SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V.

What SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V. does

SelbstBestimmt Leben e.V. Bremen is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) operating Germany's first Self-Determined Living advice center, founded in 1986 and rooted in the autonomous disability movement that began with the Krüppelgruppe Bremen in the late 1970s. The organization provides free peer-based counseling to people with disabilities and their families in the state of Bremen (including Bremerhaven), focusing on disability and social law, personal assistance organization (ISB), personal budgets, accessible housing, nursing care, and protection from discrimination. Its counselors are themselves disabled, applying the peer-counseling method under the principle "Nothing about us without us," which makes the service structurally independent of cost carriers and service providers.

The organization's service portfolio consists of five principal lines: the Beratungsstelle (core counseling center), the BMAS-funded EUTB (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung) program launched in 2018, the Forum Barrierefreies Bremen accessibility-advocacy forum (where the organization acts as secretariat), the Barrierefreie gynäkologische Ambulanz (accessible gynecological clinic at Klinikum Bremen-Mitte), and the Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord satellite project (joint with Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Bremen and LAGS Bremen). Technology is limited to a standard WordPress website hosted on Strato for information dissemination and contact management; no proprietary technology platforms are developed.

The business model is a grant-funded non-profit. Primary revenue derives from public grants — BMAS federal funding for the EUTB since 2018 and project funding from the Senatorin für Soziales, Jugend, Integration und Sport for Bremen-Nord work — supplemented by membership dues (€80/year full, €40/year reduced) and donations. All counseling is provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization is governed by a volunteer Vorstand (chair: Dr. Joachim Steinbrück) with a small paid staff led by Geschäftsführer Wilhelm Winkelmeier. As of May 2025, paid staff is reported to be only two part-time employees, a sharp compression attributed to changes in social and labor market policy since 1996. The organization is a founding member of the ISL (Interessenvertretung Selbstbestimmt Leben Deutschland) national network.

Name

SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V.

Legal name

Selbstbestimmt Leben e.V. Bremen

Website

https://slbremen-ev.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SelbstBestimmt Leben e.V. Bremen is a non-profit disability rights organization operating Germany's first Self-Determined Living advice center, providing free peer-based counseling on disability and social law to disabled individuals and their families in Bremen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benefits Counseling & Financial Literacy for Transition-Age Youth (EDAKANAJ), Housing Transition & Supported Living Navigation (EDAKANAK)

Keywords

• Disability peer counseling
• Social law advice
• Participation counseling
• Disability advocacy services
• Barrier-free accessibility

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: SelbstBestimmt Leben e.V. operates as a non-profit disability rights organization funded primarily through public grants. The organization receives financial support from the Senatorin für Soziales, Jugend, Integration und Sport for project work (e.g., Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord) and since 2018 receives funding from the Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) to operate an EUTB (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung) counseling center.
2. Membership Dues: The organization generates revenue through annual membership fees. Full members pay a minimum of €80.00 per year, with reduced rates of €40.00 per year available for members receiving basic income support (Grundsicherung).
3. Donations: The organization accepts donations from supporters to supplement its grant-based funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V. delivers free, independent peer-based counseling and advocacy for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in Bremen and surrounding areas. Its core services cover disability law and social law advice, assistance with applications (e.g., personal budgets / Persönliches Budget), accessibility (Barrierefreiheit) advocacy through Forum Barrierefreies Bremen, and operation of an EUTB (Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling) center. The association also runs a community participation meeting point (Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord) and supports an accessible gynecological clinic (Barrierefreie gynäkologische Ambulanz).

Product overview

SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V. Bremen operates as a non-profit counseling and advocacy organization offering peer-based consultation services for people with disabilities. The organization provides its core service through its Beratungsstelle (counseling center), supplemented by EUTB (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung – Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling), and the Forum Barrierefreies Bremen for accessibility advocacy. The organization also coordinates the Barrierefreie gynäkologische Ambulanz (Accessible Gynecological Clinic) and participates in the Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord project. These services are delivered through human counseling, information provision, and advocacy activities rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EUTB Beratungsstelle (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung / Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling) Federally funded independent counseling center for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, providing free advice on participation, social and disability law, personal budgets (Persönliches Budget), and applications. Open to individuals, families, and caregivers in Bremen and surrounding areas.
• Beratungsstelle (Counseling Center) General free peer counseling service for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, offered in person, by telephone, email, and contact form. Supports applications and individual cases on social law and accessibility.
• Forum Barrierefreies Bremen Network and advocacy initiative coordinated by the association to promote barrier-free accessibility across Bremen, bringing together member organizations and civic stakeholders working on accessibility in public life.
• Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord (Participation Meeting Point Bremen-Nord) Community project providing a local meeting point for people with disabilities in Bremen-Nord to engage in participation, peer exchange, and community activities.
• Barrierefreie gynäkologische Ambulanz (Accessible Gynecological Clinic) Supported initiative to establish an accessible gynecological clinic serving women with disabilities, promoted by the association as part of its accessibility work.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Self-Determined Living advice center in Germany, established 1986
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Bremen e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint partner in the 'Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord' project, a combined advice and meeting center for people with disabilities in northern Bremen. The project offers special advisory and encounter services to improve participation opportunities for disabled people in the northern part of Bremen. Funded by Senatorin für Soziales, Jugend, Integration und Sport.
• Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfe behinderter Menschen Bremen e.V. (LAGS Bremen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint partner in the Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord project alongside Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Bremen e.V. and SelbstBestimmt Leben e.V. Also collaborates on advocacy campaigns, including a joint administrative court challenge against the Senate's Domsheide redesign plans in 2026.
• Senatorin für Soziales, Jugend, Integration und Sport (State of Bremen)coreOthers · 1 January 2018State government body that provides project funding for Teilhabetreff Bremen-Nord and core operational support for the organization's counseling activities.
• Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS)coreOthers · 1 January 2018Federal Ministry that provides financial support for the operation of EUTB (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung) counseling services. BMAS funding enabled the creation of two new part-time counseling positions from January 2018.
• Forum Barrierefreies BremencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000A working group of wheelchair users, mobility-impaired, blind, deaf, and other disabled experts and specialists working to make Bremen more accessible. SelbstBestimmt Leben e.V. has provided the organizational support ('secretariat') for the forum since its founding over 20 years ago. The forum advises public and private builders, architects, traffic and urban planners, and advocates for accessibility standards.
• Interessenvertretung Selbstbestimmt Leben Deutschland (ISL e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational umbrella organization of Self-Determined Living advice centers in Germany. SelbstBestimmt Leben Bremen was one of the founding members of ISL (founded 1990) and remains an active member, contributing to nationwide disability policy advocacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe: Large German federation advocating for people with intellectual disabilities and their families, providing counseling, family support, and political advocacy. Comparable as an incumbent disability advocacy and counseling organization, though much larger and focused on intellectual rather than cross-disability peer counseling.
• Aktion Mensch e.V. One of Germany's largest private social organizations focused on inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities. Comparable as a funder and broad-based player in the same disability services and inclusion space, but operating at nationwide scale across many programs rather than as a peer counseling specialist.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest confederation of social welfare organizations, providing social counseling, disability support, and family services nationwide. Comparable as a broad social-services and counseling provider serving vulnerable populations, though operating a much larger, more diversified portfolio than the peer-led Bremen organization.
• Diakonie Deutschland: National federation of Protestant social welfare organizations providing counseling, disability services, and inclusion programs. Comparable as a broad social-services incumbent, with similar EUTB and disability-related counseling offerings but rooted in faith-based welfare rather than autonomous peer-led disability rights advocacy.
• Sozialverband VdK Deutschland e.V. Major German social association offering social law counseling, benefits guidance, and advocacy for disabled, chronically ill, and elderly members. Directly comparable in providing disability and social law counseling, application and appeals support, but at national scale with paid membership rather than a peer-counseling model.

Direct peers

• Zentrum für Selbstbestimmtes Leben Hamburg (ZSL Hamburg): Hamburg-based peer counseling and advocacy center for disabled people operating under the same Self-Determined Living philosophy. Comparable as a peer-led regional alternative, with overlapping services such as social law counseling, personal assistance guidance, and accessibility advocacy.
• Interessenvertretung Selbstbestimmt Leben Deutschland (ISL e.V.): National umbrella of the German Self-Determined Living movement, co-founded in 1990 by SelbstBestimmt Leben Bremen and 20+ other peer counseling centers. Directly comparable as a peer-led disability rights and counseling network sharing the same philosophy and historical lineage.
• Selbstbestimmt Leben e.V. Berlin: Sister Self-Determined Living peer counseling center in Berlin, sharing the same philosophy, peer-led methodology, and ISL affiliation. Closely comparable service model, target audience, and funding structure, serving a different geographic market.

Emerging players

• BSK Bundesverband Selbsthilfe Körperbehinderter e.V. German national self-help association for people with physical disabilities, providing peer support, counseling, and accessibility advocacy. Comparable as a disability self-help and advocacy organization, but focused specifically on physical impairments rather than the cross-disability peer counseling scope of SelbstBestimmt Leben.
• Bundesverband für körper- und mehrfachbehinderte Menschen (bvkm): German federal association representing people with severe/multiple disabilities and their families, offering counseling, family support, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a specialized disability rights and counseling organization, with overlapping peer support and accessibility advocacy but a narrower population focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/selbstbestimmt-leben-e.v.

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 SelbstBestimmt Leben E.V.