Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH

What Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH does

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH is a non-profit psychosocial center founded in 1981 and headquartered in Berlin, operating as a gGmbH (non-profit limited liability company) under the umbrella of Psychosoziales Zentrum für Schwule e.V. (PSZ). The organization delivers free counseling, health, housing, care, anti-discrimination, anti-violence, youth, and refugee services to the LGBTQI* community in Berlin, with a stated reach of approximately 450,000–468,000 LSBTI* people in Berlin (12% of population, ~60,000 over 65). It operates four physical locations across Berlin boroughs — Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Neukölln — and a portfolio of 12+ sub-brands including StandUp (anti-discrimination counseling), Checkpoint BLN (cooperative HIV/STI/PrEP/PEP service with Berliner Aids-Hilfe, dagnä, and Vivantes), TIN*-Antigewaltberatung, Inter*Trans*Beratung (Queer Leben), Fachstelle LSBTI* Altern und Pflege, Housing First Queer, sidekicks.berlin (sexual-health outreach), the Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® national certification program, and the multi-site Lebensort Vielfalt housing project (including the 69-unit flagship at Südkreuz opened October 2023).

The underlying technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary: a multilingual WordPress website, an LMS instance on Gesundheit gestalten for free e-learning modules, a drugchecking results database, and an apartment database for Lebensort Vielfalt residents. The Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® program operates as a registered trademark and structured certification methodology for queer-sensitive elder care, with free enrollment, consulting, and auditing funded by PKV-Verband.

The revenue model is entirely grant-funded and philanthropic; no commercial sales motion exists and all core services are provided free of charge to end clients. Funding streams comprise (1) recurring institutional grants from Berlin Senate bodies (Senatsverwaltung für Gesundheit, Pflege und Gleichstellung; Senatsverwaltung für Arbeit, Soziales, Gleichstellung, Integration, Vielfalt und Antidiskriminierung — ASGIVA), (2) federal and project grants (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, BMFSFJ, Landesstelle für Gleichbehandlung — gegen Diskriminierung / LADS), (3) statutory social insurance payments under SGB XII (Eingliederungshilfe) and SGB VIII (youth welfare) via bezirkliche Teilhabefachdienste and Jugendämter, and (4) private donations and foundation grants (Aktion Mensch, Deutsche Fernsehlotterie Stiftung, PKV-Verband, plus bequests via Spendenbank). Customers are diversified across thousands of individual end-clients plus institutional B2B partners (nursing homes seeking certification, peer organizations in the Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk, and federal/state funders).

Name

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH

Legal name

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH

Website

https://schwulenberatungberlin.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH is a Berlin-based non-profit psychosocial center founded in 1981, providing free counseling, health, housing, care, anti-discrimination, and community services to the LGBTQI* community across four Berlin locations and through national certification and training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Psychosocial and community health services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624), Child and Youth Services (624110), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI), Community Health Centers (FQHCs & Look-Alikes) (HLAFAGAB)

Keywords

• Psychosocial counseling services
• HIV STI testing
• Anti-discrimination support
• LGBTQ elder care
• Community housing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding (Senatsverwaltung / Landesförderung): Primary funding source from Berlin state government (Senatsverwaltung) for core operations. Grants from Senatsverwaltung für Gesundheit, Pflege und Gleichstellung fund Checkpoint BLN; Senatsverwaltung für Arbeit, Soziales (ASGIVA) funds Housing First Queer. Funding is ongoing and institutional, not project-based alone.
2. Federal & Project Grants: Short-term and multi-year project grants from federal and state bodies including Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes (Bundesprogramm respekt*land for StandUp nationwide training project June 2023–January 2026), BMFSFJ (for housing project construction), and Landesstelle für Gleichbehandlung – gegen Diskriminierung (LADS) for Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege and the visibility campaign.
3. Private Charitable Donations & Foundations: Donations accepted via the organization's website (Spendenbank). Funding from foundations including Deutsche Fernsehlotterie Stiftung, Aktion Mensch, and PKV-Verband for the Qualitätssiegel program. Erbschaften (bequests) also referenced as a funding source.
4. Social Insurance Transfer Payments (SGB XII): Services such as Betreutes Einzelwohnen and Therapeutische Wohngemeinschaften are funded through statutory social insurance (Eingliederungshilfe nach §§53/54 SGB XII, Bundesteilhabegesetz). Cost coverage comes from bezirkliche Teilhabefachdienste.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH is a non-profit psychosocial center that provides free, multilingual counseling, sexual-health services (HIV/STI testing, PrEP/PEP), anti-discrimination and anti-violence counseling, queer-competent housing and assisted-living programs, elder-care placement and training, youth welfare services, refugee support, and community programs for LGBTQI* people in Berlin. It is funded primarily by Berlin Senate and federal grants, social-insurance reimbursements, and donations, and operates the trademarked Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® nationwide certification program for diversity-sensitive care facilities.

Product overview

Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH is a psychosocial center offering a broad, multi-module portfolio of community-based social and health services primarily for LGBTQ+ individuals in Berlin. The organization operates through distinct but interrelated offerings: direct counseling services (individual, group, and specialized anti-discrimination and anti-violence counseling), health services (Checkpoint BLN for HIV/STI testing and treatment, Drugchecking, sidekicks.berlin outreach), housing and care programs (Lebensort Vielfalt housing projects, Betreutes Einzelwohnen assisted living, therapeutic shared apartments, Wohngemeinschaft with 24-hour care, Café Transfair social enterprise), community contact programs (Kontakt & Begegnung), youth and family services (Kinder- und Jugendhilfe under SGB VIII), refugee support (Queer Refugees), and professional training (Fortbildung including the Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® certification program and an E-Learning platform on the Gesundheit gestalten portal). The portfolio is not a unified software product but a collection of specialized social, health, and educational services united under the Schwulenberatung Berlin umbrella, with the Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® being the most externally scalable and branded program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StandUp: Anti-discrimination counseling service for LGBTQI* people
• Checkpoint BLN
• Queer Leben (Inter*Trans*Beratung)
• TIN*-Antigewaltberatung
• Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege
• Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt®
• Housing First Queer
• Café Transfair
• Café Wippe
• Café Kuchus
• Lebensort Vielfalt
• sidekicks.berlin

Products and services

• Checkpoint BLN Cooperative sexual-health center offering HIV testing, hepatitis/STI screening, PrEP and PEP prescriptions, vaccinations, and STI treatment, free and confidential for LSBTI* clients in Berlin.
• Drugchecking Anonymous, free, and legally safe substance-testing service that analyzes psychoactive substances for contaminants and active-ingredient content, providing information on effects, side effects, safer use, and individual risk reduction.
• Lebensort Vielfalt Multi-site intergenerational housing project of Schwulenberatung Berlin welcoming people of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations, with apartments, shared living, Kitas, care facilities, and community spaces across Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Neukölln.
• Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® Trademarked nationwide quality certification program for stationary and ambulatory nursing facilities, hospices, and hospitals, establishing criteria for LGBTQ+-sensitive and post-migration-sensitive care environments, offering free qualification, certification, e-learning modules, and a diversity check tool.
• E-Learning Plattform (Gesundheit gestalten) Free digital continuing-education platform offering e-learning modules on LGBTQ+ sensitivity, (post-)migratory diversity, HIV-sensitive care, trans*-sensitive care, and inter*-sensitive care, with certificate upon completion.
• StandUp Antidiskriminierungsberatung Free, partisan anti-discrimination counseling for gay and bisexual men, trans*, inter*, and HIV-positive individuals who have experienced discrimination at work, with authorities, in healthcare, schools, neighborhoods, or housing, offering legal information, police accompaniment, statements, and referrals to attorneys.
• TIN*-Antigewaltberatung Free, confidential, and optionally anonymous counseling for trans*, inter*, and non-binary people who have experienced physical, sexualized, psychological, domestic, medical, or trans*-hostile hate violence, including mobile counseling for sex workers and specialized support for witnesses and professionals.
• Queer Refugees Comprehensive support services for LGBTQ+ refugees including a drop-in center (Kuchus), legal advice on asylum procedures, psychological counseling, and residence/migration law consultations, available in multiple languages.
• Housing First Queer Housing-first program providing homeless LGBTQ+ individuals with their own apartments and voluntary ongoing counseling and support, guided by eight core Housing First principles including harm reduction and recovery orientation.
• Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Youth housing groups (stationary with 24/7 care and semi-independent living) and ambulatory assistance under SGB VIII, including social-pedagogical group work (§29), educational assistance (§30), family assistance (§31), and intensive individual support (§35), serving LGBTQ+ youth and families.
• Betreutes Einzelwohnen (Assisted Independent Living) Ambulatory support for LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses such as HIV or hepatitis, psychological burdens, or addiction disorders, helping them maintain independence in their own apartments through a dedicated contact person.
• Therapeutische Wohngemeinschaften Therapeutic shared housing for LGBTQ+ individuals with mental-health conditions or addiction disorders who have completed rehabilitation and are committed to abstinence, providing structured group sessions and support for rebuilding daily routines.
• Wohngemeinschaft mit 24-Stunden-Pflegedienst Supervised shared apartment at Lebensort Vielfalt housing eight gay men with care needs and/or dementia, supported around the clock by a 24-hour nursing service and Schwulenberatung Berlin staff, described as Europe's first such care community.
• Beschäftigungstagesstätte (Occupational Day Center) Daytime facility for LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV/hepatitis who face challenges in daily life, offering creative and manual activities including cooking, painting, theater, swimming, yoga, and discussion groups under integration-assistance provisions (§§53/54 SGB XII).
• Kontakt & Begegnung Social contact and encounter programs including Café Wippe (alcohol-free community meeting), Frühstücksclub (breakfast club), Couchgespräch+ (topic-based conversations), and support groups for older LGBTQ+ individuals and queer people with addiction.
• Fortbildung (Continuing Education) Professional training programs on sexual and gender diversity in ambulatory, inpatient, and hospice care settings, including six-hour sensitization trainings and organizational-development workshops, offered both in-person and as e-learning modules.
• Inter*Trans*Beratung (Inter*Trans* Counseling) Specialized counseling center for trans*, inter*, and non-binary people and their relatives offering information and support on social, legal, and medical transition topics, staffed by counselors who are themselves trans*, inter*, or non-binary, with services also available in easy language.
• sidekicks.berlin Sexual-health outreach and support service accompanying LGBTQ+ individuals in Berlin, providing information on sexual health, substance use, and decision-making support for sex, love, and party life.
• Café Transfair Small bistro/café on the ground floor of the Lebensort Vielfalt residential project at Ostkreuz, offering work-experience opportunities for clients receiving integration assistance from Schwulenberatung Berlin, open Monday to Friday 9:00–18:00.
• Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege Specialist center acting as a bridge between LGBTQ+ communities and Berlin's aging and care institutions, offering counseling for older LGBTQ+ individuals and professionals, coordinating the qualification offensive for diversity-sensitive care, and operating discussion groups on aging and care topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 450,000–468,000 LSBTI* people in Berlin (~12% of the population); ~60,000 are over 65
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerliner Aids-Hilfe e.V. is a core cooperator in the Checkpoint BLN cooperative project, alongside dagnä e.V., Schwulenberatung Berlin, and Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum. The project provides HIV/STI testing, PrEP, PEP, vaccination, and STI treatment services at Hermannstraße 256-258, Neukölln.
• dagnä e.V. (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft niedergelassener Ärzte in der HIV-Versorgung)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerdagnä e.V. is a partner in the Checkpoint BLN cooperative, contributing specialist physician expertise for HIV and STI treatment services. The cooperative is funded by Senatsverwaltung für Gesundheit, Pflege und Gleichstellung.
• Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-KlinikumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum provides clinical infrastructure for the Checkpoint BLN cooperative, enabling HIV/STI treatment and medical care for the queer community.
• Landesstelle für Gleichbehandlung – gegen Diskriminierung (LADS)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerLADS, a division of the Berlin Senate Chancellery for Justice, Diversity and Antidiskriminierung, funds and coordinates the Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk, which is coordinated by StandUp of Schwulenberatung Berlin. LADS also funds the Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege and the 'Schau mir in die Augen, Berlin' visibility campaign.
• AOK NordostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOK Nordost is listed as a selected cooperation partner of the Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege, collaborating on improving healthcare access for LGBTQI* seniors in Berlin.
• FORUM Gemeinschaftliches Wohnen e.V., BundesvereinigungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFORUM Gemeinschaftliches Wohnen e.V. collaborated with BMFSFJ and Schwulenberatung Berlin on the Lebensort Vielfalt housing project development, contributing expertise in community living models.
• g2 Organisationsentwicklung GmbH (Vielfalt Pflegen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerg2 Organisationsentwicklung GmbH operates as the cooperation partner 'Vielfalt Pflegen' for the expanded Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® program, specifically supporting the (post-)migrant diversity in care module. Contributes organizational development expertise for participating facilities.
• Berliner Bündnis für PflegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerlin network of care stakeholders collaborating with the Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege to improve diversity-sensitive care standards in the city.
• Landesseniorenbeirat Berlin / LandesseniorenvertretungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Berlin State Senior Citizens' Council collaborates with the Fachstelle LSBTI*, Altern und Pflege on the Landespflegeausschuss Berlin to advance diversity-sensitive care policy.
• roedig.schop architektenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe architecture firm roedig.schop designed and realized the Lebensort Vielfalt at Südkreuz (2023) and previously the Lebensort Vielfalt in Niebuhrstraße.
• Lesbenberatung / LesMigraSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk coordinated by StandUp. Lesbenberatung / LesMigraS contributes lesbian and migration-specific expertise to the anti-discrimination network.
• Sonntags-Club e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk. Sonntags-Club contributes community expertise to the cross-organizational network coordinated by StandUp.
• LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg (with Regenbogenfamilienzentrum and Miles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk coordinated by StandUp. Contributes advocacy and family-law expertise to the network.
• Hydra e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a cooperation partner of the TIN*-Antigewaltberatung. Hydra e.V. is a Berlin-based organization providing support for sex workers, including trans* sex workers who face violence.
• Tauwetter e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner of TIN*-Antigewaltberatung. Tauwetter e.V. provides support services relevant to the target group of the anti-violence counseling program.
• Opferhilfe Berlin e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner of TIN*-Antigewaltberatung, providing victim support referral and coordination for TIN* survivors of violence.
• Queerhome*minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner of TIN*-Antigewaltberatung. Queerhome* focuses on housing for queer people and can support referrals for housing-related needs of violence survivors.
• Netzwerk 'proaktiv' für Betroffene von StraftatenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the cooperation network of TIN*-Antigewaltberatung, providing support for crime victims and referrals for TIN* survivors of hate crimes.
• Zentralstelle Hasskriminalität der Staatsanwaltschaft BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerlin Public Prosecutor's Office specialized unit for hate crime coordinates with TIN*-Antigewaltberatung to support TIN* victims of hate crimes in navigating legal proceedings.
• Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAMF is referenced as the body before which queer refugees prepare asylum hearings, with Schwulenberatung Berlin providing specialized legal preparation and support for LGBTQI* asylum seekers.
• Immanuel Albertinen Diakonie (Immanuel Seniorenzentrum Schöneberg)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerImmanuel Albertinen Diakonie operates the Immanuel Seniorenzentrum Schöneberg — the first nursing home in Germany to receive Qualitätssiegel Lebensort Vielfalt® (2018, recertified 2022, 2026). Represents a flagship implementation partner for the certification program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mann-O-Meter e.V. Berlin-based psychosocial and community center for gay men, offering counseling, support groups, and community programs. Direct peer: same target population (gay/bi men), same city, similar psychosocial counseling model.
• Lesbenberatung / LesMigraS: Berlin LSBTIQ* Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerk partner offering lesbian and queer-migration counseling. Direct peer: same city, same community-led psychosocial model, co-funded through the same LADS channel.
• Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V. Berlin HIV/AIDS self-help and counseling organization; co-operator of Checkpoint BLN. Direct peer in sexual health and community-based psychosocial services for queer Berliners.
• Sonntags-Club e.V. Berlin LSBTIQ* community center offering social, cultural, and counseling programs. Direct peer: same target population, same city, member of the same Berlin anti-discrimination network.

Regional players

• PLUS e.V. (Psychosoziales Zentrum für Lesben, Schwule, Bisexuelle, Trans*, Inter* und Queer) Potsdam: Potsdam/Brandenburg psychosocial center for LSBTIQ* people with counseling, groups, and anti-discrimination work. Comparable psychosocial-center model for queer populations in an adjacent federal state.
• Aidshilfe Köln e.V. Cologne-based HIV/AIDS and queer health support organization. Comparable sexual-health-plus-community-services model in another major German city; not active in Berlin.
• Lambda e.V. Baden-Württemberg: Statewide LSBTI* psychosocial and political organization in Baden-Württemberg offering counseling, groups, and education. Same psychosocial-center concept scaled to a German state rather than a single city.

Broad incumbents

• LSVD (Lesben- und Schwulenverband Deutschland): National LGBTQ+ civil-rights and advocacy federation with regional chapters (LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg is a network partner). Broad incumbent: policy/advocacy rather than direct psychosocial services, but shapes the same funding and policy environment.
• Deutsche Aidshilfe e.V. National umbrella for 120+ regional AIDS service organizations across Germany, including Berliner Aids-Hilfe. Broad incumbent: sets national standards and channels federal HIV prevention funds that flow down to local peer organizations.
• PRO FAMILIA Bundesverband: Germany-wide nonprofit federation for sexual/reproductive health, family planning, and counseling. Broad incumbent operating free, publicly co-funded counseling in the same domain (sexual health, anti-discrimination, queer-affirmative care) with a much wider service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/intertransberatungqueerleben

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schwulenberatung Berlin gGmbH