Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung

What Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung does

The Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung (SKWK) is a state-owned public-law foundation (Stiftung öffentlichen Rechts) established in 2020 in Berlin, Germany, operating as an umbrella organization for four initiatives that advance equal opportunities in Berlin's cultural sector: Diversity Arts Culture (a conception and advisory office for diversity development in the cultural sector), the Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung (IKTf, an independent non-university research institute on cultural participation), kultur_formen (cultural education funding and programs, including the Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung and previously the Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis), and the servicezentrum musikschulen (currently being established to coordinate Berlin's 12 district music schools). The foundation advises cultural institutions, qualifies cultural workers, distributes project grants, conducts empirical research on cultural participation, and coordinates music education, serving cultural institutions, freelance artists, children and youth up to age 27, schools, daycares, and the district music school network across Berlin. It also wholly owns a non-profit subsidiary, Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH, which operates the State of Berlin's workspace program for cultural workers.

The foundation's technology stack centers on two proprietary digital platforms: KulMon (KulturMonitoring), a structured visitor and non-visitor research system for cultural institutions in Berlin operated by IKTf, with an integrated certified expert network and John Falk motivation type / Gunnar Otte lifestyle typology frameworks embedded in the data analysis pipeline; and Kubinaut, a digital community platform serving as the central contact point for cultural education in Berlin, enabling project postings, partner matching, event listings, and networking, operated as a cooperative project with LKJ Berlin e.V. The foundation operates under BITV 2.0 digital accessibility compliance and GDPR-aligned data practices, and coordinates Berlin's 12 district music schools serving approximately 60,000 students annually across roughly 40 locations with over one million teaching hours.

SKWK is a non-commercial public-sector organization funded primarily through institutional grants from the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt (Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion) and project-specific funding from the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa. It administers over €4 million annually in pass-through project grants — a minimum of €2.93 million through the Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung and previously €1 million through the Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis, the latter suspended for 2025. All programs and services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries; the foundation does not sell commercial products or services. Following existential budget threats in late 2024, the foundation itself was preserved, though the BPUP funding line was suspended for 2025, and ongoing cost pressures remain.

Name

Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung

Legal name

Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung – Stiftung öffentlichen Rechts

Website

https://stiftungkwk.berlin

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SKWK is a Berlin state-owned public-law foundation advising, funding, and researching the city's cultural sector to promote equal participation. Its four initiatives cover diversity advisory, cultural participation research, project grantmaking, and music school coordination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional funding (Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt): The landeseigene (state-owned) foundation receives ongoing institutional funding from the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion as its primary public funder. This covers core operating costs and staff.
2. Project-specific funding (Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa): The foundation administers and distributes project-specific public grants, including the Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung (min. €2.93M annually) and Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis (previously €1M annually). Funds are passed through to project beneficiaries.
3. Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH (non-profit subsidiary): The foundation operates a gemeinnützige (non-profit) subsidiary, Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH, which develops and manages workspace programs and infrastructure for cultural workers in Berlin, including the Arbeitsraumprogramm des Landes Berlin.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SKWK is a state-owned public-law foundation that advises, funds, and researches Berlin's cultural landscape to promote equal opportunities for cultural participation. It operates four working areas—Diversity Arts Culture (diversity and anti-discrimination advisory), IKTf (cultural participation research and KulMon visitor research), kultur_formen (BPKB and BPUP project grants and the Kubinaut digital platform), and servicezentrum musikschulen (citywide coordination of Berlin's 12 district music schools)—through which it distributes over €4 million annually in project grants and provides free advisory, qualification, and research services to cultural institutions, artists, educational professionals, and public administration in Berlin.

Product overview

Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung (SKWK) is a public law foundation established in 2020 as an umbrella organization for four cultural initiatives in Berlin. The organization operates as a platform-plus-initiatives structure comprising: Diversity Arts Culture (diversity development advisory), Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung IKTf (cultural participation research), kultur_formen (cultural education with Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung and Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis funding programs), and servicezentrum musikschulen (music school coordination). The foundation also has a non-profit subsidiary, Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH, for cultural workspace development. Key digital products include Kubinaut (community platform for cultural education) and KulMon (visitor research system). SKWK focuses on advising, funding, and researching Berlin's cultural landscape to promote equal opportunities and cultural participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Diversity Arts Culture: Conception and advisory office for diversity development in the Berlin cultural sector, founded 2017 by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Aims to create equal access to art and culture and reduce discrimination in the cultural sector.
• IKTf – Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung (Institute for Research on Cultural Participation)
• kultur_formen
• servicezentrum musikschulen (szm)
• Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung (BPKB)
• Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis (BPUP)
• Kubinaut – Navigation Kulturelle Bildung

Products and services

• Diversity Arts Culture Conception and advisory office for diversity development in the Berlin cultural sector. Promotes diversity by advising cultural institutions and administration, qualifying cultural workers, empowering affected cultural workers, and commissioning equality data collection. Founded in 2017, operating under SKWK since 2020.
• Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung (IKTf) Independent, non-university research institute investigating conditions that favor or hinder cultural participation. Provides cultural institutions, policy, and administration with comprehensive data for developing, implementing, and evaluating participation strategies. Produces the kurz&knapp research report series and operates the KulMon visitor research system.
• Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung (BPKB) Annual project fund providing at least €2.93 million for cultural education projects with children, youth, and young adults up to age 27. Supports cooperation projects between arts/culture and education/youth partners, with three funding tiers (Fördersäule 1/Durchstarten, Fördersäule 2, and district-level micro-projects up to €5,000).
• Berliner Projektfonds Urbane Praxis (BPUP) Funding program supporting artistic and cultural projects in publicly accessible urban spaces dealing with urban space and society in Berlin. Funded with €1 million annually since 2021 (currently suspended for 2025). Funded over 100 projects between 2021 and 2024, representing a unique funding format in cultural urban development.
• Kubinaut – Navigation Kulturelle Bildung Central digital community platform for cultural education in Berlin, allowing registration of events, projects, advertisements, and profiles. Provides filtering by districts, dates, formats, and categories, enabling project postings, partner matching, event listings, and networking for cultural institutions, youth services, schools, daycares, artists, and young people. Operated as a cooperative project with LKJ Berlin e.V.
• servicezentrum musikschulen (szm) Service center for Berlin's 12 district music schools, aiming to strengthen coordination across all Berlin music schools in terms of intensity, accessibility, and quality while identifying synergies and simplifying central services.
• KulMon (KulturMonitoring) Structured visitor and non-visitor research system for cultural and leisure institutions in Berlin, providing standardized surveys, a certified expert network, workshop series, and data analysis tools including John Falk motivation types and Gunnar Otte lifestyle typology integration. Managed by IKTf.
• Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH Non-profit subsidiary of SKWK that promotes spatial infrastructure for arts and cultural workers in Berlin through sustainable, scene-appropriate use concepts, construction project support, and development of funding instruments. Operates the Arbeitsraumprogramm (workspace program) of the State of Berlin, developing affordable workspaces for cultural practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €4M in annual grant funding distributed to cultural education and urban practice projects in Berlin.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Institut für Kulturpolitik der Kulturpolitischen GesellschaftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021Co-organizer (with IKTf and Institut für Kulturpolitik, Universität Hildesheim) of the Digitale Sommerakademie on cultural policy research challenges and the Corona crisis as a catalyst.
• Institut für Kulturpolitik der Universität HildesheimminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021Co-organizer (with IKTf and Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft) of the Digitale Sommerakademie on cultural policy research and the impact of the Corona crisis.
• Clubcommission BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2021Partnered with SKWK and Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa in the DRAUSSENSTADT Call for Action initiative, assisting with identifying suitable outdoor venues and coordinating cultural events in Berlin's urban space.
• Kreativ Kultur Berlin (Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2021Partnered on the DRAUSSENSTADT Call for Action and info sessions for cultural event organizers, providing guidance on permits and funding procedures for outdoor cultural events in Berlin.
• Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Verkehr und KlimaschutzminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2021Collaborated with SKWK and Clubcommission Berlin on identifying suitable outdoor locations for the DRAUSSENSTADT Call for Action cultural events in Berlin's urban space.
• Kulturraum Berlin gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SKWK's gemeinnützige (non-profit) subsidiary that promotes spatial infrastructure for arts and cultural workers in Berlin through sustainable, scene-appropriate use concepts, construction project support, and the development of funding instruments. It manages the Arbeitsraumprogramm des Landes Berlin.
• Landesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendbildung Berlin e.V. (LKJ Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in operating the Kubinaut platform — Navigation Kulturelle Bildung, the central digital hub for cultural education in Berlin. LKJ Berlin and SKWK jointly develop and manage the platform, with content curated by both organizations.
• Citizens For EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Diversity Arts Culture on the study 'Berliner Erfahrungen, Berliner Erwartungen,' conducting focus group interviews with marginalized cultural practitioners and art-interested people about discrimination experiences and expectations of the cultural sector.
• Kulturförderpunkt BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the 'Newcomers How To' event series for young cultural practitioners and newcomers to cultural work, providing workshops on project management, funding applications, and barrier-free event planning.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kulturstiftung der Länder: National cultural foundation jointly funded by Germany's 16 states. Comparable as a publicly funded cultural foundation, but with a much broader mandate spanning cultural heritage, museums, and international cultural cooperation rather than Berlin-focused participation work.
• Arts Council England: Publicly funded development agency for the arts in England. Comparable as a state-backed body distributing public funding for arts and cultural participation, though operating at national scale with broader programmatic scope than SKWK's Berlin-specific focus.
• Stiftung Mercator: Large German foundation with significant cultural and education programming. Comparable as a grantmaking cultural/education foundation with research and project-funding arms, but operating nationally and internationally rather than restricted to Berlin.
• Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz: Major Berlin-based public-law foundation responsible for Prussian cultural heritage institutions. Comparable in legal form (Stiftung öffentlichen Rechts) and Berlin location, but with a heritage-institution portfolio rather than cultural-participation programming.

Emerging players

• Stiftung Lesen: German non-profit foundation promoting reading and literacy through funded projects. Comparable as a federally active cultural-education grantmaking foundation with research, qualification, and project-funding functions targeting children and youth.

Direct peers

• Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH: Berlin-based non-profit coordinating cultural projects and programs funded by the Senate. Directly comparable to SKWK as a sister state-funded cultural infrastructure organization operating in the same Berlin ecosystem with overlapping program areas.
• Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung (BKJ): National umbrella association for cultural education of children and youth in Germany. Comparable in mission and funding-administration role, but operating at federal level across multiple Länder rather than city-specific to Berlin.
• Landesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendbildung Berlin e.V. (LKJ Berlin): Berlin state association for cultural youth education and SKWK's cooperation partner on the Kubinaut platform. Directly comparable in cultural-education focus and serves the same youth/institutional audience in Berlin.

Others

• Deutscher Kulturrat: National umbrella of cultural associations in Germany. Comparable as a policy-advocacy and coordinating body in the German cultural sector, though structurally distinct as a membership association rather than an operating foundation.

Regional players

• Clubcommission Berlin: Berlin-based association representing the city's club and nightlife cultural sector. Comparable as a Berlin-specific cultural-sector advocate and SKWK partner in the DRAUSSENSTADT initiative, though focused on club culture rather than youth cultural education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/I_K_T_f
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iktf1020/about
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-f%C3%BCr-kulturelle-weiterbildung-und-kulturberatung
• Instagraminstagram.com/diversityac/?hl=de

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftung für Kulturelle Weiterbildung und Kulturberatung