What Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung does

Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung is a Hamburg-based non-profit foundation established in 1992 (originally as boco-Stiftung, renamed in 1999) and dedicated to the protection of native German wildlife through species-specific conservation, habitat stewardship, and nature education. It operates across four interconnected pillars: targeted species-protection programs (notably for Schreiadler/Lesser Spotted Eagle, Rotmilan/Red Kite, Feldhamster/Common Hamster, Rothirsch/Red Deer, Fledermäuse/Bats, and Wildbienen); the management of approximately 3,700 hectares of Nationales Naturerbe land across eleven areas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, including the Gut Klepelshagen estate; public-facing nature education through the Botschaft der Wildtiere exhibition in Hamburg HafenCity, a children's podcast ('Winnis wilde Nachbarn'), the Lernwerkstatt learning workshop, traveling exhibitions, and school programs; and thought-leadership platforms including the biennial Rotwildsymposium (since 2002) and the Wildtier Forum Berlin.

The foundation does not develop proprietary technology products. Its digital stack consists of a website-based donation platform with PayPal, credit card, and SEPA direct debit support, the FundraisingBox fundraising platform, the WeCanHelp charitable shopping integration, a Schreiadler livestream from Latvia operated in cooperation with Latvian State Forests, and a citizen-science integration with ornitho.de/NaturaList via the Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten (DDA). Headcount as of 31.12.2025 stands at 37 full-time and 38 part-time positions, supplemented by 4 working students, 3 temporary workers, and 1 FÖJ participant.

The business model is diversified across five primary revenue streams: individual donations and monthly animal Patenschaften (sponsorships from €10/month); corporate partnerships (Wildbienen-Allianz, employee giving, Christmas campaigns); foundation endowments (Zustiftungen) into the foundation capital; legacy giving and bequests; and federal/state government grants — most notably from the Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) and the Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMUKN), including the €5.6 million Rotmilan 'Land zum Leben' project (2014–2019) and ongoing National Species Aid Program support. The foundation is governed by a Vorstand under Prof. Dr. Klaus Hackländer and a Präsidium chaired by Prof. Dr. J.-Matthias Graf v. d. Schulenburg, and operates transparently under the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft.

Name

Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung

Legal name

Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung

Website

https://deutschewildtierstiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung is a Hamburg-based non-profit foundation, established in 1992, that protects native German wildlife through species-specific conservation programs, stewardship of 3,700 hectares of Nationales Naturerbe land, and nature education — funded by individual donations, corporate partnerships, federal grants, and endowments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation / Environmental Nonprofit

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation
• Habitat protection
• Species preservation
• Biodiversity education
• Environmental advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Individual donations through online platform, monthly sponsorships (Patenschaften) starting at €10/month, one-time and recurring donation options. Major donations and corporate partnerships also solicited.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Company collaborations including corporate donations, Christmas campaigns, employee engagement, sponsorship, licensing communication, and Wildbienen-Allianz partnership program.
3. Foundation Endowments (Zustiftung): Endowment contributions that increase foundation capital, with returns used for long-term wildlife protection and nature education.
4. Legacy Giving and Bequests: Testamentary gifts and estate donations, with dedicated legacy brochure and consultation services.
5. Government and Institutional Grants: Funding from Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Bundesumweltministerium, and state governments for specific conservation projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung is a German nonprofit foundation that conserves native wildlife species and their habitats in Germany. It carries out species protection and habitat restoration projects, funds and conducts applied conservation research, advocates for wildlife-friendly policy and land-use practices, and educates the public about biodiversity through campaigns, publications, and events.

Product overview

Die Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung (German Wildlife Foundation) is a charitable foundation headquartered in Hamburg, founded in 1992, focused on the protection and conservation of native German wildlife. Its product portfolio is organized around four interconnected pillars: (1) species-specific conservation projects (Schutzprojekte) for threatened animals such as the Schreiadler, Rothirsch, Feldhamster, Fledermäuse, and Rebhuhn; (2) nature education programs including the Botschaft der Wildtiere exhibition in Hamburg HafenCity, the children's podcast 'Winnis wilde Nachbarn', the Lernwerkstatt learning workshop, traveling exhibitions, and StadtNatur projects; (3) the management and stewardship of its own estate (Stiftungsgut Klepelshagen), approximately 3,700 hectares of Nationales Naturerbe across eleven areas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, serving as a living laboratory and demonstration site; and (4) publications, symposia (Rotwildsymposien), and advocacy platforms including the Wildtier Forum Berlin and the Rothirsch.org portal. The foundation also operates public engagement tools including the Schreiadler-Livestream webcam and a cooperation with the DDA/ornitho.de for citizen science bird monitoring. Fundraising is supported via donations, sponsorships, charitable bequests, corporate partnerships, and the WeCanHelp shopping platform integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Species and Habitat Conservation Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• 13,000 hectares of food habitat managed annually for Red Kite protection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten e.V. (DDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Cooperation agreement for bird monitoring on foundation-owned and project lands. DDA provides technical and scientific support for bird species surveys while gaining access to observation data collected by ornithologists on foundation properties.
• NABU-Stiftung Nationales NaturerbecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership in the 'Gemeinsam für den Schreiadler' (Together for the Lesser Spotted Eagle) project under the National Species Aid Program (nAHP). Jointly implementing conservation measures including moor restoration, water body renaturation, and habitat structure creation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg.
• Stiftung Umwelt- und Naturschutz MVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in 'Gemeinsam für den Schreiadler' project coordinating conservation efforts in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the endangered lesser spotted eagle.
• Deutsche Verband für Landschaftspflege e.V. (DVL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated the bundesweites Verbundprojekt 'Rotmilan – Land zum Leben' from 2014-2019. DVL managed overall project coordination while Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung handled public relations.
• BOKU University WienminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife research camp conducted at Klepelshagen estate where students from BOKU University Vienna investigated various wildlife biology questions as part of field research.
• Lettlands Staatsforstverwaltung (Latvia's State Forests)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation for Schreiadler nest livestream. Latvian State Forests installed webcam and manages the forest area where the nest is located.
• Backstein Geist und Garten e. V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal association in Starkow managing the Schreiadler photo exhibition in the village church, available by appointment.
• Thünen-InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted evaluation study on consulting as an instrument for nature conservation within the Rotmilan project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Deutscher Tierschutzbund: Germany's largest animal welfare umbrella organization with very large donor base. Overlaps thematically around wildlife and donor pools but is primarily animal welfare rather than habitat/species conservation; not a direct operational competitor.

Direct peers

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature conservation association with ~900,000 members. Directly comparable as a domestic wildlife and habitat protection NGO operating species programs, government-funded projects, and large donor base; significantly larger in scale.
• Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt (ZGF): Frankfurt-based wildlife conservation society funding species protection projects globally. Comparable as a German-rooted conservation organization running species-specific programs, donor-funded model, and government partnerships.
• NABU-Stiftung Nationales Naturerbe: Foundation managing large areas of National Natural Heritage land in Germany and a current co-funding partner of Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung on the Schreiadler program. Directly comparable as a conservation foundation with Nationales Naturerbe land stewardship mandate.
• Heinz Sielmann Stiftung: German non-profit foundation focused on wildlife and biodiversity conservation with owned nature reserves and educational programs. Closely comparable business model: foundation status, owned land, species protection, and nature education.
• Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH): German environmental and consumer protection NGO active in policy advocacy, nature conservation, and litigation. Comparable German donor base and overlapping focus on agriculture-wildlife and energy-wildlife conflicts.
• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland): Major German environmental NGO with ~600,000 members, active in species protection, habitat conservation, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable target donor base and government funding competition in Germany.

Regional players

• Stiftung Naturlandschaften Brandenburg: Foundation dedicated to large-scale wilderness and nature conservation in Brandenburg, with own land management and species programs. Comparable foundation structure and species/land mandate, but geographically focused on a single German state.
• Michael Succow Stiftung: German nature conservation foundation active in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Eastern Europe, focused on protected area management and species protection. Comparable as a foundation with land stewardship, but with regional/Eastern European scope rather than nationwide.

Broad incumbents

• WWF Deutschland: German arm of the global WWF network with hundreds of thousands of supporters. Comparable mission (species and habitat protection) but operates at much larger scale with international footprint and corporate partnership infrastructure.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvm4vwTDutobbZjeUDL-FrA
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeutscheWildtierStiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/deutsche.wildtier.stiftung
• Xx.com/DeWiSt92
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-wildtier-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung