step foundation
step stiftung is a Freiburg-based German nonprofit foundation (est. 2004) that uses sport to deliver social integration, education, and health programs to children and youth from disadvantaged and refugee backgrounds via free mobile, school, and community housing programs, alongside paid professional training for multipliers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersFreiburg, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What step foundation does
step stiftung is a legally recognized German charitable foundation (Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) established on 27.04.2004 and headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It applies a "Sport for Development" methodology — using sport as an instrument to promote social learning, education, health, and integration rather than to develop sports-specific skills — and serves children and youth from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, including those with refugee or migration histories. Its program portfolio comprises seven branded offerings: kick mobil (a cargo-bike-based mobile sports program at five Freiburg Bolzplätze), kick connect (sports at refugee community housing), kick for girls, kick for boys, kick for all (school-based stereotype prevention), trail held*innen (mountain biking for girls with refugee backgrounds), and step fortbildung (a nationwide training program certifying multipliers as Sportcoaches für Integration und Vielfalt).
The foundation is funded primarily through donations, endowments (minimum €50,000 contribution), foundation grants, and municipal support; 100% of donations flow directly into programs. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Paid revenue is generated through step fortbildung workshops priced at €160/hour, €480 for a 3-hour workshop (or €960 for 15+ participants), and €960 for a 6-hour workshop (or €1,920 for 15+ participants). All programs for children and youth are free of charge. Operating with approximately 5 full-time staff, 2 minor-employment staff, 1 intern, and a large volunteer base (35 trained teamers, 35+ network partners, an honorary board and four-member foundation council), the organization co-founded the S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland in July 2024 and maintains strategic partnerships with SC Freiburg, Universität Freiburg, Laureus Sport for Good, and Südbadischer Fußballverband.
step foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- step foundation
- Legal name
- step stiftung
- Website
- https://step-stiftung.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- step stiftung is a Freiburg-based German nonprofit foundation (est. 2004) that uses sport to deliver social integration, education, and health programs to children and youth from disadvantaged and refugee backgrounds via free mobile, school, and community housing programs, alongside paid professional training for multipliers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
step foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Sports and Social Integration Programs
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Social Assistance (624), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Development & Sports Outreach Programs (EDAIAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs (BPAIAJAC), Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)
Keywords
Where step foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Freiburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
step foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Endowments: The foundation operates primarily through donations and endowments. Donations and endowments flow 100% into programs, strengthening the organization sustainably. Minimum endowment contribution starts at 50,000 EUR. The foundation also accepts bequests and legacies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hourly workshop rate |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Short workshop (3 hours) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full-day workshop (6 hours) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
step foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
step stiftung is a Freiburg-based nonprofit foundation that delivers free, low-threshold sports and movement programs to children and youth from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, using sport as an instrument for social learning, integration, and health. Its program portfolio includes kick mobil (mobile cargo-bike sports at Freiburg Bolzplätze), kick connect (sports at refugee community housing), kick for girls and kick for boys (school-based football programs), kick for all (anti-discrimination school programs), and trail held*innen (mountain biking for refugee girls). It also runs step fortbildung, a paid nationwide professional training and certification program qualifying multipliers as Sportcoaches für Integration und Vielfalt.
Product overview
step stiftung is a sports foundation offering a portfolio of programs that use sport as an instrument for social integration and youth development. The core offerings include kick mobil (mobile cargo bike sports), kick connect (refugee sports integration), kick for all (anti-discrimination school programs), kick for girls and kick for boys (gender-specific football groups), and trail heldinnen (mountainbike project for refugee girls). The step fortbildung program provides professional training for multipliers. These programs follow the Sport for Development approach, combining sports with education, social learning, and health promotion for children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- kick mobil: Mobile sports and movement offer using a cargo bike visiting football pitches in Freiburg neighborhoods, providing free sports activities for children and youth.
- kick connect
- kick for all
- kick for girls
- kick for boys
- trail heldinnen
- step fortbildung
Products and services
- kick mobil A mobile sports program using a cargo bike equipped with sports and play materials, providing free, low-threshold sports activities for children and youth at five Bolzplätze in Freiburg neighborhoods (Brühl-Beurbarung, Weingarten, Landwasser, Zähringen, Unterwiehre), operating March/April to October.
- kick connect
Quantifiable outcome
- trail held*innen project awarded Präventionspreis Baden-Württemberg 2026 with 5,000 EUR funding from 92 applications
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use step foundation
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
step foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature1 record
step foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- S4D-Netzwerk DeutschlandcoreSport for Development Network Germany founded on July 10, 2024 in Berlin. step stiftung (represented by Dr. Berndt Tausch) is one of the founding members including Bike Bridge, Common Goal, Sporthochschule Köln, SUPR SPORTS, Laureus Sport for Good, and DFL Stiftung.
- SC FreiburgcoreLong-term cooperation since 2020. SC Freiburg supports step stiftung in conceptual and operational implementation of kick mobil. A trainer accompanies the program, projects are jointly evaluated and further developed. The partnership is part of the Sport-Quartiere Freiburg initiative.
- Sport-Quartiere FreiburgcoreInitiated by SC Freiburg, combining the city of Freiburg, USC Freiburg (Eisvögel), beruf leben Akademie, and step stiftung. Provides high-quality programs for access to sports and movement for children and youth.
- Laureus Sport for GoodmajorInternational sports for development foundation collaborating with step stiftung on Sport for Development initiatives and professional training programs.
- Badischer Sportbund Nord e.V.majorPartnership through DKJS 'Willkommen im Fußball' program and integration through sports initiatives.
- Südbadischer Fußballverband (SBFV)majorIntegration of step fortbildung contents into coach licensing and continuing education programs for clubs.
- Mountainbike-Verein FreiburgmajorPartnership for trail held*innen providing pathway for participants to continue mountain biking through free memberships and course participation.
- Landessportbund Rheinland-PfalzminorCollaboration on step fortbildung workshops and sports diversity training.
- DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund)minorPartner for sports integration and diversity training programs.
- Universität Freiburg - Institut für Sport und SportwissenschaftmajorAcademic partnership developing Sport for Development methodology and step fortbildung content. Workshops are scientifically grounded and continuously adapted.
- Caritasverband Freiburg StadtminorPartner for trail held*innen project supporting refugee integration through sports.
- Diakonisches Werk FreiburgminorPartner for trail held*innen project supporting refugee integration through sports.
- Deutsches Rotes KreuzminorPartner for trail held*innen project supporting refugee integration through sports.
- Equaletics e.V.majorCo-developed kick for all project focusing on stereotype prevention and prejudice reduction through sports at schools.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights7 records
step foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Common Goal: Global sport-for-development collective; co-founding member of S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland. Operates comparable football-based social impact programs with broader geographic scope.
- Bike Bridge: German nonprofit using cycling for refugee integration; co-founding member of S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland. Directly comparable to step stiftung's trail heldinnen mountain bike project for refugee girls.
- SUPR SPORTS: German Sport-for-Development organization and co-founding member of S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland alongside step stiftung. Comparable mission and emerging scale with overlapping methodology.
Broad incumbents
- DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund): German Olympic Sports Confederation; step stiftung's listed partner for sports integration and diversity training. National-scale umbrella for sport-based social programming comparable to step stiftung's niche focus.
- DFL Stiftung (DFL Foundation): The German Football League's official foundation uses football for social integration and education across Germany. Larger and broader in scope than step stiftung but operates in the same sport-for-development space; also a S4D-Netzwerk co-founder.
- Right To Play: International organization using sport and play for child development in disadvantaged communities. Global scale and methodology closely mirror step stiftung's Sport-for-Development approach.
- DFB-Stiftung Egidius Braun: German Football Association's foundation supporting social projects through football. Broader national footprint and larger funding base than step stiftung, with comparable football-based integration and youth programs.
Direct peers
- streetfootballworld: International network using football for social change; operates a global member network similar in spirit to S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland. Comparable methodology and youth-development mission.
- KICKFAIR: German nonprofit using football and education for global development and integration; comparable Sport-for-Development methodology, school-based programming, and youth integration focus to step stiftung.
- Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: International sport-for-development foundation operating in Germany with the same Sport-for-Development methodology. Listed as a major partner of step stiftung and a co-founding member of S4D-Netzwerk Deutschland; comparable grant-making and program delivery model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
step foundation social profiles
Digital presencestep foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
step foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
step foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
step foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
step foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about step foundation
What does step foundation do?
step stiftung is a Freiburg-based nonprofit foundation that delivers free, low-threshold sports and movement programs to children and youth from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, using sport as an instrument for social learning, integration, and health. Its program portfolio includes kick mobil (mobile cargo-bike sports at Freiburg Bolzplätze), kick connect (sports at refugee community housing), kick for girls and kick for boys (school-based football programs), kick for all (anti-discrimination school programs), and trail held*innen (mountain biking for refugee girls). It also runs step fortbildung, a paid nationwide professional training and certification program qualifying multipliers as Sportcoaches für Integration und Vielfalt.
Is step foundation a public or private company?
step foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was step foundation founded?
step foundation was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is step foundation based?
step foundation is headquartered in Freiburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does step foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Endowments.
Who are step foundation's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Common Goal, Bike Bridge and SUPR SPORTS. Broad incumbents are DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund), DFL Stiftung (DFL Foundation), Right To Play and DFB-Stiftung Egidius Braun. Direct peers are streetfootballworld, KICKFAIR and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Does step foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for step foundation.
What industry is step foundation in?
step foundation's product category is Youth Sports and Social Integration Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAGAG, Youth Development & Sports Outreach Programs, with a secondary code of BPAIAJAC, Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 8200.