This article reports on research examining the intensity and forms of partnership between civil society organisations (particularly non-profit non-governmental organisations with a focus on students with a different mother tongue) and schools in three European geographical areas, answering three research questions: (1) What services do non-profits offer for teachers? (2) How do non-profits see the current cooperation? (3) Do teachers know about the existence of non-profits in this area and are they interested in such cooperation? A mixed methods research approach was used. A questionnaire was used for eliciting responses from 34 non-profit organisations (nine in Czech Republic, nineteen in Spain, six in Italy); and fifteen teachers (five for each country) were interviewed. The findings reveal a great potential of non-profit organisations as partners in education for covering important themes from intercultural education. All interviewed teachers were in favour of cooperating with the non-profit sector even though most had never collaborated with non-profits. Several teachers had experienced difficulties in teaching students of varied linguistic backgrounds. Non-profits acknowledged that collaboration with teachers and schools had not been ideal and suggested strategies which might empower such partnerships.