What Association Tulipe does

Association Tulipe is a French non-profit humanitarian association founded in 1982 by LEEM (Les Entreprises du Médicament), the French pharmaceutical industry association. Operating as an authorized pharmaceutical establishment under the French National Agency for Medicines Safety (ANSM), Tulipe functions as a regulated intermediary that receives donated health products (medicines, medical devices) from 65 member healthcare companies, processes and quality-controls them, and distributes them through 18 vetted humanitarian NGO partners operating in 25 countries. Tulipe is governed as an association d'intérêt général under Article 200-5 of the French General Tax Code, granting member companies a 60% tax deduction on membership fees up to 5 per thousand of turnover.

Tulipe's core offering is its pre-assembled emergency medical kits (malles d'urgence) — including general medicine kits, pediatric kits, and a newly launched February 2025 maternal and reproductive health kit — calibrated for rapid deployment in crisis zones. Its operational model relies on three formal coordination pillars: (i) a 2017 partnership convention with the French Ministry's Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS), (ii) cooperation with the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and (iii) logistics support from partners such as CMA CGM Air Cargo. Tulipe also participates in the international Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD) alliance.

In 2024, Tulipe reported distributing 190 tonnes of health products and enabling treatment of 1.8 million patients via NGO partners. Its single largest concentrated operation has been Ukraine, with 300 tonnes of health products delivered over 1,000 days of war since 2022. The association operates from Paris with a 22-person team led by President Karine Levesque and General Director Alexandre Laridan, and is funded through membership fees, in-kind corporate donations, and individual contributions — with revenue figures not publicly disclosed.

Name

Association Tulipe

Legal name

ASSOCIATION Association TULIPE

Website

https://tulipe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Tulipe is a Paris-based French non-profit, founded in 1982, that channels donated medicines and medical devices from 65 healthcare-company members through 18 vetted humanitarian NGO partners to crisis-affected populations across 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Pharmaceutical Distribution

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI), Global Health Supply Chain & Procurement Organizations (HLAJAKAL), Humanitarian Health Coordination & Emergency Response Partnerships (HLAJAOAI)

Keywords

• Humanitarian medical aid
• Pharmaceutical donation coordination
• Emergency medical kits
• Healthcare logistics
• Crisis medical supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Company Donations: Healthcare companies (65 member companies in 2024) donate health products (medicines, medical devices) to Tulipe. These donations are the primary source of supply for humanitarian operations. Member companies receive tax benefits under Article 200-5 of the French General Tax Code, allowing 60% of membership fees to be deducted from taxes up to 5 per thousand of turnover.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Association Tulipe coordinates the donation of health products (medicines, medical devices) from 65 member healthcare companies and distributes them as pre-assembled emergency kits (malles d'urgence) to 18+ vetted humanitarian NGO partners operating in crisis zones across 25 countries. Operating as an ANSM-authorized pharmaceutical establishment, Tulipe receives, quality-controls, documents, and dispatches these donations through coordinated humanitarian airlifts in partnership with the French CDCS and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Product overview

Association Tulipe is a non-profit humanitarian organization established in 1982 by the Leem (Les Entreprises du Médicament), functioning as an authorized pharmaceutical distributor with a humanitarian mission. Rather than a traditional product company, Tulipe coordinates emergency pharmaceutical donations from healthcare companies to humanitarian NGOs and partner organizations worldwide. The organization operates as an interface between healthcare industry donors and field organizations, providing pre-assembled medical supply kits including Emergency Health Product Kits, Pediatric Kits, General Medicine Kits, and specialized Maternal and Reproductive Health Kits. Tulipe organizes these donations into calibrated kits (malles) ready for rapid deployment to crisis zones, coordinating logistics through partnerships with governmental crisis response centers and international humanitarian organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Health Product Kits (Malles d'Urgence)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million patients treated by partner NGOs in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SNITEM (Syndicat National de l'Industrie des Technologies Médicales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Partnership signed April 2026 to strengthen mobilization of healthcare industries in medical humanitarian aid. SNITEM represents medical technology companies in France.
• Fondation CMA CGMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026CMA CGM Foundation provided free cargo aircraft for humanitarian airlift to Beirut (March 2026). 60-tonne humanitarian operation coordinated with CDCS, transporting 8.7 tonnes of Tulipe health products plus shelters, food, and medical equipment.
• PQMD (Partnership for Quality Medical Donations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2023Tulipe is a member of PQMD, a unique alliance of non-profit organizations and companies committed to improving access to healthcare for vulnerable populations in crisis zones. Tulipe co-hosted the 2023 PQMD Global Health Policy Forum in Paris with Foundation S.
• Foundation S - The Sanofi CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Sanofi's philanthropic foundation launched May 2022. Foundation S supports major Tulipe operations including Ukraine, Lebanon, Gaza, Turkey/Syria earthquakes. Contributed 20,000 treatments for Gaza operations. Sanofi has been involved since Tulipe's founding in 1982.
• Centre de crise et de soutien (CDCS) - Ministry of Europe and Foreign AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Formal partnership convention signed December 19, 2017 with Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. CDCS coordinates French government crisis response abroad; Tulipe became one of the main sources of medical supply for CDCS. Partnership enables coordinated humanitarian airlifts and emergency operations worldwide.
• Order of Malta LebanoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing humanitarian partner operating 11 primary healthcare centres and 7 mobile medical units. Receives Tulipe health product donations for distribution to vulnerable populations in Lebanon including Syrian refugees. Partnership active since 2020 Beirut explosion response.
• Women of Africa (WOA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational solidarity organization present in France and 20 African countries since 2002. WOA received 1.8 tonnes of medical products for DRC operations in March 2024. Operates in hard-to-reach areas including Mwenga (South Kivu), Masisi, and Walikale territories.
• Association Médicale Franco-Asiatique (AMFA France)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistorical partner for 20 years. AMFA received 3 tonnes (May 2022) and 2.3 tonnes/28,000 treatments (December 2023) for Burma/Myanmar. Supports medical infrastructure including 23 dispensaries, mobile medical teams, and field hospitals in conflict zones.
• CMA CGM AIR CARGOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCargo airline operated by CMA CGM group. Provided aircraft for March 2026 humanitarian airlift to Beirut (60 tonnes of aid including 8.7 tonnes of Tulipe health products). Enables rapid emergency response logistics.
• LEEM (Les Entreprises du Médicament)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench pharmaceutical industry association that founded Tulipe in 1982. Represents and brings together healthcare company members who donate to Tulipe.
• 65 Healthcare Company MemberscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember companies including Sanofi, Pfizer, Novartis, GSK, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Abbott, Merck, and others. Companies donate surplus medicines and health products to Tulipe for humanitarian distribution. Includes Foundation S (Sanofi philanthropic arm).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• French Red Cross (Croix-Rouge française): Major French humanitarian organization operating healthcare programs domestically and internationally. Broad incumbent in French humanitarian space with overlapping medical-product distribution function, though far larger and diversified.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Global humanitarian medical organization that runs its own medical supply chain (including MSF Logistique) for emergency response. Much larger and broader in scope than Tulipe, but comparable in humanitarian health-product distribution function.

Direct peers

• MAP International: US-based nonprofit that provides donated medicines and health supplies to vulnerable populations through NGO partners in 100+ countries. Direct peer — same donor-to-NGO pharmaceutical distribution model that Tulipe operates in France.
• International Health Partners (IHP): UK-based nonprofit that aggregates donated medicines from pharmaceutical companies and distributes them to humanitarian NGOs in disaster and conflict zones. Direct functional peer to Tulipe — same pharma-donation intermediary model, same NGO distribution model, just UK-centric vs. France-centric.
• IDA Foundation: Netherlands-based pharmaceutical wholesaler operating as a social enterprise supplying essential medicines and medical supplies to low- and middle-income countries. Direct peer in pharma supply-chain intermediation for humanitarian and development contexts, though more commercial than Tulipe.
• Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC): Canadian nonprofit that collects donated medicines and medical supplies from Canadian pharma companies and distributes them through NGOs to vulnerable populations globally. Same country-anchored pharma donation intermediary model as Tulipe, just anchored in Canada.
• Americares Foundation: US-based nonprofit that distributes donated medicines, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid to partners in crisis and under-resourced settings. Direct peer — operates the same model of sourcing pharma donations and distributing through vetted NGO and partner networks.
• Direct Relief: US-based humanitarian medical aid organization that acts as an authorized pharmaceutical distributor handling donated medicines and medical supplies for response to emergencies and chronic poverty. Closest direct global peer in terms of regulatory status and pharma-donation intermediation volume.

Others

• Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD): Alliance of NGOs and companies working to improve access to medicines in crisis zones. Tulipe is a member and co-hosted the 2023 PQMD Global Health Policy Forum in Paris. Industry network and standard-setter, not a distributor competitor.
• Foundation S (The Sanofi Collective): Sanofi's philanthropic foundation that supports Tulipe's major operations and was launched in 2022 as a key partner. Not a competitor but a strategic donor/funding partner — relevant for understanding Tulipe's ecosystem and dependency dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-tulipe

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association Tulipe