RAG-Stiftung

What RAG-Stiftung does

RAG-Stiftung is a private foundation (Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts) established in June 2007 under German civil law and headquartered at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen, Germany. Its statutory mission is to permanently finance the perpetual obligations (Ewigkeitsaufgaben) of German hard coal mining, which ended in December 2018. These obligations include pit water management, polder measures, and groundwater purification across former mining regions in the Ruhr area, Saarland, and Ibbenbüren, with annual costs estimated at EUR 250-300 million. The foundation's principal beneficiaries are the German public sector, which is permanently relieved of these environmental liabilities, and approximately 300,000 residents of former mining regions served through Vivawest GmbH housing.

The foundation's revenue model is based on dividend income from strategic equity holdings — primarily its 44% stake in Evonik Industries AG (global specialty chemicals), 58% stake in Vivawest GmbH (North Rhine-Westphalia housing with ~120,000 apartments), and wholly-owned RSBG SE (global SME investment holding company) — combined with returns from a globally diversified capital investment portfolio managed through vehicles including RAGS-FundMaster (with Deka Investment), RAG-S Private Equity, RAG-S Innovation (private debt), and Maxburg Beteiligungen. Operational execution of perpetual obligations is carried out by wholly-owned RAG Aktiengesellschaft, which annually pumps 70 million cubic metres of pit water in the Ruhr region, 17 million cubic metres in Saarland, and purifies 993,000 cubic metres of groundwater across 22 treatment plants. The foundation raises capital through exchangeable bond issuances (most recently EUR 375 million in June 2026) and funds education, science, and culture initiatives in former mining regions through its innovation center BRYCK and partnerships with organizations including the Roland Berger Stiftung, Universitätsallianz Ruhr, and the Hydrogen Start-up Hub.

The foundation employs 11-50 staff and is governed by a Board of Executives (Vorstand) — chaired by Bernd Tönjes with Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia and CFO Kerstin Terhardt — and a Board of Trustees (Kuratorium) chaired by former Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet. As of 2026, leadership transitioned with Kerstin Terhardt succeeding Dr. Jürgen Rupp as CFO in September 2025, and the foundation has continued its capital markets activity with the EUR 375 million exchangeable bond placement in June 2026. The foundation has no conventional commercial product offering, no parent company, and operates under the supervision of the Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf.

Name

RAG-Stiftung

Legal name

RAG-Stiftung

Website

https://rag-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RAG-Stiftung is a German foundation established in 2007 that permanently finances post-mining perpetual obligations — pit water management, polder measures, and groundwater purification — in former German hard coal mining regions, funded by dividends from strategic equity holdings in Evonik, Vivawest, and RSBG SE, plus diversified global capital investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foundation Perpetual Obligation Financing

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (551)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Waste / Circular Economy Funds (FSANAJAF), Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA), Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency) (FSANAEAE), Brownfield Expansions & Sustaining Capital Projects (Debottlenecking, Upgrades) (IMAKAOAJ), Environmental Liabilities, Reserves & Financial Assurance (Cost-Cap, Impairment Support) (EUAHAEAI)

Keywords

• Perpetual obligation financing
• Post-mining water management
• Foundation asset management
• Mining legacy remediation
• Public sector funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Dividend Income from Equity Holdings: RAG-Stiftung generates current income primarily from dividends paid by its major equity holdings, particularly Evonik Industries AG (44% stake), Vivawest GmbH (58% stake including RAG AG shares), and RSBG SE (wholly owned). Equity investments and capital investments each contribute approximately 50% to current income.
2. Returns on Diversified Capital Investments: Broadly diversified global capital investments in equities, bonds, funds, SME investments, and real estate generate returns. Managed through vehicles including RAGS-FundMaster (special fund managed by Deka Investment), RAG-S Private Equity, RAG-S Innovation (private debt), RAGS-Immo IVG (real estate managed by PATRIZIA), Maxburg Beteiligungen, and direct investments. The long-term investment horizon supports continuous assessment of opportunity and risk potential.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RAG-Stiftung is a German private foundation that permanently finances the perpetual obligations (Ewigkeitsaufgaben) arising from German hard coal mining, including pit water management, polder measures, and groundwater purification in the former coal mining regions of Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren. The foundation funds these obligations through diversified capital investments and dividend income from strategic equity stakes in operating companies, primarily Evonik Industries AG (44%), Vivawest GmbH (58%), and wholly-owned subsidiaries RAG Aktiengesellschaft and RSBG SE.

Product overview

RAG-Stiftung is a German foundation established in 2007 to finance perpetual obligations (Ewigkeitsaufgaben) from German hard coal mining. The organization does not offer traditional technology products but provides investment management services through vehicles such as RAGS-FundMaster, RAG-S Private Equity, RAG-S Innovation (RSI), and RSBG SE. Core operations include managing pit water management, polder measures, and groundwater purification across Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren regions. RAG-Stiftung also funds education, science, and cultural initiatives in former mining regions, operating innovation center BRYCK and holding equity stakes in Evonik Industries AG (44%) and Vivawest GmbH (58%).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ewigkeitsaufgaben Management (Perpetual Obligations Management) Permanent financing and management of perpetual obligations (Ewigkeitsaufgaben) from German hard coal mining, including pit water management, polder measures, and groundwater purification in former coal mining regions at Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren. Operational execution is performed by wholly-owned subsidiary RAG Aktiengesellschaft.
• Bildungsförderung (Education Funding) Support for education and equal opportunities in former mining regions, including teacher scholarships (Lehramtsstipendium Ruhr supporting 210 students), student programs, school initiatives, and partnerships with organizations such as Roland Berger Stiftung and Quinoa Bildung.
• Wissenschaftsförderung (Science Funding) Promotion of research including the Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (Post-Mining Research Centre) at Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola for post-mining water management and the MuSE Multisensor-Geomonitoring project to optimize post-mining water management.
• Kulturförderung (Culture Funding) Preservation of mining heritage, traditions, and cultural events in former coal mining regions, including joint acquisition of the Essen Colosseum theatre with E.ON and cooperation with LWL on the Stalag 326 memorial site.
• BRYCK Innovation Center Innovation and startup centre in Essen initiated by RAG-Stiftung, representing the transformation of former mining sites. BRYCK, together with Gründerfonds Ruhr, launched a EUR 10 million fund for Germany's tech future (April 2025), and cooperates with Universitätsallianz Ruhr to promote university startups.

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 250–300 million in annual perpetual obligation costs permanently covered
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• BRYCK / Gründerfonds RuhrmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2025BRYCK is an innovation and startup centre in Essen initiated by RAG-Stiftung, representing the transformation of former mining sites. In April 2025, BRYCK, the Gründerfonds Ruhr, and RAG-Stiftung jointly launched a EUR 10 million fund for Germany's tech future. BRYCK also started a cooperation with the Universitätsallianz Ruhr to promote university startups.
• Universitätsallianz RuhrmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2023BRYCK (initiated by RAG-Stiftung) started a cooperation with the Universitätsallianz Ruhr in September 2023 to promote more startups at universities in the Ruhr region.
• Quinoa BildungminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2022RAG-Stiftung and Quinoa Bildung partnered to promote more educational equality, supporting the first Quinoa-School in the Ruhr region (opened September 2022).
• United Robotics GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2022RAG-Stiftung and United Robotics Group secured areas in Bochum's innovation quarter MARK 51°7 for robotics and technology development, supporting the structural transformation of the Ruhr region.
• LWL (Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2021RAG-Stiftung and LWL cooperated on the expansion of the Stalag 326 memorial site (a WWII prisoner-of-war camp memorial).
• Hydrogen Start-up Hub (Essen)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2021The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding the establishment of a Hydrogen Start-up Hub in Essen with EUR 4.5 million. RAG-Stiftung is a shareholder in the hub. The hub aims to position the Ruhr region as a leader in H2 transformation and hydrogen startups.
• Roland Berger StiftungmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2021RAG-Stiftung and Roland Berger Stiftung have partnered for 10 years (as of 2023) to promote educational equality (Chancengerechtigkeit) in the Ruhr region, through joint programmes and initiatives.
• E.ONminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2020RAG-Stiftung acquired the Essen Colosseum theatre jointly with E.ON from Stage Entertainment in February 2020. The Colosseum is a major entertainment venue in the Ruhr region.
• RAG AktiengesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007RAG Aktiengesellschaft is a wholly owned subsidiary of RAG-Stiftung. Its mission is to operationally manage and develop the consequences of mining — including perpetual obligations (pit water management, polder measures, groundwater purification), renaturation liabilities, settlement of mining-related damage claims, and environmentally compatible rehabilitation of mining facilities. RAG AG aims for a climate-neutral energy footprint by 2030.
• Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (TH Georg Agricola)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007The Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (Post-Mining Research Centre) at Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola was initiated by RAG-Stiftung. It conducts internationally recognized research on pit water, geo-resources, and ecology in post-mining contexts. The foundation funds this research to develop and optimise water management solutions in former mining regions.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Allianz Stiftung für Sicherheit und Kultur: Corporate foundation of Allianz SE funding safety, civil society, and culture. Comparable as a German corporate-linked foundation with similar funding categories, though smaller and focused on different thematic priorities than RAG-Stiftung's mining and environmental obligations.

Direct peers

• NRW-Stiftung: Major regional foundation for North Rhine-Westphalia funding nature conservation, cultural heritage, and education. Comparable as a German regional foundation with similar funding programmes (Bildung, Wissenschaft, Kultur) operating in the same NRW footprint as RAG-Stiftung's Vivawest and education initiatives.
• Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU): Largest environmental foundation in Germany with ~EUR 2B endowment funding environmental protection, R&D, and conservation projects. Most directly comparable as a German environmental foundation of similar scale and mission, though it lacks RAG-Stiftung's mining-specific perpetual obligation mandate.

Broad incumbents

• KfW Group: German state-owned development bank that finances environmental, infrastructure, and SME programs with multi-billion-euro annual volumes. Comparable as a mission-driven, German public-interest financial institution with overlapping environmental funding focus, but KfW is a for-profit bank with much broader scope.
• VolkswagenStiftung: Major German corporate foundation with ~EUR 4.5B in assets funding science, technology, and humanities. Comparable in scale and as a German corporate-linked foundation with strong education and science funding programmes that overlap with RAG-Stiftung's secondary mission.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: One of Germany's largest private operating foundations, headquartered in Gütersloh, with EUR 1B+ in assets funding education, social, and economic programmes. Comparable as a large German corporate-linked foundation with similar funding themes, though without mining-specific perpetual obligations.
• Körber-Stiftung: Large Hamburg-based German foundation funding science, education, and international dialogue. Comparable as a major German foundation with similar secondary mission focus (Bildung, Wissenschaft) and comparable asset base, though without mining or perpetual environmental obligations.

Regional players

• NRW.BANK: State development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia supporting housing, infrastructure, and municipal finance. Comparable as an NRW-anchored public-interest financial institution supporting structural transformation in the same region where RAG-Stiftung's holdings (Vivawest) and perpetual obligations are concentrated.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ragstiftung
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rag-stiftung4520
• Facebookfacebook.com/ragstiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rag-stiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/ragstiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments6 records

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Frequently asked questions about RAG-Stiftung