Plauen Civic Foundation is one of the winners

On 5th June 2019, the award ceremony for the German Benefactors' Prize took place at the German Foundation Congress in Mannheim. Prominent guests such as Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, as well as the writer and cabaret artist Eckhard von Hirschhausen acknowledge the dedication of the 30,000 citizens who won awards. This year, it is the first time that the Federal Association of German Foundations is honouring such a large community of benefactors – including the Plauen Foundation – with the most prestigious award within the world of foundations.

"By awarding of the German Benefactors' Prize to the civic benefactors of Germany, the Federal Association of German Foundations wishes to honour the various forms of donation associated with this. The committed people involved put in not only money, but also time and ideas. Quite in keeping with the topic "Our Democracy", commitment on the ground is a successful example of how benefactors' involvement and democratic codetermination are intertwined", says Prof. Dr Joachim Rogall, Chairman of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and Chairman of the Board at the Federal Association of German Foundations.

Award winner

Within civic foundations, people do a great deal for the community in their city or region using time, money and ideas. It is characteristic of civic foundations that their activists work for a variety of purposes for the common good – for example in the areas of youth, the elderly, culture and the environment. They are a central place for dialogue with local civil society and enable participation.

Civic foundations as a success story

The first civic foundations were founded in Germany over 20 years ago. There are now around 400 of these foundations across Germany, in which around 30,000 people are active. Every year, a total of around 1.85 million hours are spent this way for the benefit of the community. All civic foundations in Germany together have total assets of just over 360 million euros (as of 2017).

The Alliance for Civic Foundations in Germany represents the interests of foundations by citizens for citizens. The “10 characteristics of a civic foundation” formally define what constitutes a civic foundation. In particular, civic foundations' independence from politics, business or religion, their local focus, and their variety of purposes and the diversity of the benefactors play an important role.

Federal Association of German Foundations

The Federal Association of German Foundations, as an organisation, represents the interests of more than 22,000 foundations with regard to the public, politics and administration. As the central centre of excellence within the German system of foundations, it offers its more than 4,400 members, benefactors, media professionals and other interested parties extensive information and advisory services. The Alliance of German Foundations is organised from within the Federal Association of German Foundations.