Joachim Herz Stiftung

Joachim Herz Stiftung

The Joachim Herz Stiftung was established in 2008 following the death of Joachim Herz. Petra Herz, his widow, serves as Honorary Chairwoman. The foundation's endowment originates from Joachim Herz's 15 percent stake in Beiersdorf AG and his Tchibo shareholding, both previously held through the family vehicle Maxingvest AG. The foundation maintains a diversified securities portfolio of stocks and bonds that generates income for grant-making. It also owns timberland and a 2,700-acre mixed-use estate in Newton County, Georgia, plus a minority stake in Beiersdorf AG and a 25 percent interest in Competo Capital Partners GmbH alongside Körber Stiftung. Geographic exposure centers on Germany and the United States. Capital is allocated across public markets, direct real-asset holdings and select private-company investments rather than through external fund commitments. Andreas Meier has led asset management since 2024. The foundation employs legal counsel GvW Graf von Westphalen and maintains membership in BAI and LAV. It sponsors the Tech Impact Festival in Aachen and the Young Waterkant Festival in Kiel. The foundation reports annual grant-making of approximately 55 million USD focused on education and science. Ownership of Joachim Herz Stiftung Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH provides the legal structure that separates philanthropic distributions from the underlying family wealth held at Maxingvest. This architecture keeps investment decisions inside the foundation while preserving the legacy stake in Beiersdorf as a continuing source of dividend income.