German foundation sector sees strongest growth in 10 years

Germany’s foundation sector saw its strongest growth in 10 years in 2021, according to figures from the Association of German Foundations. Last year 863 new foundations were established – an increase of 3.2% – with the Association reporting a notable commitment from the sector towards helping those impacted by the Ukraine war.

Kirsten Hommelhoff, Secretary General of the Association of German Foundations commented:

“As the Federal Association of German Foundations, we are particularly pleased when people set up foundations to make a long-term contribution to our society. We have also seen great commitment since the start of the Ukraine war. German foundations reacted quickly and effectively to help the people in Ukraine – there, as well as here in Germany. They have proven that they can make our society better and more humane.”  

In total, there are now 24,650 foundations with legal capacity under Germany’s civil law. The majority are based in the western federal states, with Hesse seeing the biggest increase (10%) in foundation numbers in 2021, followed by Brandenburg, and Rhineland-Palatinate.

Most foundations are in North Rhine-Westphalia, where 4,795 can be found. Hamburg has the most foundations in relation to the number of people living there, at 79 foundations per 100,000 inhabitants. Eastern German federal states Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have the least, at 11 foundations each per 100,000 inhabitants.

Darmstadt tops the city ranking for the second time in a row, with 232 foundations per 100,000 inhabitants. As in 2020, Würzburg follows in second place, with Oldenburg and Frankfurt am Main sharing third place.

Overall in the country, there are currently 29.6 foundations for every 100,000 German citizens.

Picture by Karsten Bergmann from Pixabay