Deutsche Hirnstiftung

What Deutsche Hirnstiftung does

Deutsche Hirnstiftung e.V. is a Berlin-based nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2019 by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN), an association of more than 10,000 neurology specialists. It operates as the patient- and public-facing arm of the German neurology community, providing free online and telephone counseling, comprehensive disease information on more than 40 neurological conditions, CME-certified continuing education for medical professionals, and direct funding of neurological research through grants and an annual research prize. The organization is funded primarily through donations (€120,000 raised in 2024, up 50% year-over-year, totaling €254,000 since inception) and tiered membership fees (€50/year for individuals, €100/year for practices, clinics, and associations), with an initial €750,000 foundational grant from DGN in 2021. It emphasizes financial independence from the pharmaceutical industry as a core credibility lever.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the foundation reaches patients and families through a network of over 400 institutional and individual members (university hospitals such as Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and Universitätsklinik Düsseldorf, regional clinics including Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann Potsdam, Kliniken Beelitz, Knappschaftsklinikum Saar, Sana Klinikum Hof, and Klinik Bavaria Kreischa, plus patient organizations such as Deutsche Myasthenie Gesellschaft and PingPongParkinson Deutschland), distributes content via a website serving more than 2.3 million cumulative visits, runs webinars and in-person lectures, and publishes a monthly newsletter and annual magazine ('Nervensache'). Operations are lean: governance (Vorstand, Kuratorium, Fachbeirat) is honorary, with a single paid Managing Director (Anne Katrin Pawelzik) overseeing a 2.25 FTE business office.

Name

Deutsche Hirnstiftung

Legal name

Deutsche Hirnstiftung e. V.

Website

https://hirnstiftung.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutsche Hirnstiftung e.V. is a Berlin-based, DGN-affiliated nonprofit that provides free patient counseling, education on 40+ neurological diseases, and research funding for neurology in Germany, serving patients, families, clinicians, and institutional members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neurological Patient Advocacy and Education Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Neurological patient support
• Neurology research funding
• Patient education resources
• Self-help group support
• Medical consultation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Private individuals pay 50 Euro/year; practices, clinics, and associations pay 100 Euro/year. Membership provides benefits including preferred consultation access, invitations to events, and the magazine 'Nervensache'. Over 400 members currently support the organization.
2. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, companies, and organizations. Donation receipts issued for amounts of 200 Euro and above. Multiple donation mechanisms offered: online donation, bank transfer, PayPal, standing order, commemorative donations, testamentary donations.
3. Founding funding from DGN: Initial basisfinanzierung through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie e.V., a nonprofit association of over 10,000 specialists. In 2021, DGN donated 750,000 Euro.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Deutsche Hirnstiftung is a Berlin-based nonprofit foundation (eingetragener Verein) that provides free neurological patient consultation, disease-specific educational content for more than 40 conditions, and CME-certified training events for healthcare professionals. It funds neurological research through grants and prizes, supports self-help groups nationwide, and sustains operations through individual and institutional memberships (50–100 Euro/year) and donations, with explicit independence from pharmaceutical industry funding.

Product overview

Die Deutsche Hirnstiftung ist eine gemeinnützige Organisation, die ein breites Spektrum an kostenfreien Dienstleistungen für neurologisch Erkrankte und deren Angehörige anbietet. Das Kernangebot umfasst kostenlose Patientenberatung (online und telefonisch), Online-Veranstaltungen und Vorträge mit Fachleuten, umfassende Patienteninformationen zu über 40 neurologischen Erkrankungen sowie ein Glossar medizinischer Fachbegriffe. Die Stiftung fördert aktiv die neurologische Forschung durch Stipendien und Forschungspreise. Ergänzt wird das Angebot durch ein monatliches Magazin „Nervensache", einen monatlichen Newsletter, ein Mitgliedschaftsprogramm für Privatpersonen und Praxen/Kliniken sowie verschiedene Spendenmöglichkeiten. Alle Services werden primär über die Website hirnstiftung.org bereitgestellt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership (Privatmitgliedschaft)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,500 neurological consultations provided to patients and relatives
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie e.V. (DGN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The founding organization that initiated and basisfinanziert (basic funded) the Deutsche Hirnstiftung. DGN is a nonprofit association of over 10,000 neurological specialists promoting research, education, and medical training in Germany. In 2021, DGN donated 750,000 Euro to the Hirnstiftung. The organizations collaborate on scientific events including the annual DGN Kongress where charity runs and science slams benefit the Hirnstiftung.
• Gemeinnützige Hertie-StiftungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported the Deutsches Neuro-Orchester concert benefiting the Deutsche Hirnstiftung. The Hertie-Stiftung provides financial support for public engagement events in neurology.
• Deutsche Restless Legs VereinigungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for CME-certified professional education. Jointly offers two CME-certified lectures on Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) with current therapy approaches, providing continuing education for neurologists.
• Various Neurological Practices and Clinics (400+ members)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInstitutional members including neurological practices, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and patient organizations that distribute Hirnstiftung materials, host events, and refer patients. Examples include Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann Potsdam, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Kliniken Beelitz, Knappschaftsklinikum Saar, and many others throughout Germany.
• Patient OrganizationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPatient organizations as members including Deutsche Myasthenie Gesellschaft, PingPongParkinson Deutschland e.V., e.b.e. epilepsie bundes-elternverband that distribute information to their members and collaborate on awareness activities.
• Deutsches Neuro-OrchesterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmateur ensemble of neurological patients, relatives, and healthcare professionals that holds annual benefit concerts at DGN congresses. Donated proceeds to the Hirnstiftung (9,330 Euro in 2023, 10,786 Euro in 2024).
• Volksbühne BerlinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for 'Geistesblitze' Science Slam events organized by DGN with proceeds benefiting the Hirnstiftung.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Herzstiftung e.V. One of Germany's largest and most established health foundations, focused on cardiovascular disease. Analogous structure and GTM (memberships, donations, free patient magazines, nationwide events, research funding) but in a different disease vertical - a model benchmark for scale Deutsche Hirnstiftung could aspire to.
• Deutsche Krebshilfe: Germany's leading cancer nonprofit, comparable in mission, funding model (donations + membership), and information-driven patient support across a disease category. Much larger scale, but the closest structural analog among major German disease foundations.

Emerging players

• Stiftung Michael: German nonprofit dedicated to epilepsy - a narrower disease-specific peer within neurology. Comparable in model (information, research funding, CME) but smaller in disease scope than the broad-spectrum Hirnstiftung.
• Deutsche Restless Legs Vereinigung: German RLS patient organization. Already a partner of the Hirnstiftung for CME lectures; serves as a disease-specific peer in the same neurological niche.

Direct peers

• Stiftung Deutsche Schlaganfall-Hilfe: German nonprofit foundation dedicated to stroke, the largest neurological-disease subcategory. Directly comparable in structure (registered foundation, free patient information, consultation, research funding, membership-based support) and audience (patients, relatives, clinicians), making it the closest disease-adjacent peer.
• Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung e.V. (dPV): German national Parkinson patient association. Comparable peer offering counseling, self-help groups, and information services for a major neurological condition - directly overlapping the Hirnstiftung's disease coverage and target audience.
• Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft e.V. German self-help organization for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Comparable as a disease-specific nonprofit providing patient/family information, consultation, support of self-help groups, and research advocacy within the neurology space the Hirnstiftung covers.
• Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft (DMSG) Bundesverband e.V. German national multiple sclerosis society. Highly comparable as a disease-focused nonprofit delivering patient counseling, regional self-help groups, research funding, and CME-style education for MS patients, families, and clinicians - similar model within neurology.

Regional players

• European Academy of Neurology (EAN): European-level neurology professional society covering CME, congresses, and research advocacy. Comparable in mission audience (neurologists, researchers, patients indirectly) but operates pan-European rather than German-domestic and is membership-led rather than donor-led.

Others

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie e.V. (DGN): The professional society of German neurologists that founded and basisfinanziert the Hirnstiftung. Functions as parent/supporter rather than competitor - an ecosystem participant that provides scientific credibility, member clinicians, and event platforms.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl36ryIM_RCDhY4oEasD5uA
• Facebookfacebook.com/hirnstiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-hirnstiftung-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/hirnstiftung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Deutsche Hirnstiftung