What BürgerStiftung Hamburg does

BürgerStiftung Hamburg is a Hamburg-based civic foundation (Bürgerstiftung) established in 1999 that aggregates citizen donations, endowments, and bequests and deploys them across a portfolio of thematic funds and programs. Its product surface includes seven thematic funds (Demokratie stärken, Hamburger Spielräume, Migrantisches Engagement, Partizipationsfonds, Starke Persönlichkeiten, Ukrainehilfe Hamburg, and Jugendumweltrat), the Engagement Dock consulting service for small nonprofits, the Haus des Engagements physical hub in Hamburg-Altona, the You:sful service-learning school network (22+ schools), and trust foundations held under its umbrella (e.g., Hamburg AHOI Stiftung, Jens Steineke Treuhandstiftung). The foundation executes its work with approximately 39 paid staff and roughly 320 volunteer Hamburg residents across offices at Schopenstehl 31 (HQ), Neue Große Bergstraße 3-5 (Haus des Engagements), and Eifflerstraße 43 (Engagement Dock at betahaus), with a fourth site at Kleine Reichenstraße 20 being prepared for July 2026. Documented outcomes include €592,548 distributed through the Partizipationsfonds to 92 projects with 372 advisory consultations, and the LuFisch swimming program reaching 80 children annually with 150 volunteer instruction hours. Revenue is generated exclusively through donations, endowments, bequests, and public-sector funding partnerships (notably the Sozialbehörde Hamburg for the Partizipationsfonds), with no commercial pricing as the organization does not sell products or services.

Name

BürgerStiftung Hamburg

Legal name

BürgerStiftung Hamburg

Website

https://buergerstiftung-hamburg.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BürgerStiftung Hamburg is a 1999-founded Hamburg civic foundation that pools citizen donations and endowments and deploys them via seven thematic funds, the Engagement Dock consulting service, the Haus des Engagements hub, and a youth environmental council, serving Hamburg nonprofits, schools, and civic initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

Keywords

• Civic foundation services
• Charitable grantmaking
• Community foundation programs
• Philanthropy advisory services
• Nonprofit consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Endowments: The foundation operates on donations, endowments, and bequests from Hamburg citizens. It manages umbrella foundations (Dachstiftungen), trust foundations (Treuhandstiftungen), and thematic funds for specific purposes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BürgerStiftung Hamburg is a civic community foundation that aggregates donations and bequests from Hamburg citizens and distributes them as grants to qualifying nonprofit projects through thematic funds. It operates grant-making programs (Themenfonds) covering democracy, children's play, migrant engagement, disability participation, environmental protection, and Ukrainian refugee support; provides consulting services to small nonprofits via the Engagement Dock; runs the Jugendumweltrat youth council with funding-decision authority; manages the Haus des Engagements community space; and serves as an umbrella structure (Dach) for trust foundations and thematic funds established by individual philanthropists.

Product overview

BürgerStiftung Hamburg is a civic foundation offering a portfolio of thematic grant funds (Themenfonds) for civil society projects, consultation services through the Engagement Dock for non-profits, the You:sful learning-through-engagement school network, a youth environmental council (Jugendumweltrat) with funding decision authority, a participation fund for disability organizations, and operates the Haus des Engagements as a community center for Hamburg's voluntary sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jugendumweltrat: A youth council that enables young people aged 14-25 to actively shape climate and environmental protection in Hamburg, deciding on funding for climate and environmental protection projects initiated by young people.
• Engagement Dock
• Haus des Engagements
• [Yous:ful]

Products and services

• Themenfonds (Thematic Funds)

Quantifiable outcome

• 592,548 € distributed to disability participation projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 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.

• Hamburg AHOI StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017A trust foundation (Treuhandstiftung) established 2017 under the umbrella of BürgerStiftung Hamburg by Prof. Dr. Klaus-Stefan Hohenstatt and Dr. Eckhard Schulze. Focuses on children and youth, particularly funding swimming lessons and cultural education programs.
• Jens Steineke TreuhandstiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Trust foundation established 2011 by entrepreneur Jens Steineke for nature education. Upon his passing, BürgerStiftung Hamburg continued the work, establishing the NATUR erleben – verstehen – schützen thematic fund in 2019.
• AKTIVOLI Landesnetzwerk Hamburg e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKTIVOLI Landesnetzwerk serves as the Hamburg state network for volunteering, hosting its headquarters at the Haus des Engagements. The organization works with BürgerStiftung Hamburg on implementing the Hamburg Engagement Strategy and the Hamburg Integration Concept through the Engagement Dock.
• betahaus HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-location partner for Haus des Engagements at betahaus in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel district. The Engagement Dock and related services operate from this location, with plans to relocate to Neue Amt Altona upon completion.
• Landesinstitut für Lehrerbildung und Schulentwicklung (LI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg's state institute for teacher training and school development collaborates with BürgerStiftung Hamburg on the 'You:sful' learning through engagement program, which integrates civic engagement into school curricula across 22+ network schools.
• Stiftung Lernen durch EngagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational foundation supporting service-learning in Germany. Partners with BürgerStiftung Hamburg on the 'You:sful' network, annual conferences, toolbox development, and professional development for teachers implementing civic engagement curricula.
• STEB – Stiftung für Engagement in BergedorfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBergedorf engagement foundation co-hosting the accounting workshop for small associations.
• Körber-StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of workshop for small associations at Frei Raum in KörberHaus.
• Luruper Förderverein Integration durch Schwimmen e.V. (LuFisch)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation that runs the LuFisch swimming project, saving a community swimming pool from demolition in 2005 and providing free swimming lessons to children from low-income families in Lurup.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bürgerstiftung Köln: Cologne community foundation providing local grantmaking, trust foundations, and civic engagement support — a near-identical operating model in another major German city.
• Bürgerstiftung Berlin: Berlin's community foundation operates the same Bürgerstiftung model of citizen-driven grantmaking, trust foundations, and thematic funds. Most directly comparable peer given matching legal form, mission, and operating model.
• Stiftung Bürger für Leipzig: Leipzig community foundation offering Bürgerstiftung-style grantmaking and civic engagement support; same German community-foundation legal form and operating approach as BürgerStiftung Hamburg.
• Bürgerstiftung München: Munich's community foundation runs comparable thematic grant programs, Treuhandstiftungen, and volunteer-led civic engagement — directly analogous to BürgerStiftung Hamburg in mission and structure.
• Bürgerstiftung Frankfurt am Main: Frankfurt community foundation running parallel civic grantmaking and engagement programs under the same Bürgerstiftung legal form as BürgerStiftung Hamburg.
• Bürgerstiftung Stuttgart: Stuttgart community foundation aggregating citizen donations and distributing grants through thematic funds — directly analogous structure and scope as BSH.

Broad incumbents

• ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius: Large Hamburg-based operating foundation with broader programmatic scope (education, science, culture). Comparable as a fellow Hamburg foundation operating in overlapping thematic territory.
• Körber-Stiftung: Major Hamburg-based operating foundation with much broader national programs in civic engagement, education, and international cooperation. Körber-Stiftung is already a documented partner of BSH and operates in overlapping civic-engagement space.

Others

• Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft: Industry association representing German foundations and corporate donors; relevant ecosystem infrastructure that supports and tracks the broader German philanthropy sector in which BSH operates.
• Allianz der Bürgerstiftungen Deutschlands: National association of German community foundations providing network infrastructure and certification; relevant as the industry umbrella organization in which BürgerStiftung Hamburg participates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt4JWCjG5LQ-JY3eLB5h6CQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/buergerstiftung.hamburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b%C3%BCrgerstiftung-hamburg
• Instagraminstagram.com/buergerstiftung_hamburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 BürgerStiftung Hamburg