Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych

What Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych does

Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych is a Warsaw-based non-governmental foundation established in 1999 (legal founding 2000) and recognized as the only Polish NGO providing comprehensive support for missing persons cases. The foundation operates a 24/7 support infrastructure — including hotlines at +48 22 654 70 70 and the EU-sponsored 116 000 missing children line — alongside a public-facing searchable database of missing and unidentified (NN) individuals containing 1,015 active cases as of the latest data. Services span psychological, legal, and social support for affected families, coordination with Polish police and government ministries, and community-facing awareness tools such as the 404 error page widget and children's safety bracelets.

The technical foundation is a relational database system exposed through zaginieni.pl, with online and paper-based reporting forms (Google Forms integration for initial intake), an iframe-based widget for partner website distribution, and a dedicated Ukrainian-language reporting portal. Operations are supported by ~21 staff plus ~40 volunteers, integrated with a nationwide volunteer network of mountain (GOPR), water (WOPR), and fire (OSP) rescue units, and formal cooperation agreements with Komenda Główna Policji and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

ITAKA is funded through a diversified donation model: the Polish 1.5% tax designation programme (KRS 0000126459), individual donations via Przelewy24 and PayU, corporate sponsorships (Orange Polska sponsors the 116 000 hotline; Polpharma and British Council also support), recurring 'Friends of ITAKA' club memberships, annual community fundraising events like 'Podwieczorek dla zaginionych,' and EU/government grants including the Daphne Programme, NCBR Gospostrateg, and National Freedom Institute PROO. All services to families are provided free of charge. Cumulative outcomes include 2,666 people found and approximately 16,000 registered cases handled since inception.

Name

Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych

Legal name

Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych

Website

https://zaginieni.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundacja ITAKA is Poland's only NGO providing comprehensive missing-persons support, operating 24/7 hotlines and a public database of 1,015 active cases. It serves families of missing persons with free psychological, legal, and search coordination services, funded by donations, EU grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Missing Persons Search and Family Support Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Missing persons search
• Family support services
• Missing persons database
• Humanitarian hotline services
• Parental abduction mediation

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from private individuals through bank transfers, online payment systems (Przelewy24, PayU), and regular standing orders. The foundation offers brick purchase options ( cegiełka), Christmas cards, and direct financial support.
2. Tax Deductible Contributions (1.5%): Polish tax system allows taxpayers to direct 1.5% of their income tax to registered public benefit organizations. ITAKA's KRS number is 0000126459.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies can co-finance search operations, support counseling centers, sponsor preventive campaigns (Lecz depresję, Bezpieczna praca, Nie uciekaj), or provide free products and services.
4. Public Fundraising Events: Annual campaigns like 'Podwieczorek dla zaginionych' (Afternoon Tea for Missing) where supporters organize gatherings and collect donations in sealed collection boxes.
5. EU and Government Grants: Co-financing from EU Funds (Daphne Programme for 116 000 helpline), National Center for Research and Development (Gospostrateg programme), and National Freedom Institute (PROO programme).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fundacja ITAKA provides free, comprehensive missing-persons search and family-support services in Poland. The foundation operates a public searchable database of missing and unidentified (NN) individuals, runs 24/7 telephone hotlines, and provides psychological, legal, and social-assistance consultations to families of missing persons. Specialized services include parental-abduction mediation, Ukrainian-refugee missing-person reporting, police training webinars, public awareness campaigns, and a 404-page widget that displays missing-person alerts on third-party websites.

Product overview

Fundacja ITAKA operates a comprehensive missing persons support ecosystem centered on a searchable online database (Baza Danych Osób Zaginionych i NN) containing profiles of missing individuals. The core offering integrates multiple service layers: 24-hour telephone support hotlines (22 654 70 70 and 116 000 for children), online and paper-based reporting systems, and specialist consultations (psychological, legal, social). Supporting services include volunteer coordination, webinars for police training, a 404-page awareness widget for partner websites, children's safety bracelets, the 'Podwieczorek dla Zaginionych' fundraising campaign, and a Support and Mediation Center for parental abduction cases. All services are provided free of charge. The architecture combines a public-facing database with operational support services, all coordinated through the Warsaw-based foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24h Support Line (Linia Wsparcia) A 24/7 telephone support hotline (+48 22 654 70 70 and 801 24 70 70) for reporting missing persons, receiving guidance on search procedures, and connecting callers with on-call specialists.
• 116 000 Hotline for Missing Children A dedicated hotline (116 000) for reporting missing children and teenagers, sponsored by Orange Polska and funded under the European Union's Daphne Programme.
• Missing Persons and NN Database (Baza Osób Zaginionych i NN) An online searchable database hosting profiles of missing persons and unidentified individuals (NN), including photographs, physical descriptions, and case details; publicly accessible and currently containing 1,015 missing-person entries.
• Friends of ITAKA Club (Klub Przyjaciół Fundacji ITAKA) A recurring donation program where members set up automatic bank transfers to fund foundation operations at tiered amounts linked to specific outcomes (e.g., 5 zł publishes one missing person on the website).
• Podwieczorek dla Zaginionych (Afternoon Tea for Missing) An annual charitable campaign where participants organize social gatherings (afternoon tea events) and collect donations in sealed collection boxes to fund missing-person searches and family-support services.
• Webinars for Police (Webinary dla Policji) A four-part educational webinar series for police officers covering psychological and legal aspects of working with families of missing persons, delivered by ITAKA psychologists and lawyers via the ClickMeeting platform.
• Ukrainian Citizens Reporting Service (Zgłoszenia dla Obywateli Ukrainy) A Ukrainian-language reporting service for Ukrainian citizens who have gone missing in Poland, including an online reporting form (ukraina.zaginieni.pl/formularz), photo-submission email, and dedicated phone support.
• Children's Bracelets (Bransoletki dla Dzieci) Free durable children's bracelets printed with the 116 000 missing-children hotline number; parents can write their contact number on the bracelet so a found child can be quickly identified.
• Support and Mediation Center (Centrum Wsparcia i Mediacji) A specialized center for families affected by parental abduction, offering psychological consultations and legal mediation services through scheduled phone appointments via the 116 000 hotline.
• Missing People on Your 404 Page (Zaginieni na Twojej stronie 404) A website widget (iframe embed) that displays rotating photos of missing persons on partner websites' 404 error pages, automatically updating without administrator intervention; intended to amplify public visibility of missing-person cases.
• Online Missing Person Report (Zgłoszenie Zaginięcia Online) A multi-step online form for reporting missing persons; users complete the online submission and then download and mail a paper form with supporting documents (police confirmation, photo of missing person).
• Paper Report Form (Formularz Papierowy) A downloadable PDF form for reporting missing persons, to be printed, signed, and mailed with police confirmation and a photograph of the missing person.
• Specialist Phone Consultations (Telefoniczne Porady Specjalistów) Free 24/7 specialist phone consultations providing psychological support, legal advice, and social work assistance to families of missing persons.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,666 people found since foundation establishment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orange PolskacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrange Polska sponsors the 116 000 hotline for missing children and youth as a technology partner.
• Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji (MSWiA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Internal Affairs and Administration collaborates with ITAKA on missing persons issues.
• Komenda Główna PolicjicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal cooperation agreement with the Polish National Police for missing persons searches.
• Komenda Stołeczna PolicjicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal cooperation agreement with Warsaw Police for missing persons operations.
• GOPR (Górskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMountain rescue volunteer service collaborating on ground search operations.
• WOPR (Wodne Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater rescue volunteer service collaborating on water-based search operations.
• OSP (Ochotnicza Straż Pożarna) - Multiple UnitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer fire department search and rescue groups across Poland (Gdańsk, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Wrocław, Nowy Sącz, and others) collaborating on ground searches.
• Various Municipal Police ForcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal police departments in Bydgoszcz, Toruń, and Warsaw supporting local missing persons cases.
• Forum Design CardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable Christmas card partnership where Forum Design Cards donates portion of sales to ITAKA.
• Kampanie SpołeczneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial campaign platform supporting ITAKA's public awareness initiatives.
• KUBKUK MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural-culinary magazine supporting the 'Podwieczorek dla zaginionych' campaign.
• Radio PlusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio partner for the 'Podwieczorek dla zaginionych' charitable campaign.
• Portal PRotominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR industry portal supporting ITAKA campaigns.
• AK MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia supporter for ITAKA campaigns.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fundacja Dzieci Niczyje (Nobody's Children Foundation): Polish foundation protecting children from abuse and exploitation. Comparable as a Polish NGO in the family and child protection space, with similar donation funding and government partnerships, though focused on child safety rather than missing persons.
• International Red Cross / ICRC Restoring Family Links: Global humanitarian organization operating a tracing service that reunites family members separated by conflict, disaster, or migration. Overlaps with ITAKA's refugee and cross-border missing persons work, especially for Ukrainian refugees.
• International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP): International organization assisting in locating missing persons from conflicts, disasters, and human rights abuses. Broader scope (conflict-related missing persons globally) but overlapping expertise in DNA matching, identification, and family engagement.
• Polska Akcja Humanitarna (Polish Humanitarian Action): Major Polish nonprofit delivering humanitarian aid and crisis response. Comparable as a large Polish nonprofit with similar donation-funded model and cross-sector partnerships, though focused on broader humanitarian relief rather than missing persons.

Direct peers

• Trace (UK): UK charity focused specifically on providing advice and support to families of missing persons. Comparable as a focused family support organization addressing the same psychosocial and practical needs ITAKA serves.
• Missing People (UK): UK charity dedicated to finding missing people, operating a public missing persons database, helpline, and family support services. Directly comparable as a national NGO providing comprehensive missing-persons search and family support, similar in scope and mission to ITAKA.
• NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children): US-based nonprofit providing missing children recovery and family support, with a national database (NAMUS) and 24/7 hotline. Comparable as the largest dedicated missing persons NGO in North America with similar hotline, database, and family support infrastructure.
• Child Focus (Belgium): Belgian foundation specializing in missing and sexually exploited children, operating the 116 000 hotline for Belgium. Directly comparable as the European peer running the same EU 116 000 missing children hotline that ITAKA operates in Poland, with similar family support services.

Others

• Caritas Polska: Polish Catholic charity providing broad social services including family support and crisis intervention. Comparable as a large Polish social services nonprofit with overlapping family-support beneficiaries and similar funding from 1.5% tax program.

Regional players

• Telefon 116 000 EU Network Operators: Network of national NGOs operating the EU-harmonized 116 000 hotline for missing children across European member states. ITAKA is Poland's operator, and these other country operators serve as regional peers delivering the same service in other EU markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fundacja_itaka
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCddLgAzwQKQp1z2bhXVoW-g
• Facebookfacebook.com/FundacjaItaka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacja-itaka

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Fundacja ITAKA - Centrum Poszukiwań Ludzi Zaginionych