VIVRE AUX ECLATS / Clowns à l'hôpital

What VIVRE AUX ECLATS / Clowns à l'hôpital does

VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS is a Lyon-based nonprofit association (loi 1901) founded in 1996 that delivers professional, improvisational clown performances in healthcare settings across the Lyon metropolitan area and Annonay in France. Its core service consists of duo-based, adaptive clown play delivered by 20 professional clown artists in 18 healthcare establishments — 10 pediatric units, 5 geriatric EHPADs, and 3 medicalised care homes for adults with disabilities — reaching approximately 20,000 people per year through more than 800 sessions. The association also extends services to families in palliative care contexts and provides caregiver accompaniment and training.

The business model is donation-funded rather than fee-based: beneficiaries (patients, residents, families) and healthcare facilities are not charged. Revenue is generated from individual donations (eligible for the 66% French income tax deduction), corporate partnerships and sponsorships (60% corporate tax deduction), annual membership subscriptions priced at €5 per person (2026), and merchandise sales through an online boutique on HelloAsso. Operations are supported by a small core staff of 7 (led by Director Natacha Débonnaire-Thevenet), 10 volunteers coordinated by Dominique Gebski and Vincent Buron, and a network of professional clown artists.

The association does not develop or deploy any technology product or AI capability; its 'core technology' is a craft-based, 30-year refined methodology of hospital-adapted improvisational clowning. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors and Bureau, with Anthony Bonnet (Michelin-starred chef at Les Loges de Cour des Loges Lyon, Radisson Collection) serving as patron since 2026 for the 30th anniversary. Geographic scope is intentionally limited to the Lyon region and Annonay, with no expansion plans disclosed.

Name

VIVRE AUX ECLATS / Clowns à l'hôpital

Legal name

VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS

Website

https://vivre-aux-eclats.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS is a Lyon-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that delivers professional, improvisational clown performances in 18 pediatric, geriatric, and disability care facilities across the Lyon metropolitan area and Annonay, reaching roughly 20,000 vulnerable people per year, funded entirely by donations, memberships, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual donations: Individual donors contribute to the association. Donations of €100 cost the donor €34 after the 66% French income tax reduction (within the 20% of taxable income limit). Tax receipts are issued for all donations.
2. Corporate partnerships and sponsorships: Corporate donors support the association. A donation of €1,000 costs the company €400 after the 60% corporate tax reduction (within 5‰ of annual revenue). Partnerships include corporate giving, event-based sponsorship, and long-term patronage (e.g., chef Anthony Bonnet as godfather/parrain for the 30-year anniversary).
3. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership (adhésion) fee of €5 per person in 2026, giving members voting rights at the General Assembly. The membership year runs January–December. Membership qualifies for the same 66% tax reduction as donations.
4. Online boutique sales: The association sells products through an online boutique (hosted on HelloAsso), offering items such as the '7 families' card game themed around the association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS is a Lyon-based nonprofit association that delivers professional, improvised, interactive duo clown performances to patients and residents in healthcare establishments — pediatric hospitals, geriatric nursing homes (EHPADs), and medicalised care homes for adults with disabilities — across the Lyon metropolitan area and Annonay. Its services, provided free of charge to beneficiaries and facilities, are funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, membership fees, and a small online merchandise boutique, and are supported by complementary programmes including caregiver training, a touring photo exhibition, a standalone show, and paid event-based clown services.

Product overview

VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS is a non-profit association of professional clowns founded in 1996, based in Lyon, France. The organization provides artistic clown performances and programs in healthcare settings including hospitals, EHPADs (elderly care homes), and medicalized reception facilities. Their core service is improvisational, interactive clown performances delivered by professional artist-clowns. The association also operates an online boutique selling themed card games (Les 7 Familles) and accepts donations/support through their website. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programmes artistiques en établissements de soins (Artistic programmes in healthcare establishments) Recurring duo-based improvised interactive clown performances delivered by professional artist-clowns in pediatric hospitals, geriatric nursing homes (EHPADs), and medicalised care homes for adults with disabilities across the Lyon metropolitan area and Annonay. The service is provided free of charge to beneficiaries and healthcare facilities and adapted in real time to each patient's condition and environment.
• L'accompagnement des soignants (Caregiver training and accompaniment) Training and support programme for healthcare teams working alongside the clowns, helping caregivers integrate artistic interventions into the care environment and reinforcing the emotional wellbeing of care teams.
• Le spectacle (The show) A standalone clown show produced by the association's professional artist-clowns, distinct from the in-facility improvisational sessions and usable for outreach, awareness, and fundraising contexts.
• Expo photos « Oser l'Etre » (Photo exhibition "Dare to Be") A travelling photo exhibition produced by the association to raise awareness of its work, depicting the clown-artists and the people encountered in healthcare settings.
• Prestation événementielle (Event-based clown services) Paid clown performance services offered for corporate or private events, generating revenue to fund the association's nonprofit healthcare programmes.
• Boutique en ligne — Jeu des 7 familles VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS (Online boutique — 7 Families card game) Themed merchandise sold through the association's HelloAsso-hosted online boutique, including the "7 familles" card game themed around the association's work, used both as a fundraising product and as a public-awareness tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ people encountered per year through artistic interventions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anthony Bonnet (Les Loges de Cour des Loges Lyon, A Radisson Collection Hôtel)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Michelin-starred chef Anthony Bonnet of Les Loges de Cour des Loges Lyon (Radisson Collection) serves as the association's godfather (parrain) for its 30th anniversary. Bonnet, recognised in the Guide MICHELIN 2026, embodies similar values of territorial anchorage, craftsmanship, and human connection that align with VIVRE AUX ÉCLATS' mission. His role is primarily to raise the association's public profile, advocate for its mission, and bring visibility through his celebrity and culinary reputation.
• Radisson Collection Hôtel (Les Loges de Cour des Loges Lyon)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Les Loges de Cour des Loges Lyon, part of the Radisson Collection Hotels group, is associated with the association through its chef Anthony Bonnet who acts as the association's godfather. The hotel group provides an institutional affiliation and visibility platform.
• Gandi SASminorOthersGandi SAS (63-65 boulevard Masséna, 75013 Paris) is the web hosting provider for the association's website (www.vivre-aux-eclats.fr). The company is listed in the legal notice and privacy policy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Fédération Française des Associations de Clowns Hospitaliers: French federation/industry body referenced in the company's own "Fédération et réseau" page that groups French hospital clown associations. Not a direct competitor but a sectoral peer enabling knowledge sharing, advocacy, and potentially joint fundraising in the French market.

Direct peers

• Cliniclowns: Dutch hospital clown organisation deploying trained clowns in Dutch children's hospitals since 1992. Closely comparable professional-artist model in healthcare settings with a similar multi-decade operating history.
• Theodora Foundation: Swiss-based international nonprofit running "dream doctor" programmes in hospitals across multiple countries including France. Operates with professional artist teams trained for healthcare settings — a near-identical service model and donor-funded structure.
• Le Rire Médecin: France's largest hospital clown nonprofit, founded in 1991 in Paris, sending professional clowns into pediatric wards across numerous French hospitals. Same mission (therapeutic clowning), same country, same nonprofit structure, and a far larger operational footprint — the most directly comparable peer.
• Humour Foundation: Australian nonprofit deploying professional clown doctors in hospitals and aged-care facilities across Australia. Same healthcare-setting delivery model, same professional-artist methodology, and same donation/CORPORATE funding approach.
• Big Apple Circus — Clown Care: US hospital clowning programme running since 1986, sending professional clowns into pediatric hospitals in the New York region. Pioneer of the therapeutic clown model, with comparable professional-artist deployment and hospital partnerships.
• Rote Nasen / Red Noses International: Austrian-founded international hospital clowning organisation ("Red Noses") with operations across Central and Eastern Europe. Comparable professional-clown methodology, healthcare-setting delivery, and nonprofit revenue model.
• Hearts & Minds: UK-based charity sending professional clowns into children's hospitals and special needs schools. Comparable mission focus on paediatric and disability settings, professional artists, and healthcare partnerships.
• Dr Clown: Canadian therapeutic clowning nonprofit operating in hospitals, seniors' residences, and rehabilitation centres across Quebec. Comparable professional-clown methodology and cross-segment (pediatric, geriatric, disability) delivery model.

Emerging players

• Patch Adams / Gesundheit! Institute: US-based nonprofit founded by the physician-clown Patch Adams, focused on therapeutic humour in healthcare with broader scope (including a planned hospital). Different operational structure but overlapping therapeutic-clowning mission and a global awareness halo relevant to peer comparison.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vivreauxeclats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about VIVRE AUX ECLATS / Clowns à l'hôpital