What Icar Foundation does

ICAR Foundation (Fundația ICAR) is a Romanian non-governmental, non-profit foundation established in 1991 in Bucharest, Romania. It is the first and only NGO in Romania that has developed and implemented a specialized rehabilitation program for victims of torture, violence, and inhuman or degrading treatment. The foundation provides free, integrated multidisciplinary services—medical, psychological, social, and legal rehabilitation—delivered to victims of torture and political repression, asylum seekers, refugees (including displaced Ukrainians), former political prisoners, and other vulnerable populations regardless of nationality. Services are delivered through the Bucharest headquarters, regional integration centers in Rădăuți and Iași, and inside Regional Centers for Procedures and Accommodation and closed centers operated by the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

ICAR's service portfolio is organized around four core service lines (Medical, Psychological, Legal, Social Assistance) and operationalized through discrete funded projects: HOPE (Ukrainian emergency response, reached 7,823 people), RAZOM (regional collaboration with Moldova's RCTV Memoria), LENS BE WELL (child well-being program funded by Kindernothilfe targeting 450 children and families), SERISSA (EU AMIF-funded integrated health services for asylum seekers), and MIGRA 3 (EU AMIF-funded integration services for foreigners with legal residence in Region 3 counties). The organization does not operate proprietary technology; service delivery relies on multidisciplinary human teams and a content-focused bilingual website (Romanian/English) plus social media channels for awareness. ICAR is an active member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and has established partnerships spanning EU institutions, German NGO Kindernothilfe, Moldova's RCTV Memoria, Ukrainian partner organizations, and Swiss Asociația Pluriels.

The business model is a non-profit, donation- and grant-funded model. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated through institutional grants—primarily from the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and from bilateral NGO partners such as Kindernothilfe—alongside donations. The foundation is led by Dr. Camelia Doru (President and Medical Director) and operates with a small core team of 1–10 employees augmented by project-based specialists. There is no equity, no public listing, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; ownership remains private and independent under the foundation's governance structure.

Name

Icar Foundation

Legal name

Fundația ICAR

Website

https://icarfoundation.ro

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICAR Foundation (Fundația ICAR) is a Romanian non-profit founded in 1991 that provides free medical, psychological, social, and legal rehabilitation services to victims of torture, refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable populations in Romania through its Bucharest headquarters and regional centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Refugee Assistance Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee Reception & Registration (BPADAHAA), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Humanitarian assistance services
• Refugee support programs
• Torture rehabilitation services
• Psychological trauma support
• Legal aid for refugees

Headquarters

HQ city

Bucharest

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: ICAR Foundation operates as a non-profit organization providing free services to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated through donations, institutional grants, and project funding from international organizations and EU programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICAR Foundation provides free medical, psychological, social, and legal assistance services to victims of torture, refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable persons residing in or transiting through Romania. Its service portfolio also includes monitoring of migration flows, advocacy for refugee rights, and integration support, delivered both as ongoing core services and through specifically funded multi-year projects targeting distinct beneficiary cohorts.

Product overview

ICAR Foundation offers an integrated service model combining four core service lines—Medical Services, Psychological Services, Legal Services, and Social Assistance—all provided free of charge to vulnerable populations including victims of torture, former political prisoners, refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. The organization delivers these services through various funded projects including SERISSA (health services for asylum seekers), MIGRA 3 (integration services for migrants in Region 3), LENS BE WELL (child well-being programs), and RAZOM/HOPE (Ukrainian refugee support). The service model is multidisciplinary, providing holistic rehabilitation to survivors of human rights violations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,823+ people received medical and psychological support through the HOPE project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Organizations in Ukraine (for Rehabilitation Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023ICAR Foundation partnered with organizations in Ukraine to implement the ICAR Rehabilitation Hub for Ukrainian Victims of War and Severe Human Rights Violations (launched April 2022). Ukrainian partners are responsible for beneficiary identification, documentation preparation, and preliminary support services.
• Asociația Pluriels (Switzerland)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Long-term supporters of RCTV Memoria involved in regional collaboration projects. Subilia and Chakiba Marcolan participated in the 25th anniversary conference of RCTV Memoria in October 2025.
• RCTV Memoria (Centrul de Reabilitare a Victimelor Torturii "Memoria")coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999RCTV Memoria is a rehabilitation center for torture victims in Chișinău, Moldova. ICAR representatives participated in international efforts that facilitated RCTV Memoria's establishment in 1999, and have collaborated on regional projects, professional exchanges, and standardization of procedures for integrated medical, psychological, social and legal services. ICAR participated in the inauguration on June 17, 2000 and continues partnership through projects like RAZOM.
• IRCT (International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims)coreOthersICAR Foundation is an active member of the IRCT international network, participating in global efforts for torture prevention and rehabilitation. This membership connects ICAR to international standards, training, and collaborative initiatives in the field.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Caritas Romania: Romania-based Catholic charitable organization providing social assistance and refugee support. Regional peer with overlapping social services for vulnerable populations in Romania.
• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Romania: Romania-based refugee service organization with similar mandate supporting asylum seekers, refugees, and forcibly displaced people. Regional peer operating in the same country with overlapping beneficiary populations (Ukrainian refugees, asylum seekers).

Direct peers

• Freedom from Torture: UK-based charity providing therapy and support to survivors of torture, similar to ICAR's core mission. Operates as a direct peer offering rehabilitation services for torture survivors across multiple service lines.
• RCTV Memoria: Center for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims 'Memoria' in Chișinău, Moldova. The most directly comparable peer: ICAR representatives helped establish it in 1999 and they continue to collaborate on regional projects (e.g., RAZOM), professional exchanges, and standardization of integrated medical, psychological, social, and legal services for torture victims.
• DIGNITY (Danish Institute Against Torture): Danish organization (formerly RCT) providing treatment, research, and prevention of torture. Direct peer specializing in multidisciplinary rehabilitation services for torture survivors.
• Center for Victims of Torture (CVT): US-based non-profit providing torture rehabilitation services and training worldwide. Direct peer with similar integrated care model and IRCT network membership.

Others

• Refugee Support Europe (former AIDA - Asylum Information Database): ECRE-led initiative providing asylum information and advocacy across Europe. Thematically connected to ICAR's SERISSA and MIGRA 3 work on asylum seeker rights and integration, though focuses on information/legal advocacy rather than direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Global humanitarian organization providing refugee and crisis support. Broader incumbent operating across many countries and crisis types, with overlapping services for refugees and asylum seekers though not specializing in torture rehabilitation.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International medical humanitarian organization. Overlaps with ICAR's medical services for vulnerable populations but operates at much larger scale and broader scope, without torture rehabilitation specialization.
• UNHCR Romania: UN agency for refugees operating in Romania. Provides broader asylum framework and referrals to specialized service providers including ICAR, positioning it as an upstream funder/partner rather than direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/icarfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundatia-icar
• Instagraminstagram.com/icarfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Icar Foundation