Les Petits Debrouillards Paca

What Les Petits Debrouillards Paca does

Les Petits Débrouillards Paca is the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional branch of the French non-profit association Association des Petits Débrouillards, founded in 1986 and headquartered nationally in Paris, with the PACA regional headquarters located at the Technopole Château Gombert in Marseille and six sub-antennas covering the Alpes-Maritimes (Nice), Var (Ollioules), Vaucluse (Avignon), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (Manosque), and Bouches-du-Rhône (Marseille) departments. The organization delivers popular science education ('éducation populaire') to children, youth, educators, and local communities through hands-on scientific experimentation, with the explicit pedagogical philosophy of 'faire pour comprendre, comprendre pour agir' and a démarche scientifique combining observation, questioning, experimentation, debate, and conclusion.

Its product portfolio is a platform of interconnected educational offerings organized around three thematic programs — digital education, ecological and social transitions, and 'être humain, vivre ensemble' — supported by recurring animations (Les Clubs, Mini-stages, Science Tour, 'Débattre sans se battre'), professional training for educators, twelve traveling interactive exhibitions co-produced with research institutions (INSERM, INRAE, Universcience, Ifremer), a publishing imprint (Encyclopédie des Petits Débrouillards, Sciences en poche), eleven pedagogical trunks ('malles pédagogiques'), panel poster exhibitions, tailored project consulting for municipalities and schools, and participatory digital platforms (Wikidéb Brouillard, LesTaxinomes.org, CoteACote.org, Treck TIC).

The association operates as an association loi 1901 of general interest, financed through a hybrid of membership fees and donations (collected via HelloAsso), recurring public grants from at least five national ministries (Culture, National Education, Ecological Transition, Higher Education, Overseas) and agencies (ADEME, FONJEP, CNAF), regional councils (Occitanie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, PACA), and corporate and philanthropic foundations (Fondation de France, Fondation SNCF, Fondation Lilian Thuram). Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on the network of 60 territorial antennas, roughly 3,000 animators and volunteers, more than 100 service-civique volunteers, and approximately 200 permanent employees to deliver activities directly in schools, leisure centers, and public spaces. No commercial pricing applies.

Name

Les Petits Debrouillards Paca

Legal name

Association des Petits Débrouillards

Website

https://lespetitsdebrouillards.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Les Petits Débrouillards Paca is the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional branch of a French non-profit association delivering popular science education through workshops, training, exhibitions, and community programs to children, youth, educators, and local authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature) (EDAGAIAC), Debate Curriculum, Lesson Plans & Instructional Materials Publishers (EDAMAOAM)

Keywords

• Popular science education
• Youth science workshops
• Educator training programs
• Interactive science exhibitions
• Scientific mediation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Adhésion (membership) fees from individual members who support the association's mission of promoting scientific culture for all, particularly children and youth
2. Public funding and grants: Support from government ministries including Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Ecological Transition, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Overseas, as well as regional councils and local authorities
3. Donations: Financial contributions from supporters to fund actions fighting against obscurantism and promoting critical thinking

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Les Petits Débrouillards PACA delivers popular science education and scientific mediation through a network of hands-on activities for children and youth, professional training for educators and animators, traveling interactive exhibitions, pedagogical trunks, books and digital platforms. Operating under the philosophy "faire pour comprendre, comprendre pour agir," it combines observation, experimentation, debate and critical thinking to make science accessible across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

Product overview

Les Petits Débrouillards is a French popular science education association (founded 1986) operating as a network of 60 territorial branches across 12 regions. Its portfolio is a platform of interconnected educational products and services centered on science-based popular education: thematic programs (digital education, ecological transitions, being human-living together), hands-on animations (clubs, mini-workshops, Science Tour), professional training for educators, 12 interactive traveling exhibitions, book collections (Encyclopédie, Sciences en poche, age-specific series), 11 pedagogical trunks, panel poster exhibitions, tailored project consulting services, and 5 participatory digital platforms (including Le Wikidébrouillard collaborative encyclopedia). The network also runs advocacy campaigns, youth congresses, and publishes annual reports and strategic documents. All offerings share a common pedagogical philosophy of 'faire pour comprendre, comprendre pour agir' (learning by doing), emphasizing curiosity, critical thinking, and democratic scientific inquiry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministère de la CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ministry providing institutional support and funding for cultural and educational initiatives in scientific mediation
• Ministère de l'Éducation NationalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational education ministry supporting school-based scientific education programs and curricula development
• Ministère de la Transition Écologique et SolidairecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry supporting environmental education and ecological transition initiatives
• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental transition agency providing funding and expertise for sustainability education programs; awarded Prix Planète gagnante
• Fondation de FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor French philanthropy foundation supporting various social and educational projects
• Fondation Lilian ThurammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation co-developing educational tools against racism and discrimination, including the 'Le Racisme, comprendre pour mieux agir' parcours
• Fondation SNCFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate foundation supporting educational and mobility-related initiatives
• CRID (Centre de Recherche et d'Information pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment research and information center collaborating on international solidarity and development education
• UniversciencecoreTechnology or IntegrationPublic institution combining Palais de la Découverte and Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie; partner for interactive exhibitions
• INSERMcoreTechnology or IntegrationFrench National Institute of Health and Medical Research; scientific partner for health-related exhibitions and content
• INRAEcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment; partner for biodiversity and agricultural science programs
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company supporting digital education initiatives
• IfremermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea; partner for ocean education programs and UNOC3 exhibition
• Mouvement AssociatifcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational associative movement federation representing French associations; co-signatory of mobilization calls and shared advocacy initiatives

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Les Francas: Major French federation of youth popular-education associations with territorial antennas — directly comparable non-formal education delivery structure and pedagogical values (éducation populaire).
• Fédération Léo Lagrange: French federation operating leisure, youth, and socio-educational activities including science and digital programs — comparable popular-education network model serving municipalities and youth audiences.
• Ligue de l'Enseignement: France's largest secular popular-education federation, with a comparable decentralized network of local associations delivering extracurricular activities including scientific culture — similar scale and mission breadth.
• Centre Sciences: Regional CCSTI (Centre de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle) coordinating science-culture events and exhibitions in the Centre-Val de Loire region — directly comparable territory-based science mediation mission.
• Association Française d'Astronomie (AFA): French nonprofit delivering astronomy clubs, observations, and educational activities for youth — comparable hands-on science pedagogy and association loi 1901 structure, though narrower thematic focus.
• Planète Sciences: French nonprofit running hands-on science and technology activities (clubs, camps, aerospace projects) for youth — almost identical mission, methodology, and target audience to Les Petits Débrouillards.
• AMCSTI (Association des Musées et Centres pour le Développement de la Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle): National network coordinating French science centers, museums, and CCSTIs — comparable federated-network structure aiming to expand scientific culture across territories, overlapping with Les Petits Débrouillards' institutional positioning.
• La Main à la Pâte: French foundation dedicated to inquiry-based science education in primary schools, sharing the démarche scientifique pedagogical philosophy and school-channel delivery model of Les Petits Débrouillards.

Broad incumbents

• Universcience: Public institution combining the Palais de la Découverte and Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie — addresses the same scientific-culture mission at a much larger national scale, with which Les Petits Débrouillards partners on exhibitions.

Emerging players

• Réseau Français des FabLabs: Network of makerspaces offering hands-on experimentation, prototyping, and informal STEM learning — adjacent to the association's pedagogical territory with partial overlap on DIY scientific exploration for youth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/petitdebpaca
• Facebookfacebook.com/LesPetitsDebrouillardsPACA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-petits-d-brouillards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Les Petits Debrouillards Paca