Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House

What Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House does

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. is a Berlin-registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) operating since 1995, running artist and intellectual residency programs in Los Angeles alongside cultural programming in Berlin. The organization manages six fellowship tracks: Villa Aurora (3-month residencies for visual artists, filmmakers, composers, writers, and performers), Thomas Mann House (fellowships for intellectuals, scientists, media figures, and cultural leaders), the Feuchtwanger Fellowship (for persecuted writers and journalists), the Kyiv to LA program (for Ukrainian artists displaced by war), the Berlin Fellowship, and the Michael Ballhaus Residency Award. Since founding, it has supported nearly 500 artists across these programs and currently awards 19 Villa Aurora stipends and 14 Thomas Mann Fellowships per year, with recipients receiving fully funded accommodation, workspace, stipend, and access to the California cultural scene.\n\nThe business model is grant-funded and non-commercial: residencies carry no cost to fellows and are not sold. Core funding comes from the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), supplemented by private foundations (Krupp Stiftung, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Saxony-Anhalt Arts Foundation). Marginal revenue is generated through individual donations and ticket sales for Berlin events via a visitBerlin partnership. The organization operates with a small 1-10 person team led by Executive Director Dr. Jakob Scherer and Chairman of the Board Dr. Markus Klimmer, from a Berlin headquarters at Jägerstraße 23 and two historic properties in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.\n\nThe organization's brand has been amplified by alumni outcomes, including Oscar wins associated with Villa Aurora alumni Maren Ade (SENTIMENTAL VALUE, Best International Feature Film, 2026) and Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front, Best International Feature Film, 2023), as well as the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for Mr. Nobody Against Putin. In January 2025, the Palisades Fire threatened Villa Aurora; the building survived but was closed for 18 months before reopening to fellows and the public on July 2, 2026. Thomas Mann House, which temporarily suspended operations, resumed in May 2025. The 30th anniversary in 2025 was marked by expanded programming in both Los Angeles and Berlin.

Name

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House

Legal name

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V.

Website

https://vatmh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. is a German non-profit operating artist and intellectual residency programs in Los Angeles and cultural programming in Berlin since 1995, funded primarily by federal government and foundations, with nearly 500 alumni artists across six fellowship tracks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Residencies and Cultural Fellowships

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Artist residencies
• Cultural fellowships
• International cultural exchange
• Transatlantic arts programs
• Scholar residency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin-müggelheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary funding from German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). These grants support the core residency and fellowship operations.
2. Foundation Support: Funding from private foundations including Krupp Stiftung, BLS (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung), and Saxony-Anhalt Arts Foundation (Kunststiftung des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt).
3. Donations: Individual donations and charitable contributions from supporters, with dedicated donation pages on the website.
4. Event Revenue: Ticket sales for events in Berlin through visitBerlin partnership, with online ticket purchasing for public programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. operates fully funded artist residencies and intellectual fellowships in Los Angeles, including the Villa Aurora program for visual artists, filmmakers, composers, writers, and performers, and the Thomas Mann Fellowship for scientists, media figures, business leaders, and cultural personalities. The organization also runs the Feuchtwanger Fellowship for persecuted writers and journalists, the Kyiv to LA program for displaced Ukrainian artists, the Berlin Fellowship, and the Michael Ballhaus Residency Award, alongside public cultural programming in Berlin and Los Angeles.

Product overview

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. operates a portfolio of artists' residency and fellowship programs spanning two continents. The core offerings include: Villa Aurora (artists' residency in Los Angeles for visual artists, filmmakers, composers, writers, and performers), Thomas Mann House (fellowship for intellectuals, scientists, and cultural figures in Los Angeles), Feuchtwanger Fellowship (for persecuted writers and journalists), Kyiv to LA (for displaced Ukrainian artists), Berlin Fellowship, and Michael Ballhaus Residency Award. The organization connects German and international artists with the California cultural scene, has supported over 450 artists since 1995, and serves as a center for intercultural dialogue bridging Berlin and Los Angeles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Villa Aurora Artist's Grants Fully funded 3-month residencies in Los Angeles for outstanding German artists in visual arts, film, composition, literature, and performance, including accommodation, studio space, stipend, and networking with the California cultural scene.
• Thomas Mann Fellowships Fellowship program for outstanding personalities from science, media, business, and culture to engage in transatlantic dialogue on political, social, and cultural questions at Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles.
• Feuchtwanger Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500 artists supported since 1995 through residencies at Villa Aurora
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and major.

• Goethe-InstitutsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman cultural institution supporting international cultural exchange programs.
• Deutschlandfunk (DLF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast partner for 'Deutschland, höre!' radio program featuring Thomas Mann's BBC addresses with contemporary commentaries. Program produced in cooperation with S. Fischer Verlag.
• S. Fischer VerlagmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman publishing house partnering on radio program and publication of Thomas Mann's BBC addresses. Published new edition 'Deutsche Hörer!' with foreword by Mely Kiyak.
• visitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for online ticket sales for VATMH Berlin events. Handles ticket transactions and personal data for event registration.
• O-Town HousesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery venue in Los Angeles that served as Villa Aurora's temporary home during wildfire recovery. Hosted 'Whispering Bells' anniversary exhibition featuring works from residency alumni.
• Wende MuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles museum venue for Pre-Oscar events and cultural programming connecting German and American film industries.
• Zócalo Public SquaresupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic square platform co-presenting events with VATMH, such as the 'Can the Energy Crisis Finally Unite Us?' program.
• ASU Global Futures LaboratorysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerArizona State University research unit co-presenting public programs with VATMH.
• Komplizen FilmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerlin-based production company co-founded by Villa Aurora alumna Maren Ade. Their film SENTIMENTAL VALUE won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2026.
• Studio Pandan – Christmann Richter GbRsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDesign agency responsible for visual concept and design of the VATMH website and marketing materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program: The DAAD's Berlin Program for Artists is the German counterpart in international artist residencies, offering stipends for international artists in Berlin. It shares the same grantmaking-to-artists model, similar funder relationships (German federal government), and overlapping beneficiary pool, making it a direct functional peer despite the inverse geography (Berlin vs. Los Angeles).
• Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center: The Bellagio Center in Italy is a renowned international residency program for scholars, artists, and thought leaders. It operates on a comparable fully-funded-residency model with similar cohort sizes, networking components, and public programming, making it a strong functional peer in the global artist/scholar residency category.
• Civitella Ranieri Foundation: Civitella Ranieri is an Italian residency foundation that hosts international fellows at a historic Umbrian castle. It shares the model of a heritage-property-based, fully funded international residency for artists and writers, with comparable cohort size and international scope.
• Yaddo: Yaddo is a historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, hosting writers, composers, visual artists, and other creatives for residencies. Like VATMH, it operates from a heritage property, offers fully funded residencies, and serves a similar artist cohort, making it a direct peer in the artist residency model.
• MacDowell (MacDowell Colony): MacDowell is a leading U.S.-based artist residency providing fully funded residencies for creative artists across disciplines. It mirrors VATMH's core function of providing time, space, and stipends to artists, with comparable cohort structure and mission, though operating exclusively on U.S. soil.
• American Academy in Berlin: The American Academy in Berlin runs a residential fellowship program for outstanding scholars, writers, and artists from the U.S. and beyond. It is the closest structural mirror to Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House: a transatlantic fellowship house in Berlin, operating with similar cohort sizes and academic/cultural mission, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Bosch Foundation / Bosch Alumni Network: The Robert Bosch Foundation runs cultural and transatlantic exchange programs including artist/scholar exchanges between Germany and the U.S. It is a larger incumbent operating similar German-American cultural diplomacy work at broader scale, and is a potential partner or competitor for similar German federal funding.
• Goethe-Institut: The Goethe-Institut is Germany's primary institution for international cultural and linguistic exchange with a global network of offices. It is a broader incumbent operating at much larger scale across many countries, but overlaps directly with VATMH's German cultural diplomacy mandate, and is already a listed supporting partner of VATMH.

Regional players

• Wende Museum: The Wende Museum is a Los Angeles-based cultural institution focused on Cold War-era art and artifacts from Eastern Europe. It is already a strategic programming partner with VATMH (hosting Pre-Oscar events) and shares a Southern California cultural-preservation focus, making it a strong regional peer with overlapping mission.

Emerging players

• O-Town House: O-Town House is a Los Angeles gallery and cultural space that served as Villa Aurora's temporary home during wildfire recovery and hosted the 'Whispering Bells' anniversary exhibition. It is an emerging cultural venue in Pacific Palisades with overlapping programmatic and physical-space interests with VATMH.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj4U_BAIIlDd4A8ZmHpGgXQ/playlists?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThomasMannHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/villa-aurora-thomas-mann-house-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/villaaurorala
• Xx.com/ThomasMannHouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House