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Intermediate organizations are non-profit structures active in the area of integration through economic activity aimed at reintegrating those with severe social and occupational problems into the labor market in France. With the employment crises of the past 2 decades, these organizations have been confronted by an ever-increasing demand and an imperative of rapid growth. Arising mainly from the initiatives of local activists, they were often composed of volunteers at the outset but have gradually reinforced and expanded their staffs by taking on growing numbers of salaried employees. In the process, they have achieved a particular form of professionalization, notably by integrating management imperatives into an approach that is still based on activist commitment. Indeed, these organizations have remained faithful to the ideal of civic solidarity inherent in France's Law of 1901 that has regulated community-sector organizations for over a century. (Author/YLB)