmatic support to the association's cultural activities and contemporary art center.
• Conseil régional d'Île-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council providing institutional funding support for cultural programming and activities.
• Conseil département de Seine-Saint-DeniscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental council providing institutional funding support. Seine-Saint-Denis is a key territorial stakeholder in the association's activities.
• MAAD93minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusical creation and accompaniment program in Seine-Saint-Denis. Collaborates with Maison Populaire on musical residencies and accompaniment programs for musicians.
• Danse DenseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChoreographic network and support structure. Partners with Maison Populaire on choreographic residencies and dance-related programming.
• Cinéma L'Écran (Saint-Denis)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner cinema in Saint-Denis collaborating on documentary and democratic news programming. Worked together on the 'Actualités démocratiques' project and cinematic events.
• Centre PompidouminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of France's major cultural institutions. Maison Populaire's programming has included collaborations and connections with Centre Pompidou, including curatorial staff involvement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Friche la Belle de Mai: Marseille-based cultural cooperative occupying a former industrial friche, hosting workshops, artist residencies, performances, and community programming — highly comparable as a friche-based multipurpose cultural association model.
• Stereolux: Nantes cultural venue combining a Fablab, artist residencies, concerts, and digital arts workshops — a strong operational parallel to Maison Populaire's combination of Pop [lab] Fablab, residencies, and amateur workshops.
• Mains d'Œuvres: Cultural association in Saint-Ouen offering workshops, concerts, exhibitions, residencies, and a Fablab/maker space — a near-twin operating model to Maison Populaire in the same northern Paris suburban ecosystem.
• MJC de France (Fédération française des MJC): National federation of Maisons des Jeunes et de la Culture — the closest historical and operational peer to Maison Populaire, running hundreds of popular-education associations offering workshops, youth programs, and cultural activities across France.

Broad incumbents

• La Gaîté Lyrique: Paris digital arts and contemporary culture venue featuring exhibitions, workshops, residencies, and Fablab-style programming. Comparable in its overlap of digital/maker culture with artistic programming.
• Centre Pompidou: France's flagship modern art museum with associated workshop programming, educational outreach, and a noted curatorial-staff overlap with Maison Populaire. Functions as both a programming partner and a broader-incumbent peer in the contemporary-art ecosystem.
• Le CENTQUATRE (104): Major Parisian cultural center hosting exhibitions, residencies, concerts, and participatory workshops for the general public. Operates at much larger scale than Maison Populaire but offers a directly overlapping mix of cultural programming and amateur practice.

Regional players

• Les Ateliers Médicis: National cultural institution in Clichy-Montfermeil (Seine-Saint-Denis) supporting contemporary artistic creation through residencies, exhibitions, and youth programs — directly comparable to Maison Populaire's Centre d'art contemporain residency programming in the same département.
• Centre culturel de rencontre d'Ambronay: Cultural center hosting concerts, residencies, and educational workshops in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region — comparable in its combination of performing arts programming, artist residencies, and amateur practice offerings.

Others

• TRAM (Réseau arts visuels Île-de-France): Network of Île-de-France contemporary art venues in which Maison Populaire is a participant member — a direct ecosystem peer facilitating joint exhibitions and artistic tours with comparable small-to-mid cultural centers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Pop-lab-143133429672427
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maisonpopulaire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 MAISON POPULAIRE