Maecenata Stiftung

The Maecenata Stiftung (Maecenata Foundation) is an independent German think tank and civil-law foundation (Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts) focused on civil society, civic engagement, philanthropy and the foundation sector. It was founded in 2010 in Munich by Rupert Graf Strachwitz, a long-standing figure in German philanthropy and foundation administration. Its self-description is "Think Tank für Zivilgesellschaft" — a think tank for civil society. The foundation's stated purposes include promoting science, education and research, disaster preparedness, humanitarian aid, development cooperation, international donation transfer, civic engagement and refugee assistance. The foundation grew out of earlier institutions created by Strachwitz. The Maecenata Institut für Philanthropie und Zivilgesellschaft, founded in 1997, has been an affiliated institute (An-Institut) of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since 2004 and is now part of the foundation. Strachwitz also led the foundation-management firm Maecenata Management GmbH from 1987; that firm was taken over by the Deutsches Stiftungszentrum in 2010 and endowed the new Maecenata Stiftung with assets. Maecenata's work is organized around several programmatic priorities. One is the international transfer of donations, carried out through the transnational network Transnational Giving (TG), which involves 21 organizations, one in each European country. In 2019, TG collected and redistributed some €13.62 million. A notable example of this work was Maecenata's participation in the international fundraising effort after the 2019 Notre-Dame fire. Other priorities include the development of European civil society (including a publication series with texts by authors such as Robert Menasse), the development of German civil society, the Middle East and Islamic world (the MENA Study Centre led by Islamic studies scholar Udo Steinbach), and, since 2018, analysis and debate on humanitarian aid through the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA). The foundation publishes numerous interdisciplinary academic and specialist publications, including Handbuch Zivilgesellschaft, Anstifter zur Beteiligung and Stiftungen seit 1800. It is a member and was a co-founder in 2011 of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft (Transparent Civil Society Initiative). It regularly intervenes in public debates about the private and public financing of welfare and charitable work, transparency, professionalism in the foundation and nonprofit sector, and the responsibilities of the public sector toward civil society. In 2021, together with Transparency International, it publicly criticized the newly created Stiftung Klima- und Umweltschutz MV in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in connection with the Nord Stream 2 project, calling its establishment a "political abuse of the good reputation of foundations." The foundation is based in Berlin and operates primarily in Germany and Europe, with additional engagement in the MENA region. Its leadership includes executive board member Ansgar Gessner and board member and senior strategic advisor Dr. Rupert Graf Strachwitz, with Dr. Siri Hummel serving as director of the Maecenata Institut.

The Maecenata Stiftung was founded in 2010 in Munich by Rupert Graf Strachwitz as a Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts (civil-law foundation). Its purposes include the promotion of science, education and research, disaster preparedness, humanitarian aid, development cooperation, international donation transfer, civic engagement and refugee assistance. The foundation describes itself as a "Think Tank für Zivilgesellschaft" (think tank for civil society). The foundation has deep roots in earlier institutions created by Strachwitz. The Maecenata Institut für Philanthropie und Zivilgesellschaft was founded in 1997 and has been an affiliated institute (An-Institut) of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since 2004; it is now part of the foundation. Strachwitz also led the foundation-management firm Maecenata Management GmbH from 1987. That firm was taken over by the Deutsches Stiftungszentrum in 2010 and then endowed the new Maecenata Stiftung with assets. One of the foundation's founding motivations was to simplify the international transfer of donations. With Maecenata's participation, the transnational network Transnational Giving (TG) was created, comprising 21 organizations, one in each European country. In 2019, TG collected and redistributed approximately €13.62 million. A prominent example of this programmatic focus was Maecenata's participation in the international fundraising effort after the 2019 Notre-Dame fire. In Germany in 2019, TG funds were used primarily to support projects in health, culture, and humanitarian aid/development cooperation. As of 2021, the foundation listed several additional work priorities beyond TG and the Maecenata Institut: the development of European civil society (including a publication series with texts by authors such as Robert Menasse), the development of German civil society, the Middle East and Islamic world (the MENA Study Centre led by Islamic studies scholar Udo Steinbach), and, since 2018, analysis and debate on humanitarian aid through the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA), a think tank for questions of German and international humanitarian aid. In 2018, with Maecenata's support and due to a lack of equity capital, the Stiftung Islam in Deutschland was founded via a trust construction; it was the first legally capable foundation in Germany based on Islamic principles. In the same year, Maecenata published the study "Die Stiftung als Unternehmung und Investor" together with the Bundesverband deutscher Stiftungen. In 2020, a foundation database that had been maintained since 1989 in parallel to the relevant German association — and the Stiftungshandbuch, which had been published by Maecenata and contained 6,000 portraits of German and European institutions on 1,800 pages — was dissolved and transferred to the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen. Also in 2020, the Maecenata Stiftung published a study on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on nonprofit organizations such as associations. Maecenata publishes numerous interdisciplinary academic and specialist publications, including Handbuch Zivilgesellschaft, Anstifter zur Beteiligung and Stiftungen seit 1800. The foundation is a member and was a co-founder in 2011 of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft (Transparent Civil Society Initiative). The foundation regularly participates in public debates about the private and public financing of welfare and charitable work. Topics have included the legal or moral assessment of personnel and administrative costs of nonprofit organizations in Germany (examples: salaries of leadership at Diakoniewerk Bethel in 2017 and AWO Frankfurt in 2020), transparency and other legal questions, considerations of professionalism in the foundation and nonprofit sector, the use of inheritances, and the public sector's duty of care toward civil society during the coronavirus pandemic (2020). In 2021, the Maecenata Stiftung, together with Transparency International, publicly criticized the newly created Stiftung Klima- und Umweltschutz MV in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in connection with the Nord Stream 2 project, calling its establishment a "political abuse of the good reputation of foundations."

• 2021

  Maecenata and Transparency International publicly criticize the Stiftung Klima- und Umweltschutz MV as a "political abuse of the good reputation of foundations."

• 2020

  The foundation database and Stiftungshandbuch are transferred to the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen; publication of a study on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on nonprofit organizations.

• 2019

  Transnational Giving (TG) collects and redistributes approximately €13.62 million; Maecenata participates in international fundraising after the Notre-Dame fire.

• 2018

  Founding of the Stiftung Islam in Deutschland with Maecenata's support; publication of the study "Die Stiftung als Unternehmung und Investor" with the Bundesverband deutscher Stiftungen; establishment of the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA).

• 2011

  Co-founding of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft (Transparent Civil Society Initiative).

• 2010

  Founding of the Maecenata Stiftung in Munich by Rupert Graf Strachwitz; Maecenata Management GmbH is taken over by the Deutsches Stiftungszentrum and endows the new foundation with assets.

• 2004

  The Maecenata Institut becomes an affiliated institute (An-Institut) of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

• 1997

  Founding of the Maecenata Institut für Philanthropie und Zivilgesellschaft, a predecessor institution.

• 1987

  Rupert Graf Strachwitz begins leading the foundation-management firm Maecenata Management GmbH.

Independent think tank for civil society, philanthropy and the foundation sector; research-driven, policy-oriented, and internationally engaged in donation transfer and humanitarian analysis.

• Opusculum publication series

  Interdisciplinary academic and specialist publications on civil society, philanthropy and the foundation sector.

• Handbuch Zivilgesellschaft

  A handbook on civil society published by Maecenata.

• Anstifter zur Beteiligung

  A publication series on civic engagement.

• Stiftungen seit 1800

  A publication on the history of foundations.

• Transnational Giving (TG)

  A transnational network of 21 organizations, one per European country, facilitating cross-border donation transfer.

• Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA)

  A think tank for questions of German and international humanitarian aid, established in 2018.

• MENA Study Centre

  A research centre on the Middle East and Islamic world led by Udo Steinbach.

1. 1Home • Maecenata Stiftungmaecenata.eu
2. 2Das Team • Maecenata Stiftungmaecenata.eu
3. 3Maecenata Stiftung – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Maecenata Stiftung – Wikidatawikidata.org