What PICUM does

PICUM — formally La Plate-forme pour la coopération internationale concernant les sans-papiers — is a Brussels-headquartered non-profit advocacy network founded in 2001 that works to ensure social justice and human rights for undocumented migrants in Europe. The organisation serves two principal constituencies: (i) a member network of civil society organisations working at local, national, and EU levels to support undocumented migrants, and (ii) EU policymakers and institutions involved in migration policy development. Its operations span ten substantive work areas — Criminalisation; Children, Families and Youth; Detention and Deportations; Digital Technologies; Gender Equality; Health; Housing and Anti-Poverty; Justice and Policing; Regularisation; and Work.

The organisation's core "products" are knowledge and advocacy assets rather than software: an ongoing publications portfolio (policy reports, fact sheets, briefings); a video library of educational animations and personal-story content; a multilingual website (English, French, Spanish); monthly newsletters; press releases and joint statements; a searchable member directory; and the Words Matter initiative promoting humane discourse around irregular migration. The underlying technology is conventional web/digital communications infrastructure — no proprietary platform, API, SDK, or AI/ML capability is described.

PICUM's business model is grant-funded non-profit rather than commercial. The disclosed primary funder is the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, supplemented by member organisation contributions and other institutional supporters; revenue is not publicly disclosed and no pricing model applies. Distribution of resources and influence occurs through direct downloads from the website, direct EU policy engagement, and member-network amplification across Europe, with marketing reach extended through six social media channels plus a monthly newsletter.

Name

PICUM

Legal name

La Plate-forme pour la coopération internationale concernant les sans-papiers (PICUM)

Website

https://picum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PICUM is a Brussels-based non-profit network, founded in 2001, that advocates for the rights of undocumented migrants in Europe through research, publications, and coordination of member civil-society organisations engaging EU policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Migration Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Border Management & Humanitarian Border Assistance (BPADAHAL)

Keywords

• Migrant rights advocacy
• Policy research
• Human rights network
• EU migration policy
• Civil society coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PICUM is a non-profit network that publishes research, policy reports, and educational resources, and coordinates member organisations to advance the rights of undocumented migrants across Europe. Its core offerings centre on policy advocacy, knowledge resources (publications, video library, newsletter), and a member-organisation directory, supported by EU-level engagement with policymakers.

Product overview

PICUM is a non-profit advocacy organization (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants) offering a network-based service model centered on policy advocacy, publications, and member coordination. Its primary offerings include research publications and policy reports, a video library with educational content, monthly newsletters, a searchable directory of member organizations across Europe, and the Words Matter initiative promoting fair language around migration. PICUM does not offer a software platform or digital product in the traditional SaaS sense; instead, it provides knowledge resources, communication channels, and networking services for advocates and organizations working with undocumented migrants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications and Research Policy reports, fact sheets, briefings, and research publications on migration policy, regularisation, health, work, and other topics related to undocumented migrant rights. Targeted at member organisations, policymakers, and researchers.
• Video Library Educational videos and animations explaining what it means to live undocumented in Europe, covering topics such as regularisation, children's rights, labour migration, and safety. Available on YouTube for public and member use.
• Newsletter and News Updates Monthly newsletter providing updates on issues concerning undocumented migrants, including blogs, press releases, joint statements, and factsheets. Distributed via email to subscribers.
• Member Network Directory Directory of member organisations across Europe providing services to undocumented migrants, searchable by country and service type. Serves as a coordination tool for the network's advocacy and service-provision activities.
• Words Matter Initiative Advocacy resource promoting fair and humane language around irregular migration, countering discourse that depicts undocumented people as threats. Targets journalists, advocates, and the public.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN-related organization managing migration policy and programmes globally, with significant European activities; competes for EU policy attention and funding with PICUM on adjacent migration issues.
• EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): EU agency producing comparative research and evidence on fundamental rights including migration, with overlapping evidence-based research function that influences EU migration-policy discourse.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): Global UN body addressing forced displacement, with overlapping mandate on rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Europe; a much larger incumbent with broader scope than PICUM's specific undocumented-migrants focus.
• Amnesty International (EU office): Global human-rights organisation with significant Brussels representation and active campaigning on migrants' rights, comparable as a broad incumbent operating across the same thematic space with substantially larger resources.
• Human Rights Watch (Europe & Central Asia): International NGO producing investigative research and advocacy on migrants' rights in Europe, comparable in research-output production and policy engagement though with a much larger global footprint.

Direct peers

• ILGA-Europe: European network of LGBTI organisations operating a comparable membership-network model from Brussels, advocating for rights at EU level — structurally analogous to PICUM's network and advocacy role.
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE): A Brussels-based network of 100+ NGOs working on refugee and asylum rights in Europe, closely comparable to PICUM's network model, Brussels location, advocacy focus, and EU-level funding base.
• Migration Policy Institute Europe (MPI Europe): Think tank producing analysis and policy recommendations on migration policy, with comparable function as PICUM in producing research that shapes EU and member-state migration debate, albeit with a think-tank rather than network model.
• European Civic Forum: European network of civil society organisations promoting civic participation and rights; comparable network structure, Brussels base, and EU-level advocacy/coordination model despite a broader thematic focus than undocumented migration.

Others

• Open Society Foundations - Migration Programme: Major philanthropic funder and convenor on migration rights in Europe, comparable in shared policy positions on undocumented migrants but positioned as a grantmaker and policy actor rather than a network operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/picum_ngo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz8y3_zE2esVzy3NuHUxgxA
• Facebookfacebook.com/picum.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/platform-international-cooperation-on-undocumented-migrants
• Instagraminstagram.com/picum_ngo

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 PICUM