Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection

The Umweltstiftung Michael Otto (Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection) is a nonprofit foundation based in Hamburg, Germany. It was established in 1993 by the entrepreneur Michael Otto under the name Michael Otto Stiftung für Umweltschutz, with the purpose of promoting nature and environmental protection, particularly the protection of seas, water bodies, wetlands and drinking water resources. In April 2018 the foundation adopted its current name, Umweltstiftung Michael Otto. The foundation operates as both a funding and an operational foundation. Its work is guided by the goal of restoring the balance of ecosystems that are threatened by human activity, so that they can retain their diversity and regenerative capacity. It runs its own projects, supports external initiatives, and convenes dialogue platforms that bring together stakeholders from business, science, civil society and government. Among its flagship activities are the AQUA-AGENTEN educational programme, which trains primary school children as water detectives; F.R.A.N.Z., a joint project for biodiversity in agriculture; and toMOORow, an initiative focused on rewetting moorlands and creating future-oriented value chains. The foundation also hosts the Hamburger Gespräche für Naturschutz, the Zukunftswerkstatt Wald, and a multi-stakeholder dialogue on CSRD reporting and biodiversity. It is a co-founder or supporter of the Kompetenzzentrum Naturschutz und Energiewende (KNE), the Nachhaltigkeitsforum Hamburg, and the Foundations Platform F20. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees (Kuratorium) chaired by its founder, Michael Otto. Members include representatives from environmental organisations, government and academia. Through its annual reports, publications and events, the foundation communicates its work and advocates for systemic change in environmental and nature protection.

The Umweltstiftung Michael Otto was founded in 1993 by the German entrepreneur Michael Otto under the name Michael Otto Stiftung für Umweltschutz. Its original purpose was to promote nature and environmental protection, with a particular focus on the protection of seas, water bodies, wetlands and drinking water resources. The foundation was established as a nonprofit foundation under civil law (gemeinnützige Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts) based in Hamburg. From its early years, the foundation combined financial support for external projects with its own operational activities. Over time it developed a distinctive approach that emphasises dialogue and cooperation between business, science, civil society and government. This led to the creation of several long-term initiatives and platforms. In April 2018, the foundation adopted its current name, Umweltstiftung Michael Otto. The name change reflected the broader scope of its work, which by then extended beyond water protection to include biodiversity, agriculture, forests, moorlands and sustainable finance. Among its notable projects are AQUA-AGENTEN, an educational programme for primary school children that uses a specially designed kit to teach about water supply, wastewater, aquatic habitats and water use; F.R.A.N.Z., a joint project with agricultural stakeholders to promote biodiversity in farming; and toMOORow, an initiative to rewet moorlands and develop new value chains from them. The foundation also hosts the Hamburger Gespräche für Naturschutz, the Zukunftswerkstatt Wald, and a multi-stakeholder dialogue on CSRD reporting and biodiversity that began with a kick-off event on 9 April 2024. The foundation is a co-founder or supporter of several institutions, including the Kompetenzzentrum Naturschutz und Energiewende (KNE), the Nachhaltigkeitsforum Hamburg, and the Foundations Platform F20. It publishes annual reports and other materials to share its findings and promote systemic change. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees (Kuratorium) that decides on strategic direction and funding. The board is chaired by the founder, Michael Otto. Its members include Jochen Flasbarth, Christoph Heinrich, Jörg-Andreas Krüger, Janina Özen-Otto, Cornelia Quennet-Thielen and Franziska Tanneberger.

• 2025

  Publication of Annual Report 2025.

• 2024

  Kick-off event for CSRD reporting and biodiversity dialogue platform.

• 2018

  Foundation renamed Umweltstiftung Michael Otto.

• 1993

  Foundation established by Michael Otto as Michael Otto Stiftung für Umweltschutz.

Nonprofit foundation that combines funding, operational projects and multi-stakeholder dialogue to advance nature and environmental protection in Germany and internationally.

• AQUA-AGENTEN

  Educational programme for primary school children (grades 3 and 4) to learn about water through a themed kit covering water supply, wastewater, aquatic habitats and water use.

• F.R.A.N.Z.

  Joint project for biodiversity in agriculture.

• toMOORow

  Initiative for rewetting moorlands and creating future-oriented value chains.

• Hamburger Gespräche für Naturschutz

  Dialogue series on nature conservation.

• Zukunftswerkstatt Wald

  Future workshop on forests.

• CSRD-Reporting dialogue

  Multi-stakeholder platform to develop a practical guide for CSRD-compliant and nature-ambitious materiality analysis.

1. 1Willkommen | Umweltstiftung Michael Ottoumweltstiftungmichaelotto.de
2. 2AQUA-AGENTEN - Umweltstiftung Michael Ottoumweltstiftungmichaelotto.de
3. 3CSRD Reporting | Umweltstiftung Michael Ottoumweltstiftungmichaelotto.de
4. 4Umweltstiftung Michael Otto - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
5. 5Michael Otto Stiftung für Umweltschutz - Wikidatawikidata.org