Else Kroner Fresenius Stiftung

What Else Kroner Fresenius Stiftung does

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) is a private charitable foundation (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) established in 1983 by entrepreneur Else Kröner (née Fernau), who designated it as her sole heir. Founded in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany, and supervised by Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt in Hesse, EKFS operates as the largest shareholder of the healthcare conglomerate Fresenius, from which it derives virtually all of its income via dividends. It does not sell products or services; instead, it functions as a grant-making entity that channels capital into two core programs — Scientific/Medical Research Funding (Wissenschaftliche Förderung) and Humanitarian Funding (Humanitäre Förderung). Since inception, EKFS has approved more than 700 million euros for approximately 2,800 medical-scientific and humanitarian projects, with no commercial product surface and no proprietary technology stack.

The foundation's scientific funding arm operates multiple instruments including Excellence Fellowships (up to 350,000 euros per project), Clinician Scientist Professorships, Graduate Schools (900,000 euros each), Publication Prizes (10,000 euros each), and the biennial Else Kröner Fresenius International Research Prize. It maintains four specialized Else Kröner Fresenius Zentren (Centers): Nutritional Medicine at the Technical University of Munich (since 2005), Digital Health, Nephrological Research, and Optogenetic Therapies. EKFS wholly owns ForTra gGmbH, a non-profit subsidiary that provides regulatory consulting for translational research, including pre-IND meetings with authorities. The humanitarian arm supports medical healthcare projects in developing countries, with flagship programs including the BEBUC Excellence Scholarship in the Democratic Republic of Congo (~4.5 million euros cumulative since 2010) and the biennial Humanitarian Award (250,000 euros in 2026). Active geographic footprints include Germany, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees (Stiftungsrat) chaired by Dr. Dieter Schenk, with a dual-Vorstand comprising Dr. Tanja Dangmann and Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel Strech, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Else Kroner Fresenius Stiftung

Legal name

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung

Website

https://ekfs.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a German non-profit foundation, established in 1983, that funds medical research and humanitarian healthcare projects. As the largest shareholder of Fresenius, it derives its income from dividends and has disbursed over 700 million euros across roughly 2,800 projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Medical research funding
• Humanitarian project grants
• Excellence fellowship programs
• Translational research support
• Charitable foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Homburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Dividend income from Fresenius: EKFS generates virtually all of its income from dividends of the healthcare conglomerate Fresenius, of which it is the largest shareholder. These dividends fund the foundation's grant-making activities in medical research and humanitarian aid.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a non-profit charitable foundation that funds medical-scientific research and humanitarian medical projects through grants, fellowships, professorships, graduate school programs, and prize awards. It channels dividend income from its Fresenius shareholding into funding programs for medical researchers, clinicians, humanitarian organizations, and medical students in developing countries. It also operates ForTra gGmbH, a subsidiary providing regulatory consulting for translational research.

Product overview

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) is a non-profit charitable foundation that operates two core funding programs: Scientific/Medical Research Funding and Humanitarian Funding. The scientific funding includes excellence fellowships, clinician scientist professorships, graduate schools, and the International Research Prize. The humanitarian arm supports medical healthcare projects in developing countries. EKFS also operates ForTra gGmbH, a subsidiary providing regulatory consulting for translational research. The foundation supports several specialized research centers including the Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Ernährungsmedizin (EKFZ Nutritional Medicine) at TUM, the Zentrum für Digitale Gesundheit (Digital Health), Nephrologische Forschung (Nephrology), and Optogenetische Therapien (Optogenetics). Additional programs include the BEBUC Excellence Scholarship in the Democratic Republic of Congo, publication prizes, and the Paper of the Month series showcasing funded research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Ernährungsmedizin: Center for Nutritional Medicine at TUM focusing on metabolic diseases, diabetes, and obesity research
• Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Digitale Gesundheit
• Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Nephrologische Forschung
• Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Optogenetische Therapien
• ForTra gGmbH
• BEBUC-Exzellenzstipendienprogramm

Products and services

• Else Kröner Excellence Fellowships (Exzellenzstipendien) Fellowships providing up to 350,000 euros per research project for established physicians and physician-researchers at German university hospitals, enabling two-year protected leave from clinical duties to conduct cutting-edge medical research. Nine fellowships were awarded in 2025.
• Else Kröner Graduate Schools Graduate school funding of 900,000 euros each for medical student research training programs at German university hospitals. The 2025 cohort included schools in Bonn, Leipzig, and Rostock. The 2026 cohort includes IMMUNE PILOT (Bonn, immunology/neuroscience/genetics), EMILIA (Leipzig, lifestyle-associated chronic vasculo-metabolic diseases), and Step (Rostock, physical mobility in aging).
• Else Kröner Fresenius Preis für Medizinische Forschung (International Research Prize for Medical Research) International research prize awarded to recognize outstanding medical research achievements, with the 2027 cycle focused on cell-based immunotherapies for cancer, autoimmune or infectious diseases. Open to international medical researchers.
• Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine (Humanitarian Award) Annual humanitarian award recognizing outstanding projects that improve medical healthcare in resource-limited countries. The 2025 award was endowed with 100,000 euros (topic: Outreach Services / mobile clinics) and the 2026 award is endowed with 250,000 euros (topic: People with Disabilities).
• Publication Prizes (Publikationspreise)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 million euros approved for approximately 2,800 medical-scientific and humanitarian projects since foundation inception
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Technische Universität München (TUM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Long-standing partnership hosting the Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Ernährungsmedizin (EKFZ) since 2005. The center bridges nutrition science research and clinical practice, focusing on metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity. Prof. Hans Hauner served as founding director; Prof. Katharina Timper now serves as speaker.
• ForTra gGmbH für Forschungstransfer der Else Kröner-Fresenius-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit subsidiary focused on translational research transfer. Supports researchers with regulatory consulting for clinical trial planning and approvals, including pre-IND meetings with regulatory authorities. Part of the foundation's commitment to advancing medical research from laboratory to clinical application.
• Förderverein Uni Kinshasa e.V. - BEBUCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization managing the BEBUC (Breakthrough Excellence in Biomedical Sciences in the Democratic Republic of Congo) Excellence Scholarship Program. Supports young scientists in the DRC since 2009 in cooperation with Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. EKFS has funded approximately 4.5 million euros into this program since 2010.
• Julius-Maximilians-Universität WürzburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman university partner cooperating with Förderverein Uni Kinshasa on the BEBUC scholarship program since 2009. Supports scientific young talent development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Investing in People (IIP ASBL) & Sultani MakutanoStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo supporting the BEBUC scholarship program and educational initiatives.
• DRC Young Academy of Sciences (DRC YAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the BEBUC scholarship program and scientific development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Stiftung Leben mit KrebscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation dedicated to improving quality of life for cancer patients through exercise and sporting activities. EKFS has supported this initiative for many years and participated in the 'Rudern gegen Krebs' charity regatta.
• Berlin Institute of Health (BIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with EKFS/ForTra on gene and cell therapy initiatives including joint workshops and the SPARK-BIH program under the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapy.
• University of Kinshasa and 24 other universities and schools in DRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo involved in the BEBUC scholarship program, providing education and hosting scholarship recipients.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: UK-based global charitable foundation and one of the world's largest funders of medical research. Comparable as a research-and-medical grantmaking foundation with global scope, though with substantially larger scale and broader research portfolio.
• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central public research funding organization. Comparable to EKFS in funding graduate schools, fellowships, and research prizes, but funded through government channels rather than private endowment.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Global philanthropic foundation with major programs in global health and medical research. Comparable in the humanitarian medical funding arm and developing-country health programs (analogous to EKFS's BEBUC), though operating at vastly larger scale.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large US biomedical research organization that funds investigators and science education. Comparable to EKFS in its focus on biomedical research talent (Investigator program analogous to Excellence Fellowships and Clinician Scientist Professorships), though at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• VolkswagenStiftung: Major German private foundation funding scientific research and humanities. Highly comparable to EKFS as a large German philanthropic funder with a multi-program portfolio, foundation structure, and similar operational scale.
• Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung: German private foundation with strong focus on neuroscience research and brain health, alongside education. Comparable as a private German foundation with medical research grantmaking, including fellowships and research prizes, similar to EKFS.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: One of Germany's largest private foundations tied to a major industrial family/company. Comparable to EKFS in foundation structure, endowment-driven income model, and programmatic breadth across research, health, and social issues.
• Fritz Thyssen Foundation: German private scientific foundation supporting research across multiple fields. Comparable as a private German research foundation with a multi-program funding approach and similar operational scale.
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: German foundation funding international academic cooperation and research talent. Comparable in fellowship-based funding model and German foundation structure, though broader across disciplines rather than medical-only.
• Stiftung Charité: Berlin-based private foundation focused on medical research and innovation in life sciences. Directly comparable in mission (medical research funding), geography (Germany), and grantmaking modalities including clinician-scientist programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EKFStiftung
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/StiftungEKFS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/else-kr%C3%B6ner-fresenius-stiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/ekfstiftung/?hl=de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Else Kroner Fresenius Stiftung