Association Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art (VSArt)

What Association Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art (VSArt) does

Association Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art (VSArt) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901, reconnue d'intérêt général) founded in 1986 by Françoise Vercken after she observed the beneficial effects of music on a seriously ill relative. Headquartered at Hôpital la Collégiale in Paris's 5th arrondissement, VSArt organizes approximately 3,000 cultural animations per year across France — 830 image-based conferences, 670 musical animations, hundreds of artistic workshops for hospitalized children, disadvantaged youth, and elderly, 290 workshops for seniors, and accompanied cultural outings — reaching 60,000+ vulnerable adults and children annually. Its five core service lines are: "Nos Conférences en images" (image-based lectures), "Nos animations musicales" (live classical, jazz, variety performances), "Ateliers Artistiques Adultes" and "Ateliers VSArt Jeunes / Récréart" (visual arts, crafts, museum visits), "Sorties Culturelles" (guided museum visits, Paris walks, concert rehearsals with mobility/accessibility support), and "Chorale-en-joie" (weekly singing groups for Alzheimer's and other invalidating conditions, currently in four Paris arrondissements and Bagneux).

The organization operates a volunteer-driven delivery model, deploying hundreds of musicians, artists, conference speakers, and "establishment delegates" to EHPADs, hospitals, senior centers, and day-care facilities. Its network spans seven regional branches — Aix-Marseille, Bordeaux (under development), Compiègne, Grenoble, Lyon, Nice, and Toulon — coordinated nationally from Paris. The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: VSArt runs on the Pep's Up association-management SaaS for website hosting, member/event/contact management, and communications; conferences are extended to at-home beneficiaries via streaming partner Happyvisio; and the "Sorties Culturelles" product line benefits from a partnership with Paris Greeters (launched September 2025) for accessible neighborhood walks, including routes adapted for visually impaired participants.

VSArt's revenue model is multi-stream and entirely French in structure: individual donations (eligible for a 66% tax deduction up to 20% of net taxable income), annual membership/adhesion (granting voting rights at the General Assembly and access to cultural outings), and corporate mécénat d'entreprise (eligible for a 60% corporate tax deduction up to 5‰ of annual turnover). Services are free for beneficiaries; there is no disclosed revenue figure. The organization is governed by a President (François-Didier Lemoine), Vice-President (Béatrice Sergent), and Treasurer (Anca Gaumetou), supported by ~24 named team members across communications, recruitment, IT, conferences, music, youth programs, cultural outings, senior clubs, and délégués functions. Its 40th-anniversary exhibition is scheduled for June 9–14, 2026 at La Serre du Parc André Citroën in Paris.

Name

Association Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art (VSArt)

Legal name

Association Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art

Website

https://vsart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VSArt is a French non-profit founded in 1986 that delivers volunteer-led cultural programs — concerts, image-based conferences, art workshops, accompanied outings, and therapeutic singing — to 60,000+ vulnerable elderly, hospitalized, and disadvantaged youth annually across seven regional branches in France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Outreach Services for Vulnerable Populations

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dementia Companion & Engagement Care (HSABAEAA), Arts, Culture & Creative Learning for Seniors (Music, writing, crafts) (EDAAAMAI)

Keywords

• Cultural outreach programs
• Volunteer cultural services
• Elderly care activities
• Art therapy workshops
• Community cultural support

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors support VSArt with tax-deductible contributions (66% tax deduction up to 20% of net taxable income). Donations are solicited through the website and membership appeals.
2. Corporate Sponsorship (Mécénat): Corporate partners provide financial support through charitable donations. Companies benefit from 60% corporate tax deduction on donations up to 5 per mille of annual revenue (excluding taxes).
3. Membership Fees: Individuals become members of VSArt through annual adhesion, which provides voting rights in General Assembly, access to cultural outings, and connection with other volunteers and supporters.
4. Partnerships: VSArt develops bespoke partnerships with companies aligned with solidarity and cultural access missions.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

VSArt is a non-profit association that organizes and delivers free live cultural animations — image-based conferences, concerts and musical performances, artistic workshops, accompanied cultural outings, and specialized singing groups for Alzheimer's patients — to vulnerable populations (elderly, hospitalized, disabled, disadvantaged children) in care settings across France, through a network of trained volunteers and 7 regional branches.

Product overview

VSArt operates as a unified cultural outreach organization offering five integrated service programs: image-based conferences (Nos Conférences en images), live musical animations (Nos animations musicales), artistic workshops for adults and youth (Ateliers Artistiques), accompanied cultural outings (Sorties Culturelles), and specialized singing groups for Alzheimer's patients (Chorale-en-joie). All services are delivered by trained volunteers to vulnerable populations including elderly, hospitalized, and disabled individuals. The organization is supported by membership/adhesion programs, corporate patronage, and uses the Pep's Up association management platform for operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nos Conférences en images Image-based conferences delivered in-person at healthcare facilities and care homes, covering topics organised around four themes (historical sites, fine arts, notable figures, and society/nature/gastronomy). Approximately 830 conferences are conducted annually in the Paris/Ile-de-France region.
• Nos animations musicales Live musical performances — classical music, jazz, popular music, soloists, duos, orchestras, and choirs — delivered by volunteer musicians to vulnerable populations. Approximately 670 musical animations are organized annually nationwide.
• Ateliers Artistiques Adultes Artistic workshops for elderly and vulnerable adults, including floral art (classical and ikebana), plastic arts (drawing, ink, painting, pastel, paper techniques), storytelling, and theatre, delivered in hospitals, retirement homes, and senior clubs. Approximately 290 workshops for elderly are held annually.
• Ateliers VSArt Jeunes / Récréart Artistic workshops for children and adolescents aged 6–12 from peripheral neighbourhoods (through CLAS and leisure centres), including plastic arts, museum visits, and end-of-year exhibitions. Approximately 330 creation workshops for youth are held annually, and 115 art workshops serve hospitalized children in protected educational settings.
• Sorties Culturelles Accompanied cultural outings including guided museum visits, commented walks in Paris (including partnership walks with Paris Greeters), and access to concert dress rehearsals. Programs are renewed quarterly, with individual accompaniment available for mobility-reduced or visually impaired participants. Approximately 900 elderly or disabled individuals participate annually.
• Chorale-en-joie Weekly singing groups for people with Alzheimer's disease or other debilitating conditions, run by volunteer teams. Helps patients recall memories through traditional songs. Currently operates in four Paris arrondissements and Bagneux.
• Adhésion / Don Annual membership and donation program for individual supporters. Membership provides network access, event updates, priority access to cultural outings, and voting rights in the General Assembly. Donations are eligible for a 66% tax deduction up to 20% of net taxable income.
• Mécénat d'entreprise Corporate patronage program allowing companies to develop bespoke partnerships supporting cultural actions for vulnerable populations. Corporate donations are eligible for a 60% tax deduction up to 5‰ of annual turnover (excluding taxes).

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ vulnerable individuals benefit from cultural programs annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Paris GreetersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Starting September 2025, Paris Greeters organizes walks in Paris for VSArt members. These neighborhood-focused walks are different from historical or monument visits, revealing an 'off-the-beaten-path' Paris. Some walks are led by volunteers trained for accessibility, particularly for visually impaired individuals.
• Pep's UpcoreTechnology or IntegrationPep's Up is the association management software platform used by VSArt for website hosting, member management, event organization, volunteer coordination, communications, and contact management. The platform enables VSArt to manage its national network of volunteers and regional antennas through integrated tools.
• happyvisiominorGTM or Marketing Partnerhappyvisio is an online streaming platform partner that enables VSArt to broadcast conferences live and offer replays, allowing isolated individuals at home to access cultural content remotely.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cultures du Cœur: French association that facilitates access to cultural venues and events for vulnerable and excluded populations. Directly comparable to VSArt's mission of using cultural engagement to combat isolation among vulnerable groups, with similar beneficiary profiles and French national scope.
• Le Rire Médecin: French nonprofit that sends trained performers (hospital clowns) into pediatric hospital wards to entertain sick children. Directly comparable to VSArt's programs for hospitalized children in terms of setting, audience, and use of live performance for therapeutic benefit.
• VMEH (Visite des Malades en Établissements Hospitaliers): Long-established French association of volunteers visiting hospitalized and elderly individuals. Comparable to VSArt's volunteer-driven delivery into care facilities and hospitals, though focused on personal visits rather than structured cultural programming.
• Musique & Santé: French nonprofit that brings live music performances and music workshops into hospitals and care facilities for vulnerable populations. Directly comparable to VSArt's musical animations and hospital/residential programs in target audience, delivery model, and volunteer-driven approach.

Broad incumbents

• France Alzheimer: France's largest association dedicated to Alzheimer's disease, supporting patients and families through caregiver services, research funding, and therapeutic activities. Overlaps with VSArt's Chorales-en-joie program in target population and therapeutic engagement focus, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Fondation de France: France's largest philanthropic foundation, supporting thousands of nonprofit projects including cultural and elderly-care initiatives. Comparable as a fundraising and impact-measurement peer, though operating at vastly greater scale and as a multi-cause umbrella rather than a single-mission operator.
• Fondation des Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France: Major French hospital foundation funding improvements to hospital quality of life, including cultural and artistic programs in pediatric wards. Comparable target population (hospitalized children and adults) and cultural-program mission, but operates as a grant-maker rather than a direct service provider.

Emerging players

• Petits Frères des Pauvres: French nonprofit supporting isolated elderly through companionship, cultural outings, and holiday programs. Comparable to VSArt's vulnerable elderly beneficiary segment and accompanied cultural outings, with a more focused mission on loneliness alleviation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vsart.org/?locale=fr_FR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/associationvsartparis
• Instagraminstagram.com/vsartfrance/?next=%2F

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Volontariat et Soutien par l'Art (VSArt)