Peipsi Koostöö Keskus

What Peipsi Koostöö Keskus does

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus (also known as Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation, or Peipsi CTC) is an Estonian non-profit NGO (MTÜ - Mittetulundusühing) established in 1993 and headquartered at Puiestee 71a, Tartu. The organization promotes cross-border cooperation, environmental education, cultural heritage tourism, and community development primarily in the Lake Peipsi region spanning Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and (historically) Russia, with additional development cooperation activities in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, and Tajikistan. It serves schools, youth cohorts, rural women aged 40+, and local communities including Mustvee Municipality, Cēsis Municipality (Latvia), and organizations such as Kolkja Old Believers Museum and Tartu Loodusmaja (Nature House).

The organization delivers project-based programs including educational workshops, environmental curricula built around proprietary EduLARP (educational Live Action Role Playing) methodology, heritage trails via the Navicup location-based application, AI-assisted digital exhibitions (EU Journeys project, March 2026), interactive web-based quizzes on ecosystem services and biodiversity, and entrepreneurship training programmes. Its technology stack consists of web-based educational platforms, the Navicup orienteering application for heritage trail discovery, AI image generation tools used by participants for cultural exhibitions, and multilingual digital content delivery in Estonian, Russian, and English.

The business model is entirely grant-funded with no commercial revenue or pricing structure. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Primary revenue sources are EU programmes including Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 (providing 80% co-financing on current projects), Erasmus+, and CERV; Estonian government sources (Ministry of Interior, Civil Society Foundation, ESTDEV); and international development cooperation budgets (King Baudouin Foundation, Nordic Council of Ministers, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Currently active projects include FestiSkills Hunters (€213,483 total, €170,786.74 EU co-financed, May 2025-August 2026) targeting festival management skills for women aged 40+ in Estonia and Finland, and HeritageHunters & Business (€637,692 total, €510,153.60 EU co-financed) targeting heritage-based youth entrepreneurship. The organization employs approximately four staff (Ederi Ojasoo, Margit Säre, Aija Kosk, and Sirje Tamm) and distributes programs through direct school partnerships, municipal government collaboration, and international project networks including the Living Lakes partnership (member since 2003).

Name

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus

Legal name

MTÜ Peipsi Koostöö Keskus

Website

https://ctc.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus is an Estonian non-profit NGO founded in 1993 that delivers EU-funded environmental education, cultural heritage preservation, youth entrepreneurship training, and cross-border cooperation programs across the Lake Peipsi region, serving schools, rural communities, and underserved demographic segments in Estonia, Latvia, and Finland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Border Cooperation and Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Cross-border cooperation
• Environmental education
• Cultural heritage tourism
• Community development programs
• Youth entrepreneurship training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tartu

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Project Funding: Primary revenue stream through European Union funding programs including Interreg Central Baltic Programme, Estonia-Latvia-Russia Cross Border Cooperation Programme, Erasmus+, and CERV programme. Projects cover environmental education, cultural heritage, youth entrepreneurship, and cross-border cooperation.
2. Development Cooperation Funding: Funding from Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, King Baudouin Foundation, and other international development cooperation sources supporting projects in Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, and Tajikistan.
3. Project-based Grants: Various project-specific grants from organizations including Nordic Council of Ministers, Interreg Europe, and national environmental funds for ecosystem services, cultural heritage, and community development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus is a non-profit NGO that delivers project-based programs, educational workshops, training sessions, and community initiatives focused on cross-border cooperation, environmental education, cultural heritage preservation, youth entrepreneurship, and sustainable community development. Programs are offered free of charge to participants and target schools, municipalities, youth, educators, and local communities primarily in the Lake Peipsi region and partner countries across Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Product overview

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus (Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on cross-border cooperation, environmental education, and community development in the Lake Peipsi region. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or software services. Instead, it provides project-based programs, educational workshops, training sessions, and community initiatives focused on environmental awareness, cultural heritage preservation, sustainable development, youth entrepreneurship, and regional cooperation between Estonia, Latvia, Russia, and other countries. Activities include heritage tourism projects, environmental education programs, cultural exchange initiatives, and development cooperation projects in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Tajikistan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HeritageHunters & Business International entrepreneurship training programme for young people aged 15-30 in border regions of Estonia and Finland, developing business ideas based on local cultural heritage and nature. Delivered through training cycles culminating in final events where young people present entrepreneurial ideas.
• FestiSkills Hunters Festival and event management skills training programme targeting women aged 40+ in North-East Estonia and South Karelia, Finland. Includes observation events where participants learn about cultural event organization practices, workshops on youth engagement, volunteer systems, visitor experience, accessibility and sustainability of events.
• GreenEduLARP Environmental Education Environmental education curriculum and methodology using educational Live Action Role Playing (EduLARP) games for climate change awareness and environmental topics. Targeted at schools and teachers as curriculum and practical guidelines for engaging students in environmental learning.
• EU Journeys Digital Exhibition AI-generated digital exhibition exploring Estonian European integration process from Soviet era to modern European society, featuring works created by young people and community members from the Lake Peipsi region using AI inspired by European and Estonian culture, science, and nature.
• Rooted Heritage Project Cross-border heritage project connecting Mustvee (Estonia) and Cēsis (Latvia) communities through heritage plants and gardening culture, including training sessions, seed exchanges, and spring gardening activities focused on planting, maintaining, and pruning apple trees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 260 students and 160 teachers reached annually through global education programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Black & White Theatre Association (Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Finnish partner in FestiSkills Hunters project, focusing on enhancing festival management skills for women aged 40+ in North-East Estonia and South Karelia, Finland. The partnership provides practical training in festival and event management.
• Living Lakes NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership network of lake regions, with Lake Peipsi and Lake Võrtsjärv as double members since 2003. Peipsi CTC participates in conferences, shares best practices, and collaborates on lake conservation initiatives.
• Tartu Loodusmaja (Tartu Nature House)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-standing cooperation partner for environmental education programs, workshops, and training sessions. Joint organizer of climate education, ecosystem awareness, and environmental programs.
• University of TartuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in various projects including EUBORDERREGIONS research project. Cooperation with Centre for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS) for border studies conferences.
• Cēsis Municipality (Latvia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Rooted Heritage project connecting Mustvee and Cēsis communities through heritage plants and gardening culture. Joint activities include training sessions and seed exchanges.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Baltic Environmental Forum: Regional environmental NGO operating across the Baltic states with similar environmental education, water management, and cross-border cooperation programmes. Comparable scope and funding model make it the most direct peer organization.
• Tartu Loodusmaja (Tartu Nature House): Tartu-based environmental education centre explicitly named as a long-standing co-implementation partner. Runs similar environmental education workshops and training in the same Estonian region.
• Euroregion Báltic: Intergovernmental cross-border cooperation body covering Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Shares mission of cross-border collaboration in the Baltic region, with comparable channels of EU programme funding.

Broad incumbents

• Wetlands International: Global NGO dedicated to wetland conservation and wise use. Directly comparable given Peipsi CTC's Lake Peipsi work and Living Lakes network participation, but at a much larger scale.
• CEEweb for Biodiversity: Network of environmental NGOs across Central and Eastern Europe working on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Overlaps with Peipsi CTC's environmental education and conservation programming across CEE.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): One of Europe's largest environmental NGOs with extensive environmental education programming. Comparable mission scope but orders of magnitude larger in scale and funding.

Others

• University of Tartu Centre for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS): Academic partner on the EUBORDERREGIONS project. Indirect comparator as a research/knowledge partner rather than direct competitor, but shares the Estonia–Russia cross-border cooperation mandate.

Regional players

• MTÜ Eestimaa Looduse Fond (Estonian Fund for Nature): Estonian conservation NGO focused on biodiversity protection, environmental education, and ecosystem services. Closely comparable in domestic Estonian environmental programming and non-profit operations.
• Keep Sweden Tidy / Håll Sverige Rent: Established Nordic environmental education and behavioural-change NGO. Comparable in running national environmental education programmes in schools with NGO funding structures.
• Lake Constance Foundation: European lake-region environmental NGO combining environmental protection, education, and cross-border cooperation. Operates in a comparable lake-region cross-border context with similar funding structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/peipsicenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Peipsi Koostöö Keskus