Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V.

What Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. does

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. (GVFD) is a Berlin-based, tax-exempt non-profit association (eingetragener Verein / e.V.) founded in 1993 in response to racist and xenophobic violence in Germany. Its mission combines historical remembrance — specifically of National Socialist crimes and the injustices of the SED dictatorship in East Germany — with active democracy promotion and civic engagement. The organization is non-partisan (überparteilich) and serves individual German citizens interested in historical-political education, democratic values, and civic participation.

GVFD operates a hybrid model centered on a small Berlin headquarters (6 paid employees at Stauffenbergstraße 13-14) and a decentralized national network of approximately 45 regional working groups (Regionale Arbeitsgruppen) and state-level working groups (Landesarbeitsgemeinschaften), supported by roughly 2,300 members. The organization runs more than 500 events per year across Germany, including lectures, workshops, commemorations, and the ARGUTRAINING #WIeDER_SPRECHEN FÜR DEMOKRATIE peer-coach training program. Other core offerings include the Mediathek digital library, bi-annual Themenhefte thematic publications distributed to members, the newly launched Denkwerkstatt content rubric, and Preisvergaben award ceremonies recognizing contributions to democracy and remembrance.

GVFD does not operate as a commercial entity; its revenue is derived from tax-deductible membership fees, individual donations, and project and program grants from institutional funders — including the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, multiple federal ministries (BMBFSFJ, BMI, BKM), the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, the Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung, Stiftung Mercator, and the Hans und Berthold Finkelstein Stiftung. The organization is governed by an elected non-partisan board (Vorstand) and is a member of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft. The underlying technology is a standard WordPress-based content platform with no proprietary AI/ML, software product, or commercial SaaS component.

Name

Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V.

Legal name

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V.

Website

https://pfd.gegen-vergessen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. is a Berlin-based non-partisan non-profit association founded in 1993 that combines historical remembrance of NS and SED-era crimes with civic democracy education for German citizens, operating through ~45 regional working groups, 2,300+ members, and 500+ annual events funded by political foundations, federal ministries, donations, and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Historical Remembrance

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Business Associations (813910), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Civic education services
• Historical remembrance programs
• Democracy promotion
• Political participation training
• Anti-extremism advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

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: Individual members pay annual dues which are tax-deductible. Members receive twice-yearly themed magazines, invitations to events, access to nationwide educational offerings, and a donation receipt for tax purposes.
2. Donations and charitable contributions: Individual donors and supporters make financial contributions. The organization issues tax-deductible donation receipts (Zuwendungsbescheinigungen) and is recognized as tax-exempt under Berlin tax law.
3. Project and program funding from institutional partners: Government ministries, political foundations, and public institutions provide project-specific and general operating funding. The organization lists multiple institutional funders including federal ministries, political foundations, and cultural/media agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. delivers historical-political education and civic engagement programs that combine remembrance of National Socialist crimes and SED dictatorship injustices with active democracy promotion. Its core offerings include educational projects and programs (Projekte und Bildungsangebote), the ARGUTRAINING peer coach training program for democratic discourse, a digital Mediathek (media library), bi-annual Themenhefte (topic magazines) for members, and a national calendar of 500+ events organized through approximately 45 regional and state-level working groups across Germany.

Product overview

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational services focused on historical remembrance and democracy promotion. The core offering consists of educational projects and programs (Projekte und Bildungsangebote), including the ARGUTRAINING peer coach training program for democratic discourse, the Denkwerkstatt think workshop section, and a media library (Mediathek). The organization publishes bi-annual topic magazines (Themenhefte) for members and organizes over 500 annual events through its 45 regional working groups nationwide. Award ceremonies (Preisvergaben) recognize outstanding contributions to democracy. The portfolio is unified by its mission to strengthen democracy in Germany through historical-political education, civil society engagement, and remembrance of NS crimes and SED dictatorship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projekte und Bildungsangebote (Projects and Educational Offerings) Portfolio of educational programs and projects providing historical-political education to German citizens on remembrance of Nazi crimes, SED dictatorship injustices, democracy promotion, and civil society engagement.
• ARGUTRAINING #WIeDER_SPRECHEN FÜR DEMOKRATIE Peer coach training program designed to strengthen democratic discourse and communication skills for civic engagement, delivered through multi-day workshops across Germany.
• Mediathek (Media Library) Digital archive containing educational materials, recordings, and resources related to historical remembrance and democracy work, available to the public via the organization's website.
• Themenhefte (Topic Magazines) Bi-annual thematic publications covering current historical-political topics, distributed to members as part of their membership benefits.
• Veranstaltungen (Events Program) Over 500 annual events including lectures, workshops, seminars, commemorations, and discussion circles organized by regional working groups across Germany.
• Individual Membership Individual membership with annual tax-deductible dues providing members with bi-annual themed magazines, invitations to events, access to nationwide educational offerings, and tax-deductible donation receipts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,300+ members and 45 regional groups organizing 500+ events annually

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft (EVZ): Berlin-based foundation that funds international projects on historical remembrance, Nazi and SED-era victim support, and civic education. Directly comparable in mission around NS/SED remembrance and democracy education, with overlapping funder ecosystem (federal ministries, political foundations).
• Amadeu Antonio Stiftung: Berlin-based German foundation focused on civil rights, antisemitism prevention, and democratic civil society. Operates educational and advocacy programs in a directly comparable civic-education and anti-extremism niche, targeting similar German audiences and relying on similar institutional funder mix.
• Gesicht Zeigen! e.V. German association dedicated to standing up against antisemitism, racism, and discrimination through civic courage campaigns and educational programs. Closely comparable mission and audience (democracy, anti-extremism, civic engagement) with a similar membership-driven, event-based delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Demokratie leben!: Federal government program for democratic civil society, run under BMFSFJ and BMI. Comparable civic-engagement and anti-extremism focus but operates as a national funding/program umbrella rather than a single membership-based association; effectively a programmatic competitor and partner.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): German federal agency for civic and political education. A direct institutional funder of Gegen Vergessen and a broad incumbent that operates across the same civic-education category, but with a national governmental mandate and far larger scale.
• Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband (DVV): National umbrella association for Germany's adult education centers (Volkshochschulen), a major provider of civic and political adult education. Overlaps significantly in adult civic education programming and audience, with a wider curriculum scope.

Regional players

• European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS): International network coordinating remembrance and democratic historical education across Europe, with comparable subject matter (20th-century history, democratic memory). Different scope (EU/international) but comparable expertise area.
• Stiftung Demokratie Saarland: Regional German foundation promoting democratic political education in Saarland. Smaller-scale civic-education peer operating in a single German state with comparable programmatic mix.
• Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah: French foundation dedicated to Shoah remembrance and antisemitism research/education. Most direct international analogue in NS remembrance work; primarily active in France and not a direct competitor in Germany but highly comparable in mission and funding model.

Others

• Arolsen Archives: International center on Nazi persecution documentation, archives, and education. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — overlapping NS remembrance subject matter but operating as a research/archive institution rather than civic advocacy association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gegen-vergessen---f%C3%BCr-demokratie-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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