Körber-Stiftung

Name

Körber-Stiftung

Legal name

Körber-Stiftung

Website

https://koerber-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Non-Profit Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Civic engagement programs
• Science prize funding
• History competitions
• Democracy and cohesion
• Non-profit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Income: As a non-profit foundation established by entrepreneur Kurt A. Körber in 1959, Körber-Stiftung generates income through its sole ownership of Körber AG, receiving dividends. Körber AG is an international technology group with EUR 3.1 billion in sales (fiscal year 2025) and over 13,000 employees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Körber-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation that initiates societal debates, promotes international understanding, shapes civil society, and supports knowledge for the future through free programs. Its standalone offerings include the €1 million Körber European Science Prize, the Deutscher Studienpreis for young researchers, the Roots & Reels international history competition, six original podcast series, the Entrepreneurship program with Körber Start-Hub, the KörberHaus community center with LichtwarkTheater, the Expanded Horizons photography initiative, and EU Code Week Germany.

Product overview

Körber-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation established in 1959 by entrepreneur Kurt A. Körber, operating as a civic society organization rather than a traditional technology company. The foundation's activities are organized into thematic areas including Democracy and Cohesion, Europe, Entrepreneurship, Age and Demographics, Education, Science, History and Politics, Culture, and International Politics. The foundation's core offerings include prestigious award programmes (Körber European Science Prize worth €1 million, Deutscher Studienpreis for young researchers), media content (six podcast series covering topics from AI and music to municipal innovation and history), project programmes (Entrepreneurship support, Körber Start-Hub, EU Code Week Germany, Expanded Horizons photography initiative), cultural venues (LichtwarkTheater with 458 seats, KörberHaus community center), and competitions (Roots & Reels international history competition). The foundation operates at three locations: Hamburg headquarters, Berlin capital city office, and Hamburg-Bergedorf.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Körber Start-Hub: Startup hub supporting entrepreneurs and founders with societal impact
• Deutscher Studienpreis
• Körber European Science Prize
• Geschichtswettbewerb
• eustory
• Roots & Reels
• Hamburger Horizonte
• MINT-Qualitätsoffensive
• MINT-Regionen
• MINT-Vernetzt
• Code Week
• Expanded Horizons
• KörberHaus
• LichtwarkTheater
• eCommemoration

Products and services

• Körber European Science Prize (Körber-Preis für die Europäische Wissenschaft) A prestigious annual science prize worth €1 million awarded to outstanding European scientists for breakthrough research; the 2026 prize was awarded to Sara Wickström for discovering how cells sense their physical environment.
• Deutscher Studienpreis A prestigious annual award for young researchers in Germany, nominating 30 outstanding doctoral research topics each year from hundreds of submissions across all academic disciplines.
• Roots & Reels – International History Competition for Young Storytellers An international history competition where young participants present family memories, local histories, and hidden voices in film format, with a public voting component on the top 30 entries.
• Gesellschaft besser machen (Podcast) A biweekly podcast featuring conversations with inspiring guests about new perspectives and concrete ideas for a strong Europe and societal cohesion.
• History & Politics Podcast (Geschichte ist Gegenwart) A podcast exploring how history shapes the present, featuring guests who discuss historical contexts to illuminate contemporary issues.
• Future Changers (Podcast) A podcast series about sustainable and future-effective entrepreneurship, featuring founders sharing their experiences and insights (Season 3 highlighted).
• Listen to Wissen (Podcast) A podcast featuring alumni of the Deutscher Studienpreis discussing their research, what motivates them, and how their knowledge makes society better.
• Künstliche Intelligenz und Musik (Artificial Intelligence and Music Podcast) A podcast in which six protagonists discuss and explore how they are advancing the intersection of AI and music.
• Stadt.Land.Zukunft (Podcast) A podcast series featuring mayors from six German cities discussing innovative projects addressing future challenges such as climate change, digitalization, aging population, and housing shortages.
• Entrepreneurship Programme Area A programmatic area established on 1 July 2025 to strengthen entrepreneurial action in society and further promote startups with societal impact.
• Körber Start-Hub An entrepreneurship support programme under the new Entrepreneurship area, supporting startups and founders focused on societal impact.
• EU Code Week Germany The German coordination of EU Code Week, promoting coding, programming, and digital literacy across Germany.
• LichtwarkTheater A modern, fully equipped theater with 458 seats located within the KörberHaus in Hamburg-Bergedorf; serves as the central and largest performance venue in the facility.
• KörberHaus An open meeting place in Hamburg-Bergedorf for people of all generations and cultures, housing nine partner organizations that offer diverse educational, social, and cultural programmes.
• Expanded Horizons A photography initiative developed in partnership with the Haus der Photographie of the Deichtorhallen, aimed at sustainably strengthening young photographic talent and creating new approaches to photographic image worlds.

Quantifiable outcome

• 859 submissions for Deutscher Studienpreis 2026 with 30 nominated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• forsaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOpinion research institute for conducting online surveys as part of the foundation's charitable work. Receives survey responses and provides aggregated statistical analysis.
• intersoft consulting services AGminorOthersData protection officer service provider. Contact: Justus Brandt, Beim Strohhause 17, 20097 Hamburg.
• Deichtorhallen (Haus der Photographie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on 'Expanded Horizons' project to sustainably strengthen young photography talent and open new access to photographic image worlds.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fritz Thyssen Stiftung: Cologne-based German foundation supporting research, science, and education with comparable geographic and thematic overlap. Strong fit on the academic-research funding and science-prize components.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: Major German corporate foundation tied to the Bosch industrial group, operating globally across education, science, society, and international relations. Closely comparable scope, structure, and German corporate-foundation model to Körber-Stiftung.
• VolkswagenStiftung: German corporate foundation funding science, education, and civic engagement, anchored by the Volkswagen ownership structure. Comparable in mission (science prizes, academic research support) and German corporate-foundation legal form.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Largest operating corporate foundation in Germany, headquartered in Gütersloh. Directly comparable as a major German grantmaking foundation funding education, democracy, science, and European policy with assets backing derived from its Bertelsmann corporate parent.
• Stiftung Mercator: One of Germany's largest foundations, focusing on European integration, democracy, climate, education, and culture. Directly comparable thematic scope, particularly on European cohesion and democracy — a core Körber-Stiftung focus area.
• Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft: German association of science-funding foundations with substantial MINT/STEM education programs (similar to Körber's MINT-Qualitätsoffensive, MINT-Vernetzt, and Code Week Germany). Strong direct overlap on the STEM and science-prize portfolios.

Emerging players

• European Cultural Foundation: Pan-European foundation supporting culture, democracy, and civic engagement across the continent. Comparable on European-cohesion, cultural-programming (Expanded Horizons photography), and cross-border civic-engagement dimensions.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Major UK-based independent foundation funding science, research, and public engagement. Comparable on the science-prize, public engagement, and research-funding dimensions (e.g., Körber European Science Prize €1M).
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: Large German political foundation running civic education, international politics, and science programs across Europe and globally. Comparable in international-politics, civic-education, and European-cohesion workstreams.
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung: Major German party-affiliated foundation with deep programs in democracy, politics, education, and international cooperation. Comparable on civic/democratic engagement programming and convening power in Berlin.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Körber-Stiftung
• Facebookfacebook.com/KoerberStiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/körber-stiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/koerberstiftung
• Xx.com/KoerberGP

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Körber-Stiftung