What Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie does

Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie is a non-profit political education organization headquartered in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, operating through two jointly administered legal entities: Hermann-Ehlers-Stiftung e.V. (a registered association) and Hermann Ehlers Akademie gGmbH (a non-profit limited company). The organization offers a portfolio of in-person and online political education programs — including day seminars, conferences, evening events, excursions, and Bildungsurlaub (educational leave) training — covering topics such as foreign and security policy, education, health, economy, digitalization, ethics, and social issues. Programs are largely free or low-cost, with a 50% discount for students and participants in federal volunteer services; paid tiered pricing applies to some specialized seminars. The organization is named after Hermann Ehlers, President of the German Bundestag from 1950 to 1954, and maintains a historical archive of his documents and recordings alongside those of Kai-Uwe von Hassel, a former Bundestag President and long-time foundation chair.

The core business model combines several modest revenue streams: (1) annual membership fees at €110 per year providing recurring engagement opportunities, (2) selective seminar participation fees with student/volunteer discounts, (3) donations accepted via PayPal, and (4) public subsidies via partnerships with the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) and the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Education. The organization operates the Villa 78 event venue for both internal and external hire, and runs the Kai-Uwe von Hassel Haus student housing facility in Kiel, which provides a small but recurring revenue line. The customer base is highly diversified across the general public interested in political education, students and young professionals, organizations seeking Bildungsurlaub programs for employees, and students seeking accommodation. Distribution relies on direct website registration, Eventbrite for event ticketing, Brevo (Sendinblue) for email newsletters, and an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The organization is led by Dr. Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (Chair) and Dr. Richard Nägler (Managing Director of both entities), with a stated staff of 6 employees.

Name

Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie

Legal name

Hermann-Ehlers-Stiftung e.V. und Hermann Ehlers Akademie gGmbH

Website

https://hermann-ehlers.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie is a Kiel-based non-profit political education foundation (six employees) offering largely free seminars, conferences, and Bildungsurlaub programs on topics including foreign policy, health, and digitalization, while also running a student residence, an event venue, and a €110 annual membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees provide recurring revenue. Members pay €110 per year and receive access to foundation activities and events.
2. Event participation fees: Some seminars and events charge participation fees, with discounts available for students and those in federal service.
3. Donations: The organization accepts donations via PayPal to support their political education work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie delivers political education programs including day seminars, evening events, special events, conferences, and excursions on topics such as foreign and security policy, education, health, economics, and digitalization. It also operates student housing at Kai-Uwe von Hassel Haus in Kiel and runs Villa 78 as an event venue. Programs are delivered largely free or at subsidized rates, funded through annual memberships (€110), public subsidies for Bildungsurlaub, and donations.

Product overview

Hermann Ehlers Stiftung e.V. (HES) and Hermann Ehlers Akademie gGmbH (HEA) together form a political education foundation based in Kiel, Germany. The organization does not offer a software product but rather delivers a portfolio of in-person and online programs and services. The core offerings are: (1) political education seminars and events — including day seminars, conferences, excursions, and special events — offered as its primary program; (2) student housing at the Kai-Uwe von Hassel Haus; (3) event venue hire at Villa 78; (4) a media library (Mediathek) of publications, videos, photos, and historical documents; and (5) an annual membership program. The organization is recognized as an approved education provider (anerkannter Bildungsträger) and programs are frequently subsidized with public funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Education Seminars and Events Portfolio of political education programs including special events (Sonderveranstaltungen), evening events (Abendveranstaltungen), day seminars (Tagesseminare), excursions (Exkursionen), and conferences (Konferenzen) covering topics such as foreign and security policy, education, environment, health, economy, and digitalization. Includes Bildungsurlaub (educational leave) seminars subsidized with public funds. Open to the general public, students, and federal volunteers, with discounted rates for students and volunteer service participants.
• Studentisches Wohnen – Kai-Uwe von Hassel Haus Student housing facility operated by the organization providing accommodation for students in Kiel. Named after Kai-Uwe von Hassel, former President of the German Bundestag and long-time chairman of the Hermann-Ehlers-Haus association.
• Eventlocation Villa 78 Event venue operated by HEA and HES used to host their own political education events and available for external hire.
• Stiftungsmitgliedschaft (Foundation Membership) Annual membership program for the Hermann-Ehlers-Stiftung e.V. with a membership fee of €110 per year. Members receive access to foundation activities and events. Contact person for membership is Dr. Richard Nägler.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Konrad Adenauer StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisible partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung shown on website. Hermann Ehlers Stiftung operates within the network of German political foundations, with shared educational missions and collaborative programming.
• Land Schleswig-Holstein (Ministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Schleswig-Holstein state government ministry responsible for education, science and culture. Logo displayed as partner supporting the organization's educational mission.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung). Logo displayed as partner, indicating collaboration on political education initiatives.
• Stamp Media GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStamp Media GmbH is credited for conception, design and realization of the website, indicating a web development and digital consulting partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung: The CDU-affiliated German political foundation that is directly networked with Hermann Ehlers Stiftung. Provides comparable political education programming, civic seminars, and Bildungsurlaub at a national scale, making it the most direct peer despite its significantly larger size.
• Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung: The Left-affiliated political foundation, comparable as part of the German political foundation network. Provides similar political education programming targeting civic engagement, though with different ideological orientation.
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung: The Greens-affiliated political foundation, comparable as one of the six major German party-affiliated foundations delivering political education. Similar civic engagement and Bildungsurlaub offerings, though larger in scale and broader in thematic focus.
• Friedrich Naumann Stiftung: The FDP-affiliated political foundation, part of the same German political foundations network. Comparable political education programming and civic engagement focus, though operating at a larger national scale.
• Hanns Seidel Stiftung: The CSU-affiliated Bavarian political foundation, closely comparable in mission and operating model to Hermann Ehlers Stiftung. Both foundations focus on political education, civic seminars, and operate under Germany's political foundation network (parteinahe Stiftungen).
• Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Schleswig-Holstein: The Schleswig-Holstein state-level civic education agency, directly comparable in geographic scope and mission. Provides free civic education programming in the same region, representing the most direct regional competitor for participants and state funding.

Broad incumbents

• Körber-Stiftung: A large Hamburg-based independent civic foundation with significant civic education programming comparable in mission, though broader in scope (also covering science, international dialogue). Operates with much larger scale and budget.
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung: The SPD-affiliated political foundation, operating with a national scope and similar educational mandate. Comparable in mission (civic education, political discourse) but significantly larger in scale, funding, and program breadth.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung: Germany's federal agency for civic education, an institutional partner and broadly comparable in educational mission. Operates at federal scale providing civic education materials and programs, overlapping significantly with Hermann Ehlers Stiftung's offerings.

Emerging players

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP): Berlin-based foreign policy think tank offering educational programming on topics (foreign policy, security) that overlap with Hermann Ehlers Stiftung's seminar topics. Comparable in topical focus but differs as a research-oriented institution rather than civic education provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLQIrvSB-EDeKq9AT1wL50w/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/HESonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermannehlers
• Instagraminstagram.com/hermannehlers_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hermann Ehlers Stiftung & Akademie