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Körber-Stiftung
Kurt A. Körber established the foundation in 1959, channeling the wealth generated by his Hamburg-based machinery group, now Körber AG, into a perpetual...
Körber-Stiftung
Kurt A. Körber established the foundation in 1959, channeling the wealth generated by his Hamburg-based machinery group, now Körber AG, into a perpetual vehicle for civic betterment. The foundation is headquartered at the KörberHaus in Hamburg's HafenCity, with a secondary office on Berlin's Pariser Platz. Unlike foundations that operate solely as grantmakers, Körber-Stiftung acts primarily as an operator, designing and running more than 40 projects across its focus areas of democracy, innovation, and international understanding. Assets fund a portfolio of proprietary initiatives rather than outside fund commitments or direct private-market deals. Programming spans live debates at the KörberForum, the Körber Studio Junge Regie festival for emerging theater directors, and policy dialogues including the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum convened with the German Federal Foreign Office. In the field of technology and aging, the 'Ageing with Tech Festival' connects digital innovation with demographic change. The foundation also administers the Deutscher Studienpreis, a research prize for early-career academics, and maintains an active podcast and social-media presence, including a Mastodon server launched jointly with 15 other foundations. Its real-assets footprint includes the KörberHaus, a Berlin office, and the Körber Technologies headquarters site in Hamburg's Innovation Park Bergedorf. The executive board is chaired by Thomas Paulsen, the foundation's former CFO. The Körber AG relationship remains structural: the foundation is the sole shareholder of Körber AG, a technology group whose supply chain software division brought in KKR as a strategic minority investor. While Körber AG's CEO, Stephan Seifert, is not part of the foundation's governance, the foundation's corpus is linked to the corporate group's long-term performance. In May 2024, Körber-Stiftung launched 'Starkes Mandat,' an action program offering resilience and leadership workshops to municipal officeholders in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt. The foundation's structural distinction lies in its operational character. It is a debate-and-action platform permanently attached to a corporate group's equity, with no requirement to raise outside funds. This non-grant-dependent model gives it the freedom to pivot its programs — from history competitions to digital sovereignty campaigns like the decentralized social-media Mastodon server — without typical non-profit fundraising constraints.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1959
AUM
€590M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Germany
City
Hamburg
Corporate office
Kehrwieder 12, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
Additional offices
Pariser Platz 4a, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Principals
Thomas Paulsen
Chairman of the Executive Board
Kurt A. Körber
Founder
Altss tracks 1 additional named team member for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
How does Körber-Stiftung deploy its capital?
The foundation acts as an operator, not a grantmaker. It designs and runs more than 40 ongoing projects, conferences, and cultural events using its own staff and venues. Funding flows into direct programming rather than into outside fund commitments or traditional grants to third parties.
Who leads the foundation day-to-day?
Thomas Paulsen chairs the Executive Board. He previously served as the foundation's Chief Financial Officer. The board oversees the foundation's programming and the management of its assets, while Körber AG's operational leadership, headed by CEO Stephan Seifert, remains separate from the foundation's governance.
What is the relationship between Körber-Stiftung and Körber AG?
Körber-Stiftung is the sole shareholder of Körber AG, an international technology group originally built by the founder. The foundation's corpus is linked to the corporation's long-term performance, but the foundation itself operates independently in civic education, culture, and international dialogue.
Does Körber-Stiftung maintain any grantmaking programs?
Its model favors operational initiatives. Contributions tend to take the form of administered prizes — such as the Deutscher Studienpreis for early-career researchers — and fully organized forums rather than unsolicited grant disbursements. The foundation advises checking its website for specific open calls under each project.
Which areas does Körber-Stiftung explicitly avoid?
The foundation's public materials do not list excluded sectors, but its programming concentrates tightly on democracy and civil society, innovation and science, international understanding, and culture. It does not position itself as an institutional investor in third-party funds or a direct private-equity dealmaker, despite the Körber AG equity stake.
How is the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum organized, and who participates?
The Berlin Foreign Policy Forum is a cooperation between Körber-Stiftung and the German Federal Foreign Office. It convenes senior diplomats, policy analysts, and journalists for an annual debate on Germany's role in international affairs, reflecting the foundation's long-standing focus on policy dialogue rather than partisan advocacy.
Does Körber-Stiftung collaborate with other foundations?
Yes. It is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen (Association of German Foundations) and the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). In 2024, it jointly launched the Mastodon server 'stiftungen.social' with 15 other foundations to promote digital sovereignty and decentralized public discourse.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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