Association Massabielle

What Association Massabielle does

Association Massabielle is a Marseille-based non-profit association founded in 2001 by the O'Neill family, who brought prior missionary experience from Brazil to the northern neighborhoods of Marseille. Its mission is to provide a physical presence and free community services to residents of disadvantaged social housing areas, addressing social isolation, educational gaps, family hardship, and unemployment. The association operates three community houses - Maison Bernadette (opened 2010 at the foot of the 400-unit Lauriers housing complex), La Source (opened 2016 in Belle de Mai), and the planned La Baume (recruiting from September 2026) - and serves a combined catchment of roughly 23,500 residents in two of the most economically deprived neighborhoods of Marseille.

The association's service portfolio is entirely human-delivered and free at the point of use. Programs include educational support and tutoring for children from CP to terminale, family accompaniment (camps, parental workshops, mother/father outings), street outreach and home visits, shared meals, breakfast programs, psychological support, and the Massajobs employment assistance initiative. Operating capacity is built on a hybrid model of 18 permanent staff, long-duration (6–10 month) volunteers recruited through service civique and gap-year channels, short-duration volunteer groups, and skills-based sponsorship. No proprietary technology, software platform, or AI capability is disclosed; the digital footprint is limited to a WordPress website, the HelloAsso donation platform, and a LinkedIn page.

The business model is donation-led. The association generates cash inflows through individual gifts, IFI-eligible donations, bequests, online donations via HelloAsso, cheque, and bank transfer, and receives in-kind contributions of equipment and professional time. Both the donor base and the beneficiary base are highly localized to Marseille's northern districts. The association has incubated and spun out independent projects including Cours Ozanam (educational support, 2014) and Massajobs (employment support, 2015), and has hosted pilot initiatives such as Lacadée (2019–2021), Noailles (2020–2022), and Magdala (2019–2023), with La Baume representing the next stage of geographic expansion.

Name

Association Massabielle

Legal name

Association Massabielle

Website

https://massabielle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Massabielle is a Marseille-based non-profit that runs three community houses in disadvantaged northern neighborhoods, providing free educational support, family accompaniment, and neighborhood outreach to roughly 23,500 residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Educational tutoring programs
• Family support services
• Neighborhood outreach programs
• Youth education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: Association Massabielle relies primarily on donations from individual supporters, benefactors, and institutional donors. The organization offers tax-deductible donation options (receipt fiscal), IFI donations, bequests (legs/donations), and online donations via HelloAsso platform. They provide a long-term relationship approach to donors with newsletters and financial reporting.
2. Material donations and skills sponsorship: The association accepts donations of equipment (office furniture, garden furniture, school supplies, games, sports equipment) and receives skills-based volunteering (skill sponsorship) where professionals contribute expertise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Association Massabielle operates three community houses in the disadvantaged northern neighborhoods of Marseille, providing free educational tutoring for children from primary school (CP) through high school (terminale), family accompaniment workshops, social and recreational activities, and neighborhood-level outreach. The association is funded by donations, sponsorships, bequests, and IFI contributions, and is delivered by 6 permanent staff working alongside more than 100 volunteers.

Product overview

Association Massabielle operates three community houses (Maison Bernadette, La Source, and La Baume) in Marseille's northern districts, offering social, educational, and family support services. The association provides volunteer programs (long-duration 6-10 month missions and short-duration minimum 1-week visits), educational support for children from CP to terminale, family support activities including camps and parenting workshops, and neighborhood outreach through street activities and home visits. Associated projects include Massajobs (employment assistance) and Cours Ozanam (educational support). The organization relies on volunteers, permanent staff, donors, and institutional supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Maison Bernadette: A house at the foot of the Les Lauriers apartment building (15 blocks of 13 floors, 400 social housing units) in Marseille's northern neighborhoods, serving 9,250 residents.
• La Source
• La Baume

Products and services

• Maison Bernadette The association's first community house, opened in 2001 in Marseille's Quartiers Nord, delivering educational tutoring, family accompaniment, and social/recreational activities to local families and children at no cost.
• La Source Second community house, opened in 2008, expanding the association's delivery of educational tutoring, family accompaniment, and social activities to additional families and children in the Quartiers Nord.
• La Baume Third community house, opened in 2015, providing educational tutoring, family accompaniment, and social/recreational activities to local families in the Quartiers Nord.
• Educational tutoring (CP to terminale) Free after-school academic tutoring program for children and adolescents from primary school (CP) through the final year of high school (terminale), delivered at the association's community houses.
• Family accompaniment Workshops and accompaniment programs for parents and families, supporting family dynamics, parenting skills, and household stability for residents of the Quartiers Nord.
• Social and recreational activities Community social and recreational programming offered at the association's community houses to foster social ties, well-being, and neighborhood cohesion among local residents.
• Neighborhood outreach Street-level and community-based outreach activities engaging residents of the Quartiers Nord to connect them with the association's services and broader community resources.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MisericordiaminorOthers · 1 January 2016Misericordia volunteers come to Maison Bernadette to test their capacity to live out their mission before establishing their own community in Aubervilliers.
• MassajobsminorOthers · 1 January 2015Massajobs started at Maison Bernadette in 2015. It is an employment support project that helps individuals find work and organizations increase their capacity for action. The project is now independent.
• Cours OzanamminorOthers · 1 January 2014Cours Ozanam first met at Maison Bernadette in 2014. The educational project subsequently took autonomous direction but originated from within Massabielle's ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• La Cloche: French nonprofit combating social isolation through neighborhood-based community engagement and local solidarity initiatives. Comparable grassroots, neighborhood-presence model targeting social exclusion.

Broad incumbents

• Restos du Cœur: Iconic French food-assistance and poverty-relief nonprofit with extensive neighborhood presence. Overlapping mission of serving disadvantaged populations via local centers and volunteer networks, though more food-focused.
• Croix-Rouge française: French Red Cross chapter operating social action, housing, and family support programs nationwide. Comparable in providing multi-disciplinary community services to vulnerable populations in priority neighborhoods.
• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Major French nonprofit focused on housing access and fighting poor housing conditions, with strong Marseille presence. Comparable in serving residents of disadvantaged social housing neighborhoods.
• Secours Catholique: Large established French Catholic social services organization addressing poverty across France. Comparable in serving disadvantaged populations and accepting volunteers, but operates at much greater national scale.

Direct peers

• Habitat et Humanisme: French nonprofit providing housing and community support to disadvantaged families, including in Marseille. Comparable focus on family accompaniment and neighborhood-level community presence in social housing.
• Emmaüs: Major French nonprofit federation operating community houses and integration programs for people in poverty. Directly comparable in operating physical community spaces and serving disadvantaged populations across France.
• ATD Quart Monde: French branch of the international anti-poverty movement led by Joseph Wresinski, focused on the most excluded populations in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Highly comparable mission and grassroots community-presence model.
• Apprentis d'Auteuil: French nonprofit providing educational support, family services, and youth integration programs for vulnerable children and families. Comparable in combining schooling, family accompaniment, and community-based outreach.
• Petits Frères des Pauvres: French nonprofit accompanying isolated elderly and vulnerable people through personalized visits and community presence. Comparable in providing relational, presence-based accompaniment in disadvantaged urban areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-massabielle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Massabielle