Stiftung Friedliche Revolution

What Stiftung Friedliche Revolution does

Stiftung Friedliche Revolution is a German private-law non-profit foundation (Stiftung privaten Rechts) founded in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. Headquartered at Nikolaikirchhof 3 in Leipzig — the symbolic birthplace of the Monday demonstrations that toppled the East German regime — the foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of non-violent civic resistance and promoting democratic values, cultural diversity, and civil courage in contemporary society. It was founded by engaged citizens from East and West Germany, church members, and peace activists, including the late Christian Führer (honorary chair) and theologian Friedrich Schorlemmer.

The foundation operates a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single product: the annual Revolutionale festival and International Round Table, which connect civil society actors from Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, and Georgia; the 'Auf Fritzis Spuren' theatrical city tour for grades 3-5; the Leipziger Ring film award co-organized with DOK Leipzig; the 'Wir sind das Volk' podcast (two seasons, 50+ interview partners); the DenkmalWerkstatt exhibition space at Hansahaus; the Freiheits- und Einheitsdenkmal (Freedom and Unity Memorial) project; the Werner-Schulz-Preis civil courage award; and publications including 'Das Revolutionsjahr 1989'. The foundation has no proprietary technology products; its 'platform' consists of physical venues, event programming, and standard digital distribution (website, podcast, social media).

Revenue is sourced from individual donations (tax-deductible under charitable status confirmed by Finanzamt Leipzig II in February 2024), institutional grants from the City of Leipzig, the State of Saxony, the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM), and the Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung, plus court-ordered money sanctions, endowment contributions (Zustiftungen), and minor book sales. The foundation employs approximately 5 staff under a board chaired by Prof. Dr. Rainer Vor and governed in partnership with 25+ organizations including federal institutions, cultural venues, and international civil society networks.

Name

Stiftung Friedliche Revolution

Legal name

Stiftung Friedliche Revolution

Website

https://stiftung-fr.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stiftung Friedliche Revolution is a Leipzig-based non-profit foundation, founded in 2009, that preserves the legacy of the 1989 Peaceful Revolution through education, cultural programming, the annual Revolutionale festival, and international civil society engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Democracy Programs

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Democratic remembrance culture
• Civil society engagement
• Historical memorial foundation
• Documentary film awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Leipzig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Private Contributions: The foundation relies on private donations from individuals who support democratic culture and civic engagement. Donors receive tax deduction benefits as the foundation is recognized as charitable (gemeinnützig).
2. Institutional Funding: The foundation receives institutional funding from the City of Leipzig (institutional funding approved by Leipzig City Council) and the State of Saxony (Land Saxony budget funds). Additional support comes from federal sources such as the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) and the Federal Foundation for the Study of the SED Dictatorship (Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung).
3. Money Sanctions and Fines: The foundation receives allocations of court-ordered fines and money sanctions as a funding source.
4. Zustiftungen (Endowment Contributions): Long-term support through endowment contributions that increase the foundation's endowment capital, generating future investment returns. Testamentary bequests are also accepted.
5. Book Sales: Sale of the book 'Das Revolutionsjahr 1989' (The Revolutionary Year 1989) for EUR 19.89 including shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Stiftung Friedliche Revolution is a Leipzig-based non-profit foundation that preserves and transmits the legacy of the 1989 Peaceful Revolution. It organizes educational programs (e.g., children's city tour "Auf Fritzis Spuren"), cultural events, the annual Revolutionale festival, an international round table for civil society actors, film screenings and the Leipziger Ring film prize, podcast series, exhibitions at the DenkmalWerkstatt, and book/annual report publications to promote democracy, civil courage, and non-violent resistance.

Product overview

Stiftung Friedliche Revolution is a civic foundation that preserves the legacy of the 1989 Peaceful Revolution in Leipzig. Rather than a unified software product, the foundation operates a portfolio of interconnected programs including the Revolutionale festival and International Round Table (IRT) for networking civil society actors and international democracy movements; educational initiatives like the children's city tour 'Auf Fritzis Spuren'; cultural programs including the film prize 'Leipziger Ring', the 'DenkmalWerkstatt' workshop, and the 'SHIFTING GROUNDS' exhibition; the 'Wir sind das Volk' podcast documenting East German experiences; publication of books and annual reports; and awards such as the Werner-Schulz-Preis. These offerings work together to promote democracy, civil society engagement, and remembrance of the Peaceful Revolution across all age groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Revolutionale: Annual festival and international round table project strengthening civil society engagement for human rights, democracy, and social change.
• Freiheits- und Einheitsdenkmal
• Leipziger Ring
• Auf Fritzis Spuren

Products and services

• Revolutionale Festival Annual festival and international round table project strengthening civil society engagement for human rights, democracy, and social change.
• Internationaler Runder Tisch (International Round Table) Conference project connecting local and international human rights activists for networking and exchange, with participants from Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and other post-communist countries.
• Auf Fritzis Spuren Theatrical city tour for children in grades 3-5, bringing the history of the Peaceful Revolution to young audiences in an engaging format.
• Filmpreis Leipziger Ring Film prize awarded to courageous documentary works about freedom and justice, awarded in cooperation with DOK Leipzig.
• Freiheits- und Einheitsdenkmal Leipzig Freedom and Unity Memorial project for Leipzig, representing freedom, courage, and cohesion for contemporary times, developed by artists Bea Meyer, Michael Grzesiak, and Dirk Lämmel.
• "Wir sind das Volk" Podcast Podcast series in two seasons exploring the history and aftermath of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 from the perspectives of those who experienced it.
• Das Revolutionsjahr 1989 (Book) Reading book with an annual chronicle of the Peaceful Revolution, documenting the events of 1989 that led to the overthrow of the SED regime; sold for EUR 19.89 including shipping.
• Werner-Schulz-Preis Prize awarded for commitment to democracy, freedom, and civic courage, honoring the legacy of civil rights activist Werner Schulz. Prize money of 7,500 euros funded by Sparkasse Leipzig.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revolutionale 2026 event reached 65+ attendees for the International Round Table conference
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archives)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German Federal Archives partner with the foundation in preserving and making accessible historical documents and materials related to the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 and German democratic history.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Federal Agency for Civic Education collaborates with the foundation on educational programs and materials promoting democratic citizenship and historical awareness.
• Nikolaikirche LeipzigcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe historic St. Nicholas Church, birthplace of the Monday demonstrations in 1989, is a key partner. The foundation is headquartered near the church and collaborates on remembrance events and democratic education.
• Stadt LeipzigcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Leipzig provides institutional funding and support for the foundation's work. The foundation supports city initiatives on democracy and remembrance, including the Freedom and Unity Memorial project.
• Schaubühne LindenfelsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue that cooperates with the foundation on film events and discussions, including the Revolutionale opening event featuring the documentary 'A Simple Soldier'.
• KURVE Wustrow (Civil Peace Service)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil peace organization providing expertise on Ukrainian civil society. Tim Bohse from KURVE Wustrow serves as the foundation's local coordinator in Kyiv for the Leipzig citizen delegation visit.
• Oseredok (Deutsch-Ukrainischer Kultur- und Bildungsverein)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman-Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Association that collaborates with the foundation on events in the DenkmalWerkstatt, including film screenings and discussions on freedom and self-determination.
• Werner-Schulz-Initiative e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization founded to honor civil rights activist Werner Schulz. Cooperates with the foundation on the annual Werner-Schulz-Preis award ceremony, which the foundation co-organizes.
• Bürgerrechte-AkademieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil rights academy partnering with the foundation on educational programs related to democratic movements and civic engagement.
• Evangelische Akademie zu BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant Academy in Berlin that cooperated with the foundation on the Werner-Schulz-Preis 2026 ceremony.
• Evangelische Akademie in SachsenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant Academy in Saxony that partnered with the foundation on the Werner-Schulz-Preis 2026 ceremony.
• DOK LeipzigmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Documentary Film Festival Leipzig collaborates with the foundation on the 'Leipziger Ring' film award for courageous documentary works on freedom and justice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Federal Agency for Civic Education provides nationwide civic education programs, publications, and events overlapping with the foundation's mission. It is both a strategic partner and a broader incumbent with overlapping democratic-education programming and substantially larger resources.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: Large German political foundation with extensive civic education, political culture, and international democracy programming. Much larger in scale and budget, but operates in adjacent democratic-culture and remembrance space with overlapping target audiences and funders.
• Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft (EVZ): Major German foundation engaged in remembrance culture, international civic engagement, and democratic education with substantially larger assets and reach. Operates in adjacent thematic territory around historical remembrance and contemporary civic responsibility.
• European Network of Civic Foundations: European-level network of civic and democratic foundations enabling cross-border collaboration. Relevant as a coordination body the foundation's international civil-society programming (Revolutionale, International Round Table) could plug into for expanded European reach.
• Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Foundation): Larger federally funded memorial site and foundation focused on the Berlin Wall and German division. Operates in adjacent remembrance-culture and civic-education space, with substantially bigger budget, multiple sites, and broader international visitor programming.

Regional players

• Stiftung Bürger für Leipzig: Local Leipzig civic foundation supporting civic engagement, education, and cultural projects in the same city. Comparable in scale and regional focus, though with a broader civic-engagement mandate rather than 1989-specific history.

Direct peers

• Stiftung Demokratie Saarland: Regional German democracy foundation focused on civic education, democratic culture, and remembrance work in Saarland. Comparable in size, mission, and event-driven programming model to Stiftung Friedliche Revolution, though anchored in a different state's political and historical context.
• Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung (Federal Foundation for the Study of the SED Dictatorship): Direct peer operating in the same thematic space of 1989/SED-dictatorship remembrance, civic education, and democratic culture. It is also an active financial partner of Stiftung Friedliche Revolution, providing grants for related projects and serving as a major funder of overlapping programs.
• Zeitzeugenbörse e.V. German non-profit connecting contemporary witnesses (Zeitzeugen) of 20th-century history with schools and civic audiences. Operates a comparable event- and witness-driven civic education model that overlaps with the foundation's remembrance and educational programming.
• Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte (Berlin): Network hub in Berlin for civic, human rights, and democratic organizations running events, exhibitions, and educational programming. Operates a comparable event-driven civic-engagement model, though without the specific 1989-revolution thematic anchor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StiftungFriedlicheRevolution
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-friedliche-revolution
• Instagraminstagram.com/stiftungfriedlicherevolution

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftung Friedliche Revolution