Gunda-Werner-Institut

What Gunda-Werner-Institut does

The Gunda-Werner-Institut (GWI) für Feminismus und Geschlechterdemokratie is a non-profit political education and research institute established in 2007 from the merger of the Feministisches Institut and the Stabsstelle Gemeinschaftsaufgabe Geschlechterdemokratie. It operates as a constituent unit of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V., a registered non-profit association and party-affiliated foundation of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (the German Green Party), and is headquartered at Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin. With a staff of eight, the institute pursues gender-political and feminist educational work aimed at a just, violence-free, and gender-democratic society, examining power structures and dominance relations.

Its portfolio centers on free publications and programming rather than commercial products: thematic dossiers and policy briefs, two jointly managed audiovisual media libraries (Gender Mediathek, Antifeminismus-begegnen-Mediathek), the "PISSY" podcast collaboration with Missy Magazine, multiple specialized newsletters, and recurring festivals and conferences such as "Reproductive Futures" (November 2025) and the planned "Feminist Imaginaries Festival" (September 2026). Content is delivered through a website in German and English with Easy Read and Sign Language versions, a broad social media footprint (Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, Facebook, Soundcloud, YouTube, Flickr), and accessible in-person and livestreamed events at the Berlin headquarters. Thematic pillars include antifeminism, feminist foreign and security policy, feminist digital policy, reproductive justice, masculinity politics, and intersectionality.

The institute has no commercial revenue model: all publications and resources are distributed free of charge, and operations are funded through institutional (party and public) channels routed via the parent foundation. There are no external investors, venture capital, or private equity involvement. Target audiences are horizontal rather than transactional — civil society organizations, academic researchers, policymakers, and feminist activists in Germany, the EU, and globally — and the institute's distribution model is therefore content-led, not sales-led. The most material governance item currently disclosed is that the institute is under commissarial (acting) co-leadership by Amina Nolte and Sandra Ho, with the Director position vacant.

Name

Gunda-Werner-Institut

Legal name

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V.

Website

https://gwi-boell.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Gunda-Werner-Institut is a Berlin-based non-profit feminist policy and political education institute within the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, serving civil society, academic, and policymaker audiences with free publications, media libraries, podcasts, newsletters, and festivals on gender democracy and antifeminism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Education and Policy Research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAO

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Political education
• Feminist research
• Gender democracy
• Policy analysis
• Nonprofit publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: As a department of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V., a non-profit political foundation affiliated with the German Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), the institute operates through institutional funding from party and public sources. The foundation is registered as a non-profit corporation for the promotion of cultural purposes, education and development aid.
2. Publications (Free Distribution): The institute produces publications, dossiers, policy briefs, and educational materials that are distributed free of charge. Some materials like 'Überzüge für Rollstuhl-Reifen' (wheelchair tire covers) are offered as free downloads with optional shipping costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Gunda-Werner-Institut is a non-profit political education and research institute operating within the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V. (the German Green Party's affiliated foundation). It produces and freely distributes feminist policy dossiers, policy briefs, audiovisual media libraries, newsletters, podcasts, and accessibility guides on topics including antifeminism, reproductive justice, feminist foreign and digital policy, masculinity politics, and intersectionality. It also organizes conferences and festivals (e.g., Feminist Imaginaries, Reproductive Futures) targeting policymakers, civil society, academia, and the media.

Product overview

Gunda-Werner-Institut operates as a feminist policy institute within the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, offering a portfolio of publications, media libraries, newsletters, and event programming focused on gender democracy and feminist politics. Core offerings include the Gender Mediathek (audiovisual media library), the Antifeminismus-begegnen Mediathek (media critical of antifeminism), thematic Dossiers and Policy Briefs, the PISSY podcast, topic-specific newsletters, and the 'Hacks in leichter Sprache' accessibility guide series. The institute's work spans thematic focuses on Antifeminismus, Feminist Foreign Policy, Feminist Digital Policy, Intersectionality, Masculinity Politics, and Reproductive Justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Antifeminismus-begegnen-Mediathek: A media library of on- and offline media that critically engages with antifeminism.
• Gender Mediathek
• Cyborgs, Hausschuhe und Verbindungsprobleme (Hacks series)

Products and services

• Gender Mediathek An audiovisual media library offering videos and recordings on feminist and gender-political topics, with a current focus on masculinity, providing content for activists, researchers, policymakers, and journalists.
• Antifeminismus-begegnen Mediathek An on- and offline media library that critically examines antifeminist movements, including toolkits and resources such as the 'Toolkit gegen Feminizid' developed by German-speaking anti-feminicide groups.
• PISSY - Der Missy Magazine Podcast A feminist podcast produced in collaboration with Missy Magazine, covering feminist topics for general audiences interested in gender politics.
• Newsletter des Gunda-Werner-Instituts A periodic email newsletter providing updates on feminist topics, events, and publications, issued approximately six times per year, with supplementary topic-specific distribution lists.
• Newsletter Antifeminismus begegnen A specialized email newsletter on antifeminism topics, published approximately 5-8 times annually for subscribers interested in countering antifeminist movements.
• Dossiers und Analysen (Dossiers and Analyses) Thematic dossiers, analyses, policy briefs, perspectives, and position papers on feminist policy and gender democracy, distributed free of charge as PDF downloads.
• Cyborgs, Hausschuhe und Verbindungsprobleme (Hacks series) A series of accessibility guides published in Easy Read (Leichte Sprache), covering topics such as wheelchair modifications, diabetes management, and accessible living, available as free PDF downloads with optional physical copies (plus shipping).

Quantifiable outcome

• Publishing multiple dossiers and publications annually on topics including antifeminism, feminist foreign policy, reproductive justice, and digital policy
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Feminist Organizations and Civil Society PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025The institute collaborates with various feminist organizations for events like 'Cash for Action: Finanzierung feministischer Zivilgesellschaft sichern' (June 2025) and other joint initiatives. Partner organizations participate in conferences, contribute to publications, and engage in collaborative advocacy work.
• Gender Mediathek (joint platform)coreOthersA collaborative audiovisual media platform on feminist and gender policy topics. The Gender Mediathek provides access to recordings of selected events and video clips. Managed jointly, the platform serves as a resource library for feminist media content.
• Antifeminismus-begegnen Mediathek (joint platform)coreOthersA specialized media collection and toolkit addressing antifeminism. Includes resources like the 'Toolkit gegen Feminizid' developed by German-speaking anti-feminicide groups. Provides critical media that examines antifeminist movements and responses.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutscher Frauenrat: National umbrella organization of German women's associations, coordinating policy advocacy, networking, and convening on gender equality. Operates as a comparable membership/advocacy body serving overlapping civil-society and policymaker audiences.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES): SPD-affiliated German political foundation with comparable structures: policy education, international offices, gender-equality programs, publications, and convening. Closest peer in terms of operating model, scale, and German public-policy context.
• TERRE DES FEMMES: Germany-based feminist human-rights organization focused on gender equality, antifeminism response, and policy advocacy. Closely comparable thematic focus on women's rights, political education, and counter-mobilization against antifeminist movements.
• Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit: FDP-affiliated German political foundation with similar educational, research, and policy-publishing operations. Comparable institutional form, funding mechanism, and audience across policymakers, academics, and civil society.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS): CDU-affiliated German political foundation operating parallel education, publication, and international programs. Same legal-organizational form (eingetragener Verein), same funding structure, and same target audience mix of policymakers, civil society, and researchers.
• Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: Die Linke-affiliated German political foundation offering comparable academic programs, publications, and gender-equality thematic work. Directly comparable in mission alignment with progressive political education and internal gender/democracy programming.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Germany: International NGO with German office focused on girls' rights and gender equality, combining research, advocacy, and public campaigns. Comparable in operating a German advocacy base with research publications and policy engagement around gender topics.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (parent organization): The parent foundation of which GWI is a constituent institute. Operates 30+ international offices and 16 state foundations, providing GWI's structural context, funding, and brand — the natural unit of comparison for organizational scale.

Emerging players

• European Women's Lobby: EU-level umbrella of women's rights organizations advocating gender equality in European policy. Comparable in supranational feminist policy advocacy, publications, and convening — particularly relevant given GWI's feminist foreign and EU policy work.

Peers

• Amnesty International Germany: Major human-rights advocacy organization in Germany operating extensive publication, campaign, and convening programs. Directly comparable as a human-rights-focused NGO with policy publications, public campaigns, and donor-funded operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gwi_boell
• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Gunda-Werner-Institut&search=tag
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gunda.Werner.Institut
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gunda-werner-institut
• Instagraminstagram.com/gwi_feminismus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gunda-Werner-Institut