Caritas Regio

What Caritas Regio does

Caritas Regio (legal name: Caritas Regionalorganisationen Schweiz) is a federation of 14 regional Catholic charitable organizations operating across Switzerland, headquartered in Zürich and founded in 1926 as Caritas Zürich. The organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of social services directly to beneficiaries, including free social counseling, debt counseling (4,065 sessions annually), employment integration programs, apprenticeship placement with federal vocational certification, family support, refugee and migrant integration services, emergency aid, and a 50+ language interpreting service. It also operates social enterprises — 22 Caritas-Markt discount grocery stores (recording 1,111,500 annual purchases), 6 secondhand shops in Zürich, and the KulturLegi card program providing discounted access to cultural, sports, and educational activities for low-income individuals.

The revenue model blends donations (ZEWO-certified), Swiss cantonal and municipal government contracts for social services, social enterprise revenue from discounted retail, membership fees, and corporate social responsibility partnerships. Direct service delivery is enabled by a network of 4,458 active volunteers and 14 regional offices plus emergency shelters, mobile outreach, and digital channels. Technology usage is utilitarian: the CaritasGo chatbot (built by poemAI GmbH on AWS using OpenAI models) provides information about social services in Lucerne and Graubünden; the tech stack includes RaiseNow for PCI-DSS-certified donation processing, Google Analytics, CleverReach and MailChimp for newsletters, and CRIF AG for address data hygiene. The organization holds ZEWO, ISO 9001, eduQua, and GDPR-aligned certifications, and its leadership participates in federal poverty monitoring with the Swiss Federal Office for Social Insurance.

Name

Caritas Regio

Legal name

Caritas Regionalorganisationen

Website

https://caritas-regio.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Caritas Regio is a Swiss non-profit federation of 14 regional Catholic charitable organizations delivering social counseling, debt counseling, employment integration, refugee support, family services, and discounted retail (22 Caritas-Märkte, secondhand shops) to people affected by poverty across Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare & Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Diaspora, Family Reunification & Case Management Services (BPADAHAM), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Debt counseling programs
• Poverty relief support
• Migration integration services
• Discount grocery retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Private individuals and corporations donate money to support anti-poverty programs. The organization is ZEWO-certified, guaranteeing proper handling of donations.
2. Government Contracts and Funding: Cantons and municipalities contract Caritas for social services including integration programs, refugee support, and debt counseling.
3. Social Enterprise Revenue: Caritas-Märkte (discount grocery stores) and secondhand shops generate revenue through sale of donated and discounted goods.
4. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from supporters who join as members of regional Caritas organizations.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility Partnerships: Companies engage Caritas for CSR partnerships and workplace giving programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Caritas Regio is a federation of 14 regional Swiss charitable organizations delivering a comprehensive portfolio of social services including social and debt counseling, legal advice, emergency aid (food, shelter, clothing), family support and youth mentoring, refugee/migrant integration programs, German-language courses, employment and apprenticeship integration, and interpreting services in 50+ languages. Alongside free services, it operates a social-enterprise network of 22 Caritas-Märkte discount grocery stores, secondhand shops, and the KulturLegi reduced-price access card for culture, sport, and education.

Product overview

Caritas Regio is a cooperative of regional charitable organizations operating across Switzerland, providing a comprehensive portfolio of social services organized under distinct programmatic areas. The core offerings include social and legal counseling (social counseling, debt counseling, legal advice), affordable living programs (Caritas-Markt discount grocery stores, KulturLegi reduced-price access cards, Secondhand/Brocki stores), employment integration services (work integration programs, apprenticeship placement with EBA certification, application assistance), and educational programs (German language courses, digital literacy support, computer courses). Additional services encompass family support, integration programs for migrants and refugees, emergency aid, interpreting services, and community facilities like restaurants and repair cafés. The organization also operates digital services including the CaritasGo chatbot for cantons of Lucerne and Graubünden, and publishes the Caritas regional and Caritas.mag magazines. The portfolio operates as a coordinated network of regional Caritas organizations, each offering location-specific services while maintaining shared standards and brand identity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Caritas-Markt: Discount markets offering affordable food and daily necessities to people with limited budgets.
• KulturLegi
• Caritas Secondhand
• youngCaritas
• CaritasGo

Products and services

• Sozialberatung (Social Counseling) Free and confidential social counseling for individuals and families in need, providing support, advice, and accompaniment across all 14 regional Caritas organizations.
• Schuldenberatung (Debt Counseling) Free, anonymous debt counseling helping people in financial distress with practical tips and personal advice; 4,065 sessions per year. Supports over-indebted individuals including under the new federal residual-debt-discharge procedure (3-year repayment).
• Caritas-Markt (Discount Grocery Stores) Chain of 22 discount grocery and daily-necessities stores offering heavily subsidized food and household products to people with limited budgets. Operated by Genossenschaft Caritas-Markt; 1,111,500 purchases recorded annually.
• KulturLegi Card program enabling people with limited budgets reduced-price access to sports, education, culture, and leisure activities across participating providers in Switzerland.
• Secondhand & Brocki Stores Secondhand retail stores selling clothing, shoes, and accessories at affordable prices; includes second-chance shops and upcycling workshops. Caritas Zürich operates 6 locations in the canton.
• Arbeitsintegration (Work Integration Programs) Programs providing meaningful employment and realistic work experience for job seekers to improve their chances in the primary labor market, including practical placements.
• Lehrstellen (Apprenticeship Placement & EBA Programs) Two-year basic training programs leading to a federal vocational certificate (EBA) for youth with learning difficulties, plus support for apprenticeship searches.
• Bewerbungshilfe (Application Assistance) Support services helping job seekers create application documents and providing coaching for job interviews.
• Integrationsprogramme (Refugee and Asylum Integration Programs) Programs supporting refugees and asylum seekers including accompaniment, mentoring, consultation, integration centers, and meeting points. Delivered on behalf of cantonal Catholic Churches and municipalities.
• Nothilfe (Emergency Aid — Food, Shelter, Clothing) Emergency assistance including food aid, emergency overnight accommodation, and free clothing distribution for people in crisis situations.
• Familienunterstützung (Family Support) Family support services including 'mit mir' sponsorships, parent accompaniment, playgroups, support for caregivers, youth counseling, and family/couple counseling.
• CaritasGo Chatbot AI-driven chatbot providing information about social support services. Currently available for the cantons of Lucerne and Graubünden; built by poemAI GmbH using OpenAI language models on AWS infrastructure in Switzerland. Currently in beta.
• Dolmetschdienst (Interpreting and Intercultural Mediation Service) Interpreting service providing translators in over 50 languages to enable optimal communication between migrants and professionals.
• Deutsch Lernen (German Learning Courses) German language courses including alphabetization courses for women with migration background and general German language instruction, delivered as eduQua-certified continuing education.
• Digitale Unterstützung (Digital Literacy Support) Computer courses and Digi-Treff sessions answering questions about mobile phones or computers for beneficiaries lacking digital skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,111,500 purchases at Caritas-Märkte providing affordable food access
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss Cantons and MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantons and municipalities contract Caritas for social services including integration programs, refugee support, and debt counseling. Caritas operates as a key partner in the Swiss social welfare system, delivering government-funded programs at local level.
• Catholic Church (cantonal churches)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas operates within the Catholic Church framework. Cantonal churches (e.g., Catholic Church in Canton of Zurich) fund Caritas programs and provide institutional support. The Fachstelle Flüchtlinge at Caritas Zürich is run on behalf of the Catholic Church in Canton Zurich.
• Swiss Federal Office for Social Insurance (BSV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas participates in the national poverty monitoring platform developed by the Federal Office for Social Insurance. This partnership enables evidence-based advocacy for poverty reduction policies.
• Pro Mente SanaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational expert organization for mental health provides expertise and content for Caritas programs addressing the connection between poverty and mental health.
• Nextbike / BikeSharing SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas Zentralschweiz operates velostations and manages bikes for the Nextbike bike-sharing system, integrating employment programs with sustainable mobility.
• City of Basel-StadtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Basel implemented direct tax deduction from wages to prevent tax debt, with Caritas advocating for similar measures in other cantons including Zurich.
• Berner Fachhochschule (Bern University of Applied Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for studying the connection between poverty and mental health, and effectiveness of peer-based support programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AOZ (Asyl-Organisation Zürich): AOZ is the municipal contractor for asylum-seeker support in Canton Zürich, providing accommodation, integration, and social counseling. Directly comparable to Caritas' refugee/asylum integration programs, particularly the Fachstelle Flüchtlinge at Caritas Zürich.
• Schweizer Tafel: Schweizer Tafel is Switzerland's largest food-rescue organization, redistributing surplus food to social institutions. Directly comparable to Caritas-Märkte and Caritas food-aid programs, serving overlapping beneficiary populations through a parallel food-distribution model.
• Caritas Schweiz: The national umbrella organization of the Swiss Caritas network, coordinating national programs in debt counseling, KulturLegi, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable as the parent-affiliate of Caritas Regio, sharing brand, mission, and operational standards.
• Winterhilfe Schweiz: Winterhilfe Schweiz is a national poverty-relief charity providing direct financial assistance, food aid, and clothing to low-income individuals and families. Closely comparable to Caritas Regio's emergency-aid and basic-needs programming, particularly in the food/clothing distribution layer.
• Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber: Zürich-based charity offering emergency shelter, food distribution, and social support for people in crisis. Comparable to Caritas Zürich on shelter and food-aid services, operating in the same canton and serving overlapping homeless and poor populations.
• Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz (Swiss Red Cross): Swiss Red Cross is the closest national peer to Caritas Regio: a humanitarian federation delivering social services, refugee support, health programs, and migration aid across all Swiss cantons through cantonal member associations. Directly comparable in mission, structure (decentralized federation), and beneficiary base.
• Stiftung SOS Kinderdorf Schweiz: SOS Kinderdorf Schweiz provides residential care, family support, and youth integration services across Switzerland. Comparable to Caritas Regio's family support and youth integration offerings, particularly the 'mit mir' sponsorships and Lehrstellen apprenticeship programs.
• HEKS / Hilfswerk der Evangelisch-reformierten Kirchen Schweiz: HEKS is the Protestant parallel to Caritas: a nationwide welfare organization providing refugee integration, social counseling, and poverty relief across Switzerland. Directly comparable in service portfolio and target population, with Caritas (Catholic) and HEKS (Reformed) being the two principal faith-based social welfare federations in Switzerland.
• Diakonie Schweiz: Diakonie Schweiz is the social-welfare arm of the Swiss Protestant churches, coordinating member organizations in social counseling, migration, and poverty relief. Comparable to Caritas Regio as a national faith-based social services network serving overlapping populations.

Others

• Caritas International: Caritas International is the international humanitarian and development arm of the global Caritas confederation. Comparable as a brand-and-mission sibling of Caritas Regio, though focused on international relief rather than Swiss domestic welfare services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/caritaszuerich
• YouTubeinstagram.com/caritaszuerich
• Facebookfacebook.com/caritaszuerich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-z%C3%BCrich

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries16 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 Caritas Regio