Citizens Foundation Berlin

What Citizens Foundation Berlin does

Bürgerstiftung Berlin (Citizens Foundation Berlin) is a German non-profit citizens' foundation (gemeinnützige Stiftung) established in 1999 and headquartered at Schillerstraße 59 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Operating under German foundation law, it runs a portfolio of volunteer-delivered social programs — not technology products — focused on education, language development, reading support, natural sciences, culture, environment, and integration. Core programs include LESEND LERNEN (literacy and homework support for children, ~150 volunteers), LeseBesuch (reading-aloud visits to seniors in care facilities), Berlin-Rallye (public-transport mobility training), Bilderbuchkino (early-literacy picture-book cinema), Buddies for Peace (peace-education prize), and Wehrhafte Demokratie / Faktenforum (democracy and disinformation programming in partnership with CORRECTIV). The foundation also administers three trust vehicles under its umbrella: Bonert-Buschmann-Stiftung (€2M endowment for social causes), Wolfgang und Monika Brachmann Fonds (€50K for the arts), and jep!Stiftungsfonds (media literacy).

The organization operates a community-led go-to-market model: 500+ trained volunteers (Ehrenamtliche) deliver services directly in schools, Kitas, and senior residences across all Berlin districts, in cooperation with the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt, Bezirksämter, and academic partners including HTW Berlin. Revenue is generated entirely through fundraising rather than fees or pricing: recurring donations, event-based fundraising (annual Art Dinner with live art auctions, plus Weihnachtssingen), corporate partnerships (notably BUWOG as Art Dinner partner and Weberbank as banking/Stifterforum host), and endowment returns from trust funds under management. Marketing is multi-channel — website, bi-annual newsletter, social media (YouTube, X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), PR coverage, and flagship events — reaching 10,000+ children and youth annually and 350–400 donors/supporters per major event.

Governance sits with a five-member Vorstand chaired by Andrea Grebe, with Steffen Schröder as Geschäftsführer and Alexandra Spring as deputy; a supervisory Kuratorium (recently joined by Ulrike Demmer, Intendantin of rbb); and a Stiftungsrat. Wolfgang Thierse (former Bundestagspräsident) serves as Schirmherr. The foundation is undergoing active reorganization — a recent transition from volunteer-led to professionally managed operations under then-board member Helena Stadler (who departed 2025-08), ongoing board turnover, a 2024 project merger (LeseLust + Zusammen!Lernen → LESEND LERNEN), and two trust-fund acquisitions (2023, 2024) — signals a maturing organizational posture entering its second decade of professional operations.

Name

Citizens Foundation Berlin

Legal name

Bürgerstiftung Berlin

Website

https://buergerstiftung-berlin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bürgerstiftung Berlin is a Berlin-based non-profit citizens' foundation, founded 1999, running volunteer-delivered education, literacy, language, and senior-engagement programs across all city districts. It funds itself through donations, an annual Art Dinner, corporate sponsorships, and trust funds it administers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Civic foundation services
• Charitable programs
• Volunteer engagement
• Community education
• Social integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations received as one-time or recurring contributions. Donors can specify which project their contribution supports.
2. Event-based Fundraising: Annual Art Dinner events featuring live auctions of artwork that raise significant funds (225,000 EUR in 2024, 311,700 EUR in 2022).
3. Trust Funds and Endowments: Management of trust funds (Treuhandstiftungen) and endowment funds under the foundation's umbrella, including the Bonert-Buschmann-Stiftung (2 million EUR), Wolfgang und Monika Brachmann Fonds (50,000 EUR), and the Familienfonds Klaus und Lydia Riedel.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Support from corporate partners like BUWOG who sponsor the Art Dinner and other initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Citizens Foundation Berlin (Bürgerstiftung Berlin) is a non-profit civic foundation that organizes and delivers volunteer-driven social, educational, cultural, and integration programs throughout Berlin. The foundation supports children, youth, families, and seniors through initiatives spanning education, language development, natural sciences, culture, environmental protection, and integration assistance, primarily delivered through volunteer engagement and community-based partnerships.

Product overview

Citizens Foundation Berlin operates a portfolio of charitable social programs rather than a technology product. The organization offers volunteer-based educational initiatives including LESEND LERNEN (literacy and learning support for children), LeseBesuch (reading-aloud visits for seniors), and the Berlin-Rallye (mobility education). Additional programs encompass peace education through the Buddies for Peace award, democracy workshops (Wehrhafte Demokratie), and the Faktenforum for media literacy. The foundation also manages multiple trust funds and trustee foundations including the Wolfgang und Monika Brachmann Fonds (arts), Bonert-Buschmann-Stiftung (social causes), and jep!Stiftungsfonds (media literacy). These programs are coordinated through a network of over 500 volunteers and supported via donation processing through Twingle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buddies for Peace: Annual prize for peace-capable education awarded to Berliner projects for children and youth (ages 6-18) that promote conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence.

Products and services

• Educational Support Programs
• Language Development Programs
• Cultural Programs
• Environmental Programs
• Integration Programs
• Senior Engagement Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ children and youth reached annually with projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CORRECTIV.FaktenforumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Collaboration on the 'Faktenforum - Gemeinsam gegen Desinformation' event during Stiftungswoche 2025. Joint panel discussion on misinformation featuring experts from More in Common, futur eins, and CORRECTIV.
• Stiften für alleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024The association 'Stiften für alle' provides democracy workshops for volunteers of Bürgerstiftung Berlin on topics including argumentation, media literacy, and political culture.
• BUWOG Bauträger GmbHcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 April 2024BUWOG, a leading private residential real estate developer, became a partner of the Art Dinner event. The partnership supports the foundation's social projects in Berlin neighborhoods and districts. BUWOG sees alignment between their responsibility for communities and the foundation's mission.
• Galerie Mutter FourageminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2024Gallery hosting the exhibition of Monika Brachmann's artistic legacy as part of the Wolfgang und Monika Brachmann Fonds integration into the foundation.
• HTW Berlin (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022University partnership for the '10 Paar Hände' initiative supporting Ukrainian refugees in welcome classes. Students analyzed school needs and organized volunteer matching for language support.
• WILL FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the annual Weihnachtssingen (Christmas singing) event at Grunewaldkirche.
• Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen ZusammenhaltcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Senate department for culture and social cohesion is the permanent home for the traveling exhibition 'Dem Ehrenamt eine Stimme und ein Gesicht geben.' The department oversees engagement and democracy promotion.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bürgerstiftung Hamburg: Citizens' foundation in Hamburg operating the same Bürgerstiftung legal form with volunteer-led civic, education, and integration programs. Closest geographic and regulatory peer for benchmarking fundraising per program and volunteer-to-staff ratios.
• Bürgerstiftung Frankfurt am Main: Frankfurt-based citizens' foundation running education, civic engagement, and senior programs under the same German Bürgerstiftung framework. Direct comparison point for trustee-foundation onboarding dynamics and corporate-partnership revenue mix.
• Bürgerstiftung München: Citizens' foundation serving Munich with the same Bürgerstiftung model: volunteer-driven community programs, trustee-foundation umbrella, donations and event-based fundraising. Most structurally analogous peer in Germany for purposes of comparing program design, donor model, and operational scale.

Regional players

• Allianz für Beteiligung: Network supporting citizen participation and civic engagement in Baden-Württemberg. Comparable on civic-participation mission and volunteer mobilization; regional-only footprint makes it a partial overlap rather than a direct competitor.

Others

• Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen: German umbrella association of foundations – Bürgerstiftung Berlin is a member. Comparable as the industry/infrastructure layer setting Bürgerstiftung quality standards (the foundation displays the Bundesverband Gütesiegel) and aggregating peer-foundation intelligence.

Broad incumbents

• Körber-Stiftung: Hamburg-based foundation with strong programs in democracy, education, and civic participation. Overlaps on civic-education programming and recurring events/dialogue formats that compete for the same donor and partner attention.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: One of Germany's largest foundations, with substantial education, democracy, and civic-engagement programming. Operates at materially greater scale and budget; comparable on thematic overlap (civic education, social cohesion) but not on operating model.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: Major German foundation with programs in education, civic participation, and social cohesion across multiple countries. Comparable thematic portfolio (especially civic engagement and integration) but operates at a national/international scope far beyond a single-city community foundation.
• Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung: Frankfurt-based foundation with education, democracy, and social-cohesion programming. Comparable on civic-education mission and the operating model of a professionally managed endowed foundation, though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung: Berlin-based think tank working on democracy, media literacy, and civic-technology issues. Comparable as a Berlin-based civic-democracy organization and likely peer for funding, talent, and partnership competition in the same donor pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/buergerstberlin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDbTmfMD8Ratd-mzeKcBaMA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Buergerstiftung.Berlin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b%C3%BCrgerstiftung-berlin/?originalSubdomain=de
• Instagraminstagram.com/buergerstiftungberlin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Foundation Berlin