Studienstiftung Des Deutschen Volkes E.v.

What Studienstiftung Des Deutschen Volkes E.v. does

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V. is Germany's oldest and largest scholarship organization, founded in 1925 in Dresden and headquartered in Bonn. It is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) that supports approximately 14,000 students and doctoral candidates at German and international universities through merit-based scholarships. The foundation's primary program offers a base stipend of €300 per month plus a study supplement of up to €812 per month, with additional specialized offerings such as the ERP Fellowship Programme (US universities), the McCloy Scholarship Programme (Harvard Kennedy School), the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Scholarship for visual artists, the Leo Baeck Fellowship for German-Jewish history research, the Max Weber-Programme in Bavaria, and the "You and Europe" program with the Toepfer Foundation. Scholars are recruited through formal nominations by schools and universities, with growing outreach via partnerships such as Talentscouts NRW.

The foundation operates a non-profit revenue model financed primarily by public sources — the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), all 16 federal states, and the ERP Special Fund — supplemented by private donations from foundations, companies, and individuals. It does not generate revenue from commercial customers; rather, its "customers" in the PE/VC sense are the scholars it serves and the public/private funders that underwrite the program. The organization is administered centrally in Bonn, with a flexible event calendar (replacing the legacy annual program format in 2021), regional cooperation partners, and an extensive alumni network that compounds its institutional prestige over time. Recent moves include new programs with CERN and Haniel, expanded benefits under the Max Weber-Programm, and deepened cooperation with regional talent scouts.

Name

Studienstiftung Des Deutschen Volkes E.v.

Legal name

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V.

Website

https://studienstiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V. is Germany's oldest and largest scholarship foundation, founded in 1925. It supports approximately 14,000 students and doctoral candidates through merit-based stipends and specialized programs, funded primarily by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the 16 federal states, and the ERP Special Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Academic scholarship programs
• Talent development funding
• Doctoral research grants
• Educational grant programs
• Merit-based scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: The foundation receives the majority of its funding from public sources, primarily the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMBF), with additional contributions from all 16 German federal states, ERP-Sondervermögen, municipalities, foundations, companies, and private donors
2. Private Donations: Additional funding from private donors including foundations, companies, and individual benefactors who contribute to the foundation's budget

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes provides merit-based scholarship funding (€300 monthly base stipend plus up to €812 income-dependent supplement) and comprehensive non-material (ideelle) support, including language courses, scientific academies, workshops, career orientation, international programmes, and networking events, to outstanding German students and doctoral candidates. Specialized programmes support study and research at institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School (McCloy), leading US universities (ERP Fellowship), and European partners, alongside targeted fellowships for visual artists (Karl Schmidt-Rottluff) and doctoral researchers of German-Jewish history (Leo Baeck).

Product overview

The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship Foundation) operates a comprehensive scholarship ecosystem providing both financial and non-material (ideelle) support to approximately 14,000 outstanding students and doctoral candidates. The core offerings include general scholarship programmes with base stipends of €300 plus income-dependent supplements, supplemented by specialized programmes including the ERP Fellowship for US study, McCloxy Scholarship for Harvard, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Fellowship for visual artists, Leo Baeck Fellowship for German-Jewish history research, Max Weber-Programme for Bavaria, Marianne-Plehn-Programm for doctoral candidates, You and Europe (Toepfer), Mercator Kolleg, and various subject-specific programmes. Non-material support is delivered through extensive educational events including Akademien (academies), Wissenschaftliche Kollegs (scientific colleges), language courses in 11 languages, SmP (student-organized programmes), and career orientation events. Access to these services is provided through internal platforms Daidalosnet (for active scholarship holders) and Forum Studienstiftung (for alumni and current scholars).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Max Weber-Programm: Scholarship program for students in Bavaria with education allowance.
• McCloy Scholarship Program
• ERP Fellowship Programme
• Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Scholarship
• Leo Baeck Fellowship
• You and Europe - European Scholarship Programme
• Marianne-Plehn-Program
• Carlo Schmid Programme
• China-Stipendien-Programm
• Haniel Stipendienprogramm

Products and services

• General Scholarship Programme Core scholarship programme providing €300 monthly base support plus up to €812 income-dependent supplement and comprehensive ideelle Förderung (educational programming) to outstanding students regardless of political, ideological, or religious background.
• ERP Fellowship Programme One to two-year study or research visits at leading US universities for young professionals from all disciplines except artistic studies, funded by the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan) legacy. Provides monthly stipend of $2,500, travel grant, and tuition support up to $25,000.
• McCloy Scholarship Programme Two-year Master's programme at Harvard Kennedy School for highly qualified students from all disciplines. Provides $2,500 monthly stipend, travel grant, and reduced tuition of €10,000 per academic year, with up to six scholarships awarded annually.
• Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Scholarship Postgraduate fellowship for outstanding visual artists working as freelancers, awarded every two years to up to five recipients. Provides €1,200 monthly stipend over two years plus group exhibition at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and catalogue production.
• Leo Baeck Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 14,000 students and doctoral candidates currently supported
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Leo Baeck Institute LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperates with the Studienstiftung in running the Leo Baeck Fellowship Programme for doctoral students researching German-Jewish history and culture. Jointly organizes workshops for fellows.
• Leibniz-Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow LeipzigminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperates with the Studienstiftung in running the Leo Baeck Fellowship Programme. Jointly organizes workshops for doctoral fellows researching German-Jewish history and culture.
• Harvard Kennedy SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with the Studienstiftung for the McCloy Scholarship Program, enabling highly qualified students to pursue two-year master's degrees. The Kennedy School provides admission consideration for McCloy scholars.
• Kunsthalle DüsseldorfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the culminating group exhibition of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Scholarship holders, featuring works from the two most recent cohorts.
• Brücke Museum and Kunsthaus DahlemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Open House 2025 and 50th anniversary celebrations of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Fellowship.
• Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. (Toepfer Stiftung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the European Scholarship Programme 'You and Europe' together with the Studienstiftung. Nominates future Master's students from all European countries for the program.
• CERNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Studienstiftung has a project that opens doors for German technology talents to international cutting-edge research at CERN.
• Österreichische Studienstiftung (Austrian Scholarship Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation allows stipend holders of both foundations to participate in each other's academies and seminars.
• Schweizerische Studienstiftung (Swiss Scholarship Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation enables stipend holders of both foundations to participate in each other's academies, with similar exchange arrangements.
• Alumniverein (Alumni Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni association supports the 'gemeinsam' programs and provides financial assistance for events organized jointly with current scholarship holders.
• Talentscouts NRWminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperation with talent scouts in North Rhine-Westphalia to identify and support talented students, deepening the partnership for talent discovery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit: German liberal political foundation that runs a scholarship program targeting outstanding students, structurally and operationally similar to Studienstiftung in selection rigor, financial support model, and ideelle Förderung components.
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst): The German Academic Exchange Service is Germany's largest publicly-funded organization supporting international academic mobility and scholarship programs for German and foreign students, directly comparable to Studienstiftung in mission and beneficiary base.
• Österreichische Studienstiftung: Austria's national scholarship foundation — an explicit partner of the Studienstiftung that enables reciprocal participation in academies and seminars; directly comparable in mission, governance model, and program structure.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: One of Germany's major political foundations running a large scholarship program (Begabtenförderung) for outstanding German and international students, closely comparable in scholarship delivery, ideological independence framing, and public funding.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the Green party that operates a well-known scholarship program for German and international students, comparable in public funding, ideological independence claims, and academic enrichment.
• Schweizerische Studienstiftung: Switzerland's national scholarship foundation and explicit Studienstiftung partner; operates a comparable model of merit-based selection, financial support, and educational enrichment programs for outstanding students.
• Hans-Böckler-Stiftung: German trade-union affiliated foundation that runs a substantial scholarship program for German and international students, with comparable scale, public-private funding mix, and comprehensive non-material support offerings.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: Another major German political foundation with a substantial scholarship program supporting talented students across disciplines, highly comparable in target population, funding model, and educational enrichment offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft: Umbrella association of German science-funding foundations and corporate donors; co-administers partner scholarship programs (e.g., Marianne Ingenwerth Foundation for Karl Schmidt-Rottluff) and shares the Studienstiftung's grantmaking ecosystem role.
• Fulbright Program: Major international academic exchange and scholarship program operating across many countries; comparable in mission of supporting outstanding scholars for international study, though broader in geography and more publicly branded.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/studienstiftung
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4V3j4EyJRvBSMZP_dKfSvg
• Facebookfacebook.com/studienstiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studienstiftung-des-deutschen-volkes-german-national-academic-foundation-
• Instagraminstagram.com/studienstiftung

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Studienstiftung Des Deutschen Volkes E.v.