CIOFF® NGO

What CIOFF® NGO does

CIOFF® International (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1970 in Confolens, France, dedicated to safeguarding, promoting, and disseminating intangible cultural heritage through folklore festivals and international cultural exchange. The organization operates a federated governance model composed of 82 National Sections (one per country) grouped into six geographical sectors (Central and North Europe, South Europe, North America, Asia and Pacific, Latin America, Africa), coordinated by a 17-member Council and an annual General Assembly. Since 1984, CIOFF has held Official Partner status with UNESCO and is accredited to the UNESCO Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, providing advisory services for the implementation of the 2003 Convention.

CIOFF's core offerings include a tiered festival recognition program (National Festivals, CIOFF® Festivals, and Recognized CIOFF® International Festivals, with the latter requiring a minimum five-day duration and participation from at least five foreign groups with live dance and music), a quadrennial flagship event called the World Folkloriada, an annual World Congress, and a Youth Program for participants aged 15-26. Supporting digital infrastructure includes the Festival Finder and Group Finder (searchable online databases) and the CIOFF® Intranet for member collaboration. Educational sub-products include Playing Together Magazine, the CIOFF® Youth Coloring Book (circulated in 15+ countries), and a Photographic Exhibition of Traditional Musical Instruments covering approximately 30 countries.

The business model is membership-based: organizations, institutions, festivals, groups, and individuals join through their respective National Sections, with membership fees not publicly disclosed. CIOFF reports no commercial revenue, no funding rounds, no parent company, and no M&A activity; it operates on a non-profit membership dues structure supplemented by volunteer labor (500+ active volunteers) and event-driven contributions. Scale indicators include 298+ festivals worldwide, 500+ folklore groups, 55,000+ amateur artists engaged, and an average participant age of 28 years. CIOFF's GTM motion is community-led, operating through National Sections rather than direct commercial outreach.

Name

CIOFF® NGO

Legal name

International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts

Website

https://cioff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CIOFF® International is a UNESCO-accredited cultural NGO founded in 1970 that federates 82 National Sections across six geographical sectors to safeguard intangible cultural heritage through 298+ folklore festivals, 500+ folklore groups, and 55,000+ amateur artists worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage preservation
• Folklore festival coordination
• Intangible cultural heritage
• International cultural exchange
• Folk arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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. National Section Membership: CIOFF operates through a membership structure with National Sections representing countries. Organizations, institutions, festivals, groups and individuals that accept the aims and policies of CIOFF have the opportunity to be members of the National Section.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CIOFF® (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts) is a global non-governmental organization that safeguards, promotes, and disseminates traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage. Its core offerings revolve around coordinating a worldwide network of 298+ folklore festivals across 82 countries through National Sections, organizing flagship events such as the World Folkloriada (every four years) and the World Congress (annually), and certifying festivals under the Recognized CIOFF® International Festival tier. Supporting services include digital databases (Festival Finder, Group Finder), a member Intranet, the CIOFF® Youth Program, and educational resources such as Playing Together Magazine and the Youth Coloring Book.

Product overview

CIOFF® International is a global non-governmental organization dedicated to safeguarding, promoting, and disseminating traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage through festivals, cultural exchange, and international cooperation. The organization's core offerings include a network of over 300 folklore festivals worldwide, the World Folkloriada (flagship event held every four years), annual World Congress gatherings, and the CIOFF® Youth Program for young people aged 15-26. Supporting these are digital platforms: Festival Finder and Group Finder (searchable databases for exploring festivals and folklore groups), and the CIOFF® Intranet (exclusive member platform). The organization also produces educational resources including the Playing Together Magazine, Youth Coloring Book, and Photographic Exhibition of Traditional Musical Instruments. Festival services are tiered into National Festivals, CIOFF® Festivals, and Recognized CIOFF® International Festivals based on international participation and quality standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 55,000+ amateur artists engaged annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984CIOFF is an Official Partner of UNESCO and is accredited to the UNESCO Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This partnership strengthens its role in protecting and promoting cultural traditions globally. CIOFF participates in UNESCO General Assemblies and provides advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the implementation of the 2003 Convention.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Music Council (IMC): IMC is a UNESCO-affiliated NGO that promotes traditional and contemporary music globally through festivals, exchanges, and member organizations — directly comparable to CIOFF's mandate for folk music, dance, and rituals.
• European Festivals Association (EFA): EFA is a membership-based umbrella organization representing 100+ festivals across Europe, comparable to CIOFF in coordinating festival networks, setting quality standards, and advocating for the festival sector.
• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: The Smithsonian Center produces the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival and leads intangible cultural heritage documentation, sharing CIOFF's mission of safeguarding traditional culture through festivals and public programming.
• International Council of Museums (ICOM): ICOM is the global NGO network for museums and cultural institutions, parallel to CIOFF in operating a federated membership structure with National Committees in 100+ countries and formal UNESCO partnership status for cultural heritage work.

Emerging players

• Traditional Music Forum: A specialist advocacy and networking organization for traditional music, comparable to CIOFF in promoting folk music traditions internationally, though with a narrower geographic and genre focus.
• World Dance Alliance (WDA): WDA is an international NGO promoting dance as cultural heritage and cultural exchange across regions — overlapping with CIOFF's folk dance and traditional performance focus, though narrower in scope.

Broad incumbents

• International Theatre Institute (ITI): ITI is a UNESCO-affiliated performing arts NGO with centers in 90+ countries, comparable to CIOFF in its international performing-arts mandate, UNESCO partnership, and member-based festival/performing arts work.
• International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA): IFACCA is the global network of arts councils and cultural agencies, comparable to CIOFF as a membership-based international cultural-policy organization but focused on government arts-funding bodies rather than folk arts festivals.
• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS): ICOMOS is a UNESCO-associated global NGO for cultural heritage conservation with National Committees in 100+ countries, comparable to CIOFF in operating a federated cultural-heritage network under UNESCO framework.

Others

• European Association for the Promotion of Poetry (EAPP): A European network promoting poetry as intangible cultural heritage, adjacent to CIOFF's traditional-culture mandate but focused on poetry rather than folklore festivals and folk arts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cioffinternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/CIOFF.NGO
• Instagraminstagram.com/cioffinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cioff

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 CIOFF® NGO