Maecenata Stiftung

What Maecenata Stiftung does

Maecenata Stiftung is an independent, non-profit think tank foundation under German civil law, registered in Munich and operationally headquartered in Berlin, that integrates civil society research, policy dialogue, and philanthropic practice under a single organisational roof. Founded as a consultancy in 1989, restructured as a charitable Stiftung in 2011, and led since May 2024 by Executive Director Ansgar Gessner, the foundation operates through interconnected programmes: the Maecenata Institute for academic research on philanthropy and civil society; the Transnational Giving programme that enables tax-deductible cross-border donations via the Giving Europe Network (and the Myriad USA partnership for US flows); the Tocqueville Forum with its specialised Maecenata Library; the MENA Study Centre for regional research; the Forschungscollegium for doctoral students; and the Die NGO-Debatte podcast and Maecenata Publishing House for knowledge dissemination.

The foundation's technology footprint is non-proprietary and operational rather than platform-led, relying on standard payment processors (PayPal, Stripe, Klarna, Braintree, micropayment), the Fundraisingbox fundraising platform, and MailerLite for newsletters. Core revenues derive from a tiered administrative fee ("Free Donation Share") of 5% to 0.5% on transnational donations routed through the Transnational Giving programme, supplemented by research project grants from major foundations including Atlantic Philanthropies, Bertelsmann, Bosch, Volkswagen, Open Society Foundations, and Porticus. Approximately 20 staff, multiple named partnerships with CIVICUS, Philea, European Civic Forum, ISTR, and CAF, and a publication catalogue exceeding 300 titles position Maecenata as a specialised node in the European civil society infrastructure rather than a scaled commercial enterprise.

Name

Maecenata Stiftung

Legal name

Maecenata Stiftung

Website

https://maecenata.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maecenata Stiftung is a Berlin-based independent non-profit foundation (registered in Munich) that combines civil society research, policy dialogue, and cross-border philanthropic donation facilitation through its Transnational Giving programme and Giving Europe Network membership, serving donors, beneficiary NGOs, and academic researchers in Germany, Europe, and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society and Philanthropy Research Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Civil society research
• Philanthropy advisory
• Cross-border donations
• Nonprofit think tank
• Civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transnational Giving Administration Fees: The foundation retains a tiered percentage of donated funds to cover administrative costs and further develop the Giving Europe network. Fees range from 5% for donations under €100,000 down to 0.5% for donations over €2,000,000. Donation receipts are issued for the full donation amount.
2. Research Project Funding: The foundation conducts research on civil society, philanthropy, and foundations, funded by various foundations and organisations. Major research projects have been funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, Bertelsmann Foundation, Bosch Foundation, Volkswagen Foundation, Gulbenkian Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Porticus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maecenata Stiftung is an independent non-profit foundation under German civil law that operates as a think tank on civil society, philanthropy, and civic engagement. It facilitates cross-border charitable giving through its Transnational Giving Programme and conducts research, publishes reports, and hosts events on topics related to civil society and the nonprofit sector.

Product overview

The Maecenata Stiftung is an independent think tank that operates as a unified organization bringing together civil society research, political dialogue, and philanthropic practice. The foundation offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes: the Maecenata Institute conducts academic research on philanthropy and civil society; the Transnational Giving Programme enables cross-border tax-deductible donations; the Tocqueville Forum provides library services, databases, and seminars; the MENA Study Centre focuses on regional civil society research; the Forschungscollegium supports academic research students; and Online-Intensivseminare provide professional training. These programmes are complemented by the 'Die NGO-Debatte' podcast and the Maecenata Publishing House, which produces publications in multiple series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately €190 million in earmarked donations forwarded to beneficiaries worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

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

• Giving Europe NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaecenata is the German partner in the Giving Europe Network, which enables forwarding of donations to recipients worldwide with tax advantages for donors in Europe. The network includes national partner organisations that each retain one-third of the discretionary donation portion.
• Myriad USAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for processing US donations, enabling German charitable organisations to receive tax-deductible donations from American donors through the Maecenata US Fund.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network partner for charitable giving and philanthropy research and advocacy.
• CIVICUSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational civil society alliance and network partner working on civic space monitoring.
• European Civic ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European network of nearly 100 associations and NGOs across 29 European countries. Maecenata contributed the German chapter to the Civic Space Report.
• Philea (Philanthropy Europe Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean philanthropy association with over 10,000 public-benefit foundations. Maecenata participates in Philea's Legal Affairs Committee.
• International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldwide academic society for civil society research. Maecenata's Rupert Graf Strachwitz has been an active member since the society's formation.
• European Centre for Not-for-Profit LawnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner specialising in legal frameworks for civil society and philanthropy.
• Federal Association of German FoundationsnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman national network of foundations.
• University of St Andrews - Centre for the Study of Philanthropy and the Public GoodnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner; Rupert Graf Strachwitz is an associate of this centre.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann Stiftung: One of Germany's largest operating foundations with extensive research, policy advisory, and grantmaking activities. Historical funder of Maecenata's research and a comparable institution in the German foundation ecosystem, though substantially larger in scale and budget.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: Major German foundation operating international programs in civil society, education, and health. Comparable as a research-active German foundation with international scope, though with significantly larger resources and broader program portfolio than Maecenata.
• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP): German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a leading policy think tank providing research-based policy advice. Comparable to Maecenata Institute as a Berlin-based research institution producing publications and policy analysis, though SWP's scope is broader and it receives state funding.
• CIVICUS: Global civil society alliance monitoring civic space and advocating for citizen participation worldwide. Direct network partner of Maecenata and operates at a larger international scale on overlapping civil society research and advocacy themes.

Direct peers

• Philea (Philanthropy Europe Association): European philanthropy association with 10,000+ member foundations, where Maecenata participates in the Legal Affairs Committee. Comparable as an institutional voice on European philanthropy policy and convening platform for civil society research.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF): UK-based charity facilitating cross-border giving and providing donor-advised funds, philanthropy research, and giving services. Directly comparable to Maecenata on Transnational Giving operations and as a research-driven civil society organization.
• King Baudouin Foundation: Belgian public-benefit foundation combining grantmaking, research, and philanthropic advisory services across Europe. Closely mirrors Maecenata's hybrid model of operational foundation, research institute, and cross-border giving services.
• Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen: German national association of foundations representing over 28,000 foundations in Germany. Comparable to Maecenata's role as convener and policy voice for German foundations, though structured as membership association rather than operating foundation.

Emerging players

• European Civic Forum: Pan-European network of nearly 100 associations and NGOs across 29 European countries focused on civic space monitoring. Maecenata contributed the German chapter to the Civic Space Report, indicating close programmatic overlap on civic space research and policy advocacy.
• European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL): International not-for-profit organization specializing in legal frameworks for civil society and philanthropy. Direct network partner of Maecenata with overlapping focus on the regulatory environment for foundations and cross-border giving.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maecenata-stiftung
• Facebookfacebook.com/maecenata.stiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/maecenata_stiftung
• Xx.com/maecenata

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Maecenata Stiftung