Schweisfurth Stiftung

What Schweisfurth Stiftung does

Schweisfurth Stiftung is a Munich-based non-profit foundation (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) founded in 1985 by Karl Ludwig Schweisfurth, dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture, organic farming, animal welfare, and ecological ethics across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The foundation operates a portfolio of programs, networks, and advocacy initiatives rather than commercial products; its activities include the Mitmach-Regionen regional transformation initiative (expanded to 44 new regions), the Öko-Junglandwirt:innen-Netzwerk for young organic farmers, the Tierzuchtfonds with Deutscher Tierschutzbund, the Tierschutz-Kochmütze award for animal welfare in gastronomy, the BioThesis research prize, the Wolfgang Staab-Naturschutzpreis, and the Kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht program supporting cow-calf contact husbandry. The foundation also coordinates the Bündnis für eine enkeltaugliche Landwirtschaft coalition and acts as a bridge-builder between science, practice, and policy through commissioned research on pesticide drift, true cost accounting of food, and annual publications such as the Kritischer Agrarbericht.

The foundation is funded through donations, grants, and project partnerships rather than commercial pricing, with revenue not publicly disclosed. It is led by Dr. Niels Kohlschütter (Vorstand since June 2021, succeeding Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald who served 35 years) and operates with a lean staff of approximately 6 employees. Its go-to-market is essentially thought leadership and coalition-building: it disseminates open-access publications through its multilingual website, newsletter, and Instagram presence, and maintains an annual presence at Biofach and scientific conferences such as the Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau (around 420 participants in 2026). Customer segments are use-case-based, addressing ecological and organic farmers, gastronomy and food service operators committed to animal welfare, young farmers, and civil society/municipal communities engaged in regional food system transformation. During 2025 the foundation marked its 40th anniversary with a jubilee annual report.

Name

Schweisfurth Stiftung

Legal name

Schweisfurth Stiftung

Website

https://schweisfurth-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schweisfurth Stiftung is a Munich-based non-profit foundation founded in 1985 that promotes sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and animal welfare across the DACH region through advocacy, research, awards, and network-building initiatives such as the Öko-Junglandwirt:innen-Netzwerk, Tierzuchtfonds, and Mitmach-Regionen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit foundation / Sustainable Agriculture Advocacy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture advocacy
• Organic farming research
• Animal welfare programs
• Food systems transformation
• Ecological agriculture networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: The foundation relies on donations from individuals and organizations that support its mission of promoting ecological agriculture and animal welfare.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Schweisfurth Stiftung is a non-profit foundation that funds, coordinates, and conducts research, advocacy, and network-building programs to promote ecological agriculture, animal welfare, and sustainable food systems in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its activities are organized around four thematic pillars (Stadt Land Tisch, Tierwohl, Ökologie & Ethik, Netzwerk News) and delivered through research studies, awards, training programs, conferences, citizen engagement initiatives, and multi-stakeholder coalitions.

Product overview

The Schweisfurth Stiftung is a non-profit foundation focused on sustainable agriculture and food systems. Rather than offering a unified software product, it operates a portfolio of interconnected programs, networks, and initiatives. These include: regional transformation initiatives (Mitmach-Regionen), city-country partnerships (WERTvoll), young farmer networks, animal welfare programs (Tierschutz auf dem Teller, Kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht), research awards (BioThesis), nature conservation prizes (Wolfgang Staab-Naturschutzpreis), pollinator ambassador training, true cost accounting studies, and advocacy coalitions. The foundation acts as a bridge builder between science and practice, promoting organic agriculture, animal welfare, and ecological ethics through advocacy, education, and network-building rather than commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stadt Land Tisch: Project initiative focused on sustainable city-country partnerships and regional food systems
• Tierwohl
• Ökologie & Ethik
• Tierzuchtfonds
• Tierschutz auf dem Teller
• Öko-Junglandwirt:innen-Netzwerk
• Wolfgang Staab-Naturschutzpreis
• BioThesis

Products and services

• Mitmach-Regionen Initiative A regional initiative enabling local people to drive ecological and social transformation in their own regions through participatory approaches.
• WERTvoll A city-country partnership project between Wurzener Land and Leipzig focused on sustainable regional food systems and value creation.
• Öko-Junglandwirt:innen-Netzwerk A network for young organic farmers providing conferences, contact forums, and a Zukunftspreis (future prize) for innovative and forward-thinking agricultural approaches.
• Tierzuchtfonds An initiative jointly run with the German Animal Welfare Association and Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft to promote species-appropriate animal breeding suitable for organic and peasant farming.
• Tierschutz auf dem Teller An initiative awarding the "Tierschutz-Kochmütze" (animal protection chef's hat) to restaurants, caterers, and canteens demonstrating outstanding commitment to animal welfare and high ecological quality in their food preparation.
• BioThesis An annual research prize awarded for outstanding bachelor's and master's theses addressing challenges in the organic food industry and sustainable transformation of the food economy.
• Kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht A program promoting cow-bound calf rearing where calves are nursed by their mothers or foster cows rather than being separated, supporting species-appropriate dairy farming.
• Wolfgang Staab-Naturschutzpreis An annual prize awarded in cooperation with the Wolfgang Staab Nature Conservation Fund to honor individuals committed to protecting floodplains and ecosystems of supra-regional significance.
• BlühbotschafterInnen-Lehrgang A five-day training program to become a pollinator ambassador, learning to implement projects promoting biological diversity and serving as experts for communities.
• Wahre Kosten Studie (True Cost Accounting) Commissioned studies on the true costs of food production, including environmental and social costs that are not reflected in market prices.
• Bündnis für enkeltaugliche Landwirtschaft An alliance working on pesticide drift studies and policy advocacy for sustainable agriculture that considers future generations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 196% price surcharge for conventional animal products; 96% surcharge for conventional dairy; only 6% surcharge for organic plant products — indicating severe market distortion in conventional vs. organic pricing
• +2 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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• World Future CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Prof. Franz-Theo Gottwald, Vorstand of Schweisfurth Stiftung, serves as Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender (Chairman of the Supervisory Board) of the World Future Council. The two foundations co-developed and funded the 'Outstanding Practice in Agroecology' award, first presented in Berlin in January 2019 during the Green Week and Global Forum for Food and Agriculture.
• Bündnis für eine enkeltaugliche LandwirtschaftflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Schweisfurth Stiftung is an active coalition partner in the Bündnis für eine enkeltaugliche Landwirtschaft (Alliance for Grandchildren-Appropriate Agriculture), which commissioned landmark studies on pesticide drift (Baumrindenstudie) and published the Citizen Science pesticide monitoring project. Niels Kohlschütter serves as coordinator of the alliance.
• Stiftung Ökologie & LandbaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn December 2024, Schweisfurth Stiftung and Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau announced a closer partnership, forming a new foundation community (Stiftungsgemeinschaft) to coordinate their efforts in organic agriculture.
• Tollwood MünchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTollwood München (GmbH for culture and environmental activities) jointly commissioned with Schweisfurth Stiftung the landmark study 'How much is the dish? – Was kosten uns Lebensmittel wirklich?' (What do our foodstuffs really cost?) conducted by the University of Augsburg, published in 2018/2019.
• TIEM Integrierte Umweltüberwachung GbRcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTIEM Integrierte Umweltüberwachung conducted the bark monitoring study (Baumrindenstudie) on pesticide drift commissioned by the Bündnis für eine enkeltaugliche Landwirtschaft, with Schweisfurth Stiftung as coalition partner.
• Umweltinstitut MünchencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Umweltinstitut München collaborates with Schweisfurth Stiftung on the follow-up Citizen Science study on pesticide air pollution, investigating pesticide drift across Germany.
• Bürgerinitiative LandwendecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe citizen initiative Landwende conducted the 'Urinale' study (October 2015–January 2016) involving 2011 citizens whose urine was tested for glyphosate — finding 99.6% detectable glyphosate — which sparked the subsequent bark monitoring study supported by Schweisfurth Stiftung.
• Tierzuchtfonds (Animal Breeding Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tierzuchtfonds is a joint initiative of Schweisfurth Stiftung, Deutscher Tierschutzbund, and Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft, promoting species-appropriate animal breeding suitable for organic and peasant farming. Schweisfurth Stiftung co-founded and actively supports this initiative.
• Interessengemeinschaft kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht e.V. (IG kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded on March 31, 2021 as a carrier structure for criteria developed in a participatory process involving farmers, advisors, organic associations, animal welfare organizations, science, and trade. Schweisfurth Stiftung supported the development of these criteria and the association will take over the mentorship programme after an initial phase.
• Lebensbaum StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the BioThesis research prize with Schweisfurth Stiftung, the Assoziation ökologischer Lebensmittelhersteller (AOEL), and Biofach.
• Assoziation ökologischer Lebensmittelhersteller (AOEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the BioThesis research prize for outstanding academic theses in organic food economics, together with Schweisfurth Stiftung, Lebensbaum Stiftung, and Biofach.
• Euro-Toques Deutschland e.V.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEuro-Toques Deutschland is a co-jury member with Schweisfurth Stiftung for the annual 'Tierschutz-Kochmütze' (Animal Protection Chef's Hat) award recognizing outstanding animal welfare in gastronomy.
• LMU München (Ludwig Maximilian University, Tierärztliche Fakultät)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLMU Munich's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine collaborates with Schweisfurth Stiftung on a research project studying 'symbiotic agriculture' at Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten, assessing risks, animal health, and practical feasibility.
• Hochschule Weihenstephan-TriesdorfminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject partner in the research project 'mehrWERT Öko-Milch+Fleisch' (funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry), focusing on analyzing the status quo of organic dairy calves and identifying improvement potential.
• Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject partner in 'mehrWERT Öko-Milch+Fleisch', responsible for the economic analysis of cow-calf contact systems across approximately 30 selected farms.
• UN (United Nations) — International Year of Pastoralism and Pastoral Landscapes 2026minorOthersSchweisfurth Stiftung is an active promoter of the UN-declared International Year of Pastoralism and Pastoral Landscapes 2026, highlighting the role of pastoral landscapes as biodiversity hotspots and cultural landscapes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• World Future Council: Hamburg-based foundation identifying and promoting policy solutions for a sustainable future, including through the Outstanding Practice in Agroecology award co-developed with Schweisfurth Stiftung. Highly comparable as a mission-aligned global foundation partner.

Broad incumbents

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): One of Germany's largest environmental and nature conservation organizations with over 900,000 members. Comparable because it covers nature conservation, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture advocacy at significantly greater scale than Schweisfurth Stiftung.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens with extensive programs on agriculture, food sovereignty and ecological economics. Comparable as a foundation operating on sustainable agriculture themes but with much broader thematic and geographic scope.
• Deutscher Tierschutzbund: Germany's largest animal welfare organization. Comparable because it co-leads the Tierzuchtfonds with Schweisfurth Stiftung and overlaps with Tierschutz auf dem Teller initiatives, though with significantly larger scale and broader political reach.

Direct peers

• Bioland: Germany's largest organic farming association, representing organic farmers and standards across the value chain. Highly comparable because both organizations champion organic and regenerative agriculture in DACH and overlap on farmer network-building.
• Slow Food Deutschland: The German chapter of the global Slow Food movement advocating good, clean and fair food. Comparable because both organizations work on sustainable gastronomy, regional food systems and animal welfare, and overlap on award and education programs.
• Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft: A German foundation dedicated to seed breeding, organic agriculture and future-proof farming. Comparable because it is a co-initiator of the Tierzuchtfonds with Schweisfurth Stiftung and shares overlapping programs on animal welfare and organic breeding.
• Demeter: The German arm of the global biodynamic farming association. Comparable because both organizations advocate for ecologically intensive farming systems, animal welfare standards and certifications, and operate across the DACH farmer community.
• Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau (SÖL): A German foundation focused on organic agriculture research, policy and capacity building. SÖL is Schweisfurth Stiftung's closest peer in mission and recently entered a formal Stiftungsgemeinschaft partnership with it.

Regional players

• BUND Naturschutz in Bayern: Bavaria's largest environmental organization. Like Schweisfurth Stiftung, BUND Naturschutz is Munich-based and addresses sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and food systems, but at a larger member scale and with a regional Bavarian focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/schweisfurth_stiftung
• Facebookfacebook.com/schweisfurthstiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schweisfurth-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schweisfurth Stiftung