KOHLI FOUNDATION

What KOHLI FOUNDATION does

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology (legally Kohli Stiftung für Soziologie) is a private charitable foundation incorporated under German foundation law and headquartered at Belziger Str. 35A in Berlin, Germany. Founded and chaired by Prof. Dr. Martin Kohli, a prominent sociologist, the foundation exists to advance sociology as an academic discipline, promote fundamental and reflexive knowledge on societies, and honor major achievements in the field. It operates at European and international scope and does not sell products or services; instead, it awards grants, prizes, and fellowships funded through its endowment. The served audiences are academic sociologists, research institutions, and the general public, with no commercial pricing or revenue model.

The foundation's core offerings are three programs: (1) the Kohli Prize for Sociology, an annual award honoring individual scholarly achievement with significant international impact; (2) the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology, recognizing outstanding research data platforms and infrastructure supporting sociological research; and (3) Kohli Fellowships for Sociology, postdoctoral fellowships for early-career sociologists. Laureate infrastructure honorees have included the European Social Survey (2024), SocArXiv (2025), and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, 2026), while individual honorees include Michèle Lamont, Peter Bearman, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Gøsta Esping-Andersen, and the announced 2026 laureate Raewyn Connell.

The foundation does not build or deploy technology products. Its underlying delivery architecture consists of a WordPress-based website (kohlifoundation.eu), an open nomination form, partnerships with two anchor institutions — the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence/Fiesole and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center — which alternate hosting biennial ceremonies, and the EUI Max Weber Fellowship Programme, which administers Kohli Fellowships. GTM and distribution lean on academic nominations, institutional co-hosting, and a multi-platform media footprint including a "for Sociology" podcast series, 3 Question Interviews, sociological trivia features, and social channels (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook). The operating model is grant-making rather than revenue-generating, with the team limited to a Chairman and an Editor per disclosed records.

Name

KOHLI FOUNDATION

Legal name

Kohli Stiftung für Soziologie

Website

https://kohlifoundation.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is a Berlin-based German charitable foundation that awards the annual Kohli Prize and Infrastructure Prize for Sociology and funds postdoctoral Kohli Fellowships via the European University Institute, serving academic sociologists, research institutions, and the broader public across Europe and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Foundation / Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Field-of-Study & Discipline-Specific Funding (EDAIAOAD), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Academic sociology awards
• Sociological research funding
• Postdoctoral fellowship programs
• Research infrastructure recognition
• Charitable foundation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is a Berlin-based charitable foundation that awards the annual Kohli Prize for Sociology recognizing outstanding sociological scholarship, the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology honoring research data platforms and infrastructure, and administers postdoctoral Kohli Fellowships through the EUI Max Weber Programme. Activities are European and international in scope, with award ceremonies held biennially at the European University Institute (Florence) and WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

Product overview

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is a foundation organization (not a technology company) that operates a portfolio of academic award programs and fellowship initiatives. The core offerings include: (1) The Kohli Prize for Sociology – recognizing individual scholarly achievement; (2) The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology – honoring research data platforms and infrastructure; (3) Kohli Fellowships for Sociology – supporting early-career researchers via the EUI Max Weber Programme; (4) Media Publications – podcast series, interviews, and sociological trivia content; and (5) a Nominations Platform for award submissions. These programs are European and international in scope, with award ceremonies alternating between the European University Institute (EUI) and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kohli Prize for Sociology Annual prize honoring major achievements in sociology; recognizes individual scholars for exceptional contributions to the field with significant international impact. Selection via open nomination process.
• Infrastructure Prize for Sociology A prize recognizing outstanding research infrastructure in sociology, honoring data platforms and resources that support the quality and rigor of sociological research (e.g., European Social Survey, SocArXiv, SOEP).
• Kohli Fellowships for Sociology Fellowship grants supporting early-career sociologists, administered in partnership with the European University Institute's Max Weber Fellowship Programme every second year.
• Online Nominations Platform for Prizes Online submission platform for nominating candidates for the Kohli Prize for Sociology and the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology, processing academic-community nominations.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European University Institute (EUI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2023Cooperation agreement signed April 24, 2023 for joint initiatives in sociological knowledge and discipline of sociology. EUI hosts award ceremonies every second year and administers Kohli Fellowships within the Max Weber Fellowship Programme, with the first Fellow beginning September 2023.
• WZB Berlin Social Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWZB Berlin Social Science Center hosts award ceremonies every second year, alternating with EUI. Second Award Ceremony held November 13, 2024 at WZB honoring Michèle Lamont and European Social Survey.
• EUI Max Weber ProgrammecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKohli Foundation funds one new Kohli Fellowship at the EUI every second year within the context of the EUI's Max Weber Fellowship Programme. The first Fellow began in September 2023.
• Incite Institute at Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward recipient Peter S. Bearman is Director of the Incite Institute at Columbia University. Peter Bearman delivered an inspiring lecture at the 2025 award ceremony.
• Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOEP is a laureate of the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2026. It is one of the largest and longest-running longitudinal household surveys worldwide, based at DIW Berlin and part of the Leibniz Association.
• SocArXivminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocArXiv is a laureate of the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2025. It is an open archive of the social sciences providing a free, non-profit, open access platform for social scientists, directed by Philip N. Cohen.
• European Social Survey (ESS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Social Survey is a laureate of the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2024. ESS was honored at the award ceremony held at WZB Berlin, with Rory Fitzgerald representing ESS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central research funding organization. Comparable as a Germany-based grantmaking body supporting academic research, though much broader in scope than the Kohli Foundation's sociology-specific focus.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: Strategic partner of the Kohli Foundation that hosts biennial award ceremonies in Berlin. Comparable as a major European social science research institution that the foundation leverages for program delivery.
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: Germany-based foundation awarding fellowships and prizes to internationally recognized academics. Comparable as a German grantmaking institution supporting elite scholarship, though operating across all disciplines rather than sociology alone.
• European University Institute (EUI): Strategic partner of the Kohli Foundation that administers Kohli Fellowships via its Max Weber Programme and hosts ceremonies. Comparable as an academic institution advancing sociology and social science research in Europe.
• Volkswagen Foundation: German private foundation funding academic research across disciplines, including postdoctoral fellowships and research infrastructure. Comparable as a Germany-based grantmaking foundation supporting academic scholarship.

Direct peers

• International Sociological Association (ISA): Global sociological association referenced in the company's data (5,500+ members, ~60 research groups). Comparable as a sociology-specific international organization supporting the discipline, though operating as a member association rather than grantmaker.
• Social Science Research Council (SSRC): U.S.-based nonprofit that awards fellowships, grants, and prizes to advance social science research. Directly comparable as a grantmaking foundation dedicated to the social sciences, including sociology.
• Fritz Thyssen Foundation: German private foundation supporting research in social sciences and humanities through grants and stipends. Comparable as a discipline-aligned German grantmaking foundation funding scholarly research and early-career researchers.
• Russell Sage Foundation: U.S.-based foundation supporting social science research through grants, fellowships, and programs. Directly comparable as a private foundation funding social science scholarship, with overlapping beneficiary communities.
• Wenner-Gren Foundation: Foundation funding anthropological and sociological research globally through grants and fellowships. Directly comparable as a discipline-aligned private foundation awarding research support to social scientists.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kohli_sociology
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100089207319267
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kohli-foundation-for-sociology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KOHLI FOUNDATION