Amadeu Antonio Foundation

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is a German civil-society foundation established in 1998 to strengthen democratic culture and oppose far-right extremism, racism and antisemitism. It takes its name from Amadeu Antonio, an Angolan contract worker who was killed by right-wing extremists in Eberswalde in 1990 and is remembered as one of the first victims of far-right violence in reunified Germany. The foundation was created by Karl Konrad Graf von der Groeben. Writer Anetta Kahane was appointed as its chairwoman, while Wolfgang Thierse, a former president of the German Bundestag, served as its patron. The organization combines grant-making, research, public education, digital publishing, victim support and local civic engagement. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer-facing brand, it functions as an advocacy and civil-society institution whose public identity is closely associated with anti-racism work, democratic participation and opposition to organized and everyday right-wing mobilization. Its projects operate both online and offline and are carried out with partners in journalism, civil society, public administration and other institutions. Among its best-known activities is the Mut gegen rechte Gewalt platform, developed with the German magazine Stern. The platform reports on right-wing extremism, racism and antisemitism and presents approaches for responding to these problems. The foundation also administers the Opferfonds Cura, or Cura Victims' Fund, which provides direct assistance to people affected by hate crime while also raising awareness of their experiences and offering information about support options. The foundation has provided office and organizational support for Netz gegen Nazis, later known as Belltower.News. The project, developed with Die Zeit, investigates right-wing extremist networks and online activity, publishes information about the scene and advises organizations such as workplaces on dealing with extremist behavior. The foundation also supports locally rooted initiatives. Kein Ort für Neonazis provides funding, administration and expertise to civic groups around elections, while Region in Aktion examines how civil society can respond when far-right parties make electoral gains in rural regions, including parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. Other work has addressed the structure of far-right movements, including the role of women within those movements, and has promoted alternative youth cultures and local networks. The foundation reports having supported more than 770 initiatives and projects focused on racism, antisemitism, right-wing extremism, democratic culture and minority rights. Its funding model combines donations and public support. It has received funding through the German federal program Demokratie leben!, and the 2023 budget information cited in reference material recorded approximately €2.5 million in donations and €6 million in public funds. Because these figures relate specifically to 2023, they should not be treated as a current annual budget without further verification. Although its primary work is in Germany, the foundation has also pursued partnerships across Europe and in the United States. Listed partners and networks include the Freudenberg Stiftung, Stern, the King Baudouin Foundation, the European Foundation Center, WINGS and the Network of European Foundations.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation emerged in Germany in 1998 against the background of increasing public concern about racist and far-right violence after reunification. Its name commemorates Amadeu Antonio, an Angolan worker who was attacked and killed by right-wing extremists in Eberswalde in 1990. The foundation was established by Karl Konrad Graf von der Groeben, with Anetta Kahane appointed as chairwoman and Wolfgang Thierse, a former Bundestag president, named as patron. From its beginnings, the foundation developed a model that combined financial support for grassroots groups with public education and institutional cooperation. Its purpose was not limited to documenting extremist activity. It also sought to help local initiatives create durable democratic structures, protect minorities and develop practical responses to racism and antisemitism. This approach led to cooperation with media organizations, public bodies and other foundations in Germany and abroad. The foundation's work has included digital platforms and editorial projects. In partnership with Stern, it helped establish Mut gegen rechte Gewalt, a platform covering right-wing extremism, racism and antisemitism while presenting possible counter-strategies. It also supported the infrastructure of Netz gegen Nazis, a project created with Die Zeit that concentrated on right-wing extremism and its online manifestations. Since 2017, that project has operated under the name Belltower.News. In addition to publishing, the project provides advice to organizations dealing with extremist activity and maintains informational resources about the far-right scene. Victim assistance became another important area through the Opferfonds Cura. The fund gives direct support to victims of hate crime, publicizes the difficulties they face and provides information about available forms of assistance. The foundation has also funded and advised projects examining the organization and social dynamics of the far right, including research into women's participation in extremist movements. Its local-democracy work has included Kein Ort für Neonazis, which gives civic initiatives financial, administrative and expert assistance around elections, and Region in Aktion, which considers how civil society can be strengthened after far-right electoral victories in rural areas such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. The foundation also promotes local networks, alternative youth cultures and community structures intended to reduce the appeal of intolerance. According to the reference material, the foundation has supported more than 770 initiatives and projects addressing racism, antisemitism and right-wing extremism and promoting democratic culture and minority rights. It has expanded its reach through strategic relationships with German, European and United States-based organizations. Public funding has included support from the German government's Demokratie leben! program. The 2023 budget information cited in the reference material reported €2.5 million in donations and €6 million in public funds, alongside staff expenditure of €6.3 million for 95 full-time positions. These are historical figures for 2023 rather than a general statement of current finances.

• 2023

  Published budget figures document mixed funding

  [2]Amadeu Antonio Foundation official websiteamadeu-antonio-stiftung.de

  Reference material for the foundation's 2023 budget recorded approximately €2.5 million in donations and €6 million in public funds, with staff expenditure of €6.3 million for 95 full-time positions.

• 2017

  Netz gegen Nazis becomes Belltower.News

  [1]Amadeu Antonio Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The online project previously known as Netz gegen Nazis adopted the name Belltower.News while continuing its reporting and advisory work on right-wing extremism.

• 1998

  Foundation established

  [1]Amadeu Antonio Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Karl Konrad Graf von der Groeben established the Amadeu Antonio Foundation in Germany to oppose far-right extremism, racism and antisemitism and to strengthen democratic civil society.

• 1990

  Amadeu Antonio is killed in a far-right attack

  [1]Amadeu Antonio Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Amadeu Antonio was killed by right-wing extremists in Eberswalde. His death later became the namesake and memorial reference for the foundation.

A German nonprofit foundation positioned as a practical infrastructure provider for democratic civil society, combining grants, public education, research, victim assistance, digital communications and local organizing against far-right violence and discrimination.

• Victim-support fund

  Opferfonds Cura

  A foundation-administered fund that provides direct assistance to victims of hate crime. Cura also raises public awareness of victims' experiences and offers information and consultation concerning appropriate support and response mechanisms.

• Information and education platform

  Mut gegen rechte Gewalt

  An online platform created with Stern that reports on right-wing extremism, racism and antisemitism. It combines information about developments and incidents with material describing ways that communities and institutions can respond.

• Digital journalism and advisory platform · 2017

  Belltower.News

  The successor to Netz gegen Nazis, Belltower.News investigates right-wing extremist structures and online activity. Its editorial and advisory work helps organizations understand extremist behavior, including in workplaces, and provides background information on Germany's far-right scene.

• Local democracy initiative

  Kein Ort für Neonazis

  A program supporting civic initiatives before local, state and federal elections. Assistance can include funding, administration and expertise for groups working to prevent the normalization or expansion of neo-Nazi activity.

• Regional civil-society program

  Region in Aktion

  A program examining how local civil society can respond after far-right parties achieve electoral gains, particularly in rural areas. It supports analysis, networking and practical strategies intended to reinforce democratic community life.

• Mut gegen rechte Gewalt

  Germany

  The foundation partnered with Stern on a public information platform addressing far-right violence, racism and antisemitism and explaining possible countermeasures.

  Outcome. The platform expanded the foundation's public-education role and provided a media-linked channel for information about extremist threats and democratic responses.

  Source
• Kein Ort für Neonazis

  Germany

  The initiative supports local civic groups around elections with money, administration and specialist knowledge aimed at challenging neo-Nazi influence.

  Outcome. It strengthened the practical capacity of local initiatives working to protect democratic spaces from far-right organizing.

  Source
• Region in Aktion

  Germany

  The program studies and supports civil-society responses in regions where far-right parties have achieved electoral success, including rural areas in eastern Germany.

  Outcome. It contributed to regional networking and the development of strategies for sustaining democratic participation after far-right electoral advances.

  Source

1. 1Amadeu Antonio Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Amadeu Antonio Foundation official websiteamadeu-antonio-stiftung.de