Stiftung Mayday

What Stiftung Mayday does

Stiftung Mayday is a German charitable foundation established on December 7, 1994, in Frankfurt am Main by a group of pilots following the fatal accident of Russian test pilot Alexander S. Vyatkin at Berlin-Schönefeld. The foundation provides crisis intervention and psychosocial support to aviation personnel and their dependents worldwide, with a stated mission of supporting pilots, flight crews, and families in distress irrespective of cause, blame, or insurance considerations. Its core offering is Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), an eight-level structured intervention program built on the Mitchell-Everly CIS-Debriefing methodology developed by Prof. Dr. Jeffrey T. Mitchell and Prof. Dr. George S. Everly, delivered through a network of approximately 250 honorary CISM-Team members comprising trained pilots, flight attendants, and mental health professionals.

The foundation operates an 8-level CISM intervention framework covering education and training, individual crisis intervention, demobilization/crisis management briefings, defusing, critical incident stress debriefing, family and organizational support, follow-up, and teaching. It also provides individual casework (care services), an Operations Manual integration module co-developed with Deutsche Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian Airlines, a 24-hour hotline, a multilingual website with educational downloads, and annual circulars documenting its work. It is accredited by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), the United Nations (UNO), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and maintains sister-organization relationships with MaydayUSA, MaydayItalia, and Mayday-SA.

As a registered charity, Stiftung Mayday funds its operations primarily through donations and the income generated from its initial 35,000 DM endowment raised at the 1994 ILA Berlin airshow, with the original capital preserved intact. All services are provided free of charge. The foundation is staffed by 17 employees and supported by approximately 250 volunteer CISM-Team members, and operates from its registered seat in Frankfurt am Main with a worldwide network of carers across locations including Moscow, Hamburg, Ulm, Marseilles/Toronto, Berlin, and Bern.

Name

Stiftung Mayday

Legal name

Stiftung Mayday

Website

https://stiftung-mayday.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftung Mayday is a German charitable foundation (founded 1994) that delivers free Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) services to commercial and private pilots, flight crews, and their dependents worldwide, via a network of approximately 250 volunteer peer supporters and mental health professionals using the Mitchell-Everly CIS-Debriefing method.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Crisis Intervention Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHABAFAJ

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services

Travel & Hospitality/Airlines & Air Travel/Private Aviation (Business Jets & Air Taxi)

SECONDARYBPABANAF

Crisis Management & Communications Support (Mass Notification)

Business & Public Services/Facilities Management & Building Services/Emergency Preparedness and Response Services

Keywords

• Aviation crisis support
• Critical incident stress management
• Pilot peer support
• Aviation mental health
• Crew debriefing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Endowments: The foundation operates as a charitable organization funded primarily through donations. Initial capital of 35,000 DM was raised at the 1994 ILA and invested according to legal criteria. Original capital remains intact; aid is provided from generated revenue. All donations qualify for tax exemption as a registered charity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stiftung Mayday provides Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) services to aviation personnel, delivered through a worldwide network of approximately 250 honorary CISM-Team members consisting of trained pilots, flight attendants, and professional psychologists. The service is built on the Mitchell-Everly methodology and an 8-level intervention framework covering education, individual crisis intervention, demobilisation, defusing, CIS-Debriefing, family/organisational support, follow-up, and teaching, complemented by individual casework care for affected pilots and their families.

Product overview

Stiftung Mayday is a charitable foundation (founded 1994) providing a suite of peer support and crisis intervention services for aviation personnel. The core offering is Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), an 8-level structured program developed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). Services include peer support networks (CISM-Teams with ~250 members), individual casework care, an Operations Manual for airline integration, stress management education, and publications. All services are delivered voluntarily by trained pilots, flight attendants, and mental health professionals. The foundation operates independently of airlines and aviation organizations, maintaining a worldwide network of care with locations in Moscow, Hamburg, Ulm, Marseilles/Toronto, Berlin, and Bern.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) A comprehensive crisis intervention and stress management program for aviation personnel, based on the Mitchell-Everly method, providing peer support, defusing sessions, debriefings, and follow-up care to help flight crews process traumatic incidents and prevent PTSD. Delivered free of charge to pilots and their dependents.
• Operations Manual (CISM Integration) Standardized CISM formulations developed jointly with Deutsche Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian Airlines for integration into airline Operations Manuals, defining Operational Debriefing and CIS-Debriefing procedures for flight crews after critical incidents.
• Care and Casework Services Individual case management providing material and emotional support to aviators and their families in crisis. Handles approximately 30 cases per year, with support duration ranging from single interviews to multi-year intensive care, including repatriation, financial, legal, and bereavement assistance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reactions after critical incidents occur in approximately 20% of affected individuals and typically resolve within days with proper support

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998ICISF is the global authority on Critical Incident Stress Management founded by Prof. Dr. Jeffrey T. Mitchell and Prof. Dr. George S. Everly. Stiftung Mayday is an official CISM-Organization accredited by ICISF, following their guidelines for selection, training, quality assurance, duties, advanced training, and supervision of CISM team members.
• Deutsche LufthansacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Deutsche Lufthansa strongly supported the introduction of CISM to German aviation and the establishment of the CISM organization by Stiftung Mayday. Lufthansa participates in the joint policy paper arrangements governing CISM operations.
• SwisscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss cooperated with Stiftung Mayday in developing the Operations Manual text for CISM integration into airline Operations Manuals.
• Austrian AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Airlines cooperated with Stiftung Mayday in developing the Operations Manual text for CISM integration into airline Operations Manuals.
• European Critical Incident Stress Management Network (ECISM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network of CISM organizations, listed as a related organization on Stiftung Mayday's links page.
• European Pilot Peer Support Initiative (EPPSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative for pilot peer support, listed as a related organization on Stiftung Mayday's links page.
• Vereinigung Cockpit (VC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman pilot union (ALPA Germany) that worked with Stiftung Mayday to introduce CISM to German aviation in 1998.
• Traditionsgemeinschaft Alte AdlerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup of veteran pilots who maintain contact with families supported by Stiftung Mayday and coordinate assistance efforts, particularly for retired pilots in need.
• Whirly-Girls (International Women Helicopter Pilots Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization of women helicopter pilots that coordinated with Stiftung Mayday to provide financial assistance and care for a French helicopter pilot paralyzed in an accident.
• MaydayUSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMayday Foundation USA - international sister organization for CISM in aviation, listed as a related organization.
• MaydayItaliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMayday Italy - international sister organization for CISM in aviation, listed as a related organization.
• Mayday-SA (South Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMayday South Africa - international sister organization for CISM in aviation, listed as a related organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF): Global authority on Critical Incident Stress Management founded by the creators of the Mitchell-Everly method. Sets the standards Stiftung Mayday follows and accredits CISM organizations; broader scope (all critical-incident responders, not aviation-specific).
• Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA): Major North American pilot union that runs a sizable Pilot Peer Support program for its members. Comparable peer support infrastructure for aviation crews under a different organizational model (union-based vs. foundation-based).
• International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA): Global federation of national pilot unions that operates pilot welfare and human performance programs globally. Overlaps with Stiftung Mayday in advocating for and providing peer support to commercial pilots worldwide.
• European Critical Incident Stress Management Network (ECISM): European network of CISM organizations linked to Stiftung Mayday. Provides broader multi-national coordination of CISM practice across sectors, of which Stiftung Mayday is a member for the aviation subset.

Direct peers

• Mayday Foundation USA (MaydayUSA): International sister organization explicitly listed as a peer CISM foundation for aviation. Same target population (pilots, crews, families) and same Mitchell-Everly CISM methodology; only difference is U.S. geography.
• European Pilot Peer Support Initiative (EPPSI): European initiative listed by Stiftung Mayday as a related organization. Focuses on pilot peer support programs across European airlines, overlapping closely in mission and methodology with Stiftung Mayday's CISM offerings.
• Mayday South Africa (Mayday-SA): South African sister foundation listed by Stiftung Mayday as a related organization. Delivers parallel CISM and peer-support services to aviation professionals in the African region.
• Mayday Italia: Italian sister foundation listed as a related organization by Stiftung Mayday. Provides analogous CISM and family support services to Italian aviation personnel using the same ICISF-aligned methodology.

Emerging players

• British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA): UK pilots' association that provides peer support and welfare services to its members. Comparable mission in supporting pilots in distress, with regional (UK) focus and a membership-driven rather than charitable foundation model.
• Vereinigung Cockpit (VC): German pilot union (ALPA Germany) that co-introduced CISM to German aviation with Stiftung Mayday in 1998. Engages adjacent peer support and welfare activities for its pilot members, partially overlapping with the foundation's mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-mayday

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftung Mayday