Liz Mohn Stiftung

What Liz Mohn Stiftung does

Liz Mohn Stiftung is a privately endowed German charitable foundation (Stiftung des privaten Rechtes under NRW foundation law), established in February 2024 by Liz Mohn — the fifth-generation representative of Bertelsmann's founding families — to consolidate the activities of her earlier Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung (founded 2005) and Liz Mohn Center gGmbH. The foundation is headquartered at Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße 256 in Gütersloh and supervises approximately 15 staff organized around four program areas: International Relations (Generation Global, Generation Global LIVE, International Leadership Dialogues, Salzburger Trilog, Germany's Role in the World studies), Creating Leadership Cultures (Future Leadership Training, leadership studies and publications), Power of Culture (NEUE STIMMEN international singing competition and masterclass, Cantara – Bridging Cultures, Cultural Relevance Monitor), and Global Talents (Voneinander Lernen reverse-mentoring pilot, Growing Together. Working Together. anti-loneliness project with EvKB).

Its core 'products' are events, convenings, talent-identification programs, research publications, and a podcast (Alles klar, Klassik? / Got it, Classical Music?), not technology products. There is no proprietary technology stack beyond a standard digital communications layer (website with media library, email, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, podcast distribution via Spotify) and no APIs, software platforms, or AI/ML pipelines of any kind. Programmatic distribution occurs through international audition tours (NEUE STIMMEN's 12+ cities), school workshops across Germany, partner-hosted modules (e.g., at BMW), and high-stakes convenings such as the Salzburger Trilog and the Federal President's Bürgerfest.

The foundation operates exclusively for public benefit under German non-profit law; its sole funding source is the endowment established by the founder, with no commercial revenue, no participant fees, and no disclosed financial statements. Governance rests on an Executive Board chaired by Liz Mohn with Matthias Meis as Vice-Chair, day-to-day Managing Directors Dr. Jörg Habich and Nadine Lindemann, and a Board of Trustees chaired by Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart with Matthias Schulz as Deputy Chair. Strategic partnership network spans German state government (NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, cooperation formalized May 2024), national cultural institutions (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Zurich Opera House, Opéra national de Paris), policy ecosystems (Munich Security Conference, Club de Madrid, Federal Presidency), and the EU-funded Opera Europa Next Generation network (2025–2028).

Name

Liz Mohn Stiftung

Legal name

Liz Mohn Stiftung

Website

https://liz-mohn-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Liz Mohn Stiftung is a privately endowed German charitable foundation that runs international singing competitions (NEUE STIMMEN), leadership convenings (Salzburger Trilog), youth studies, and social-inclusion programs, serving young opera talents, German youth, and current and emerging leaders across politics, business, and culture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Youth development programs
• Leadership training
• International singing competition
• Cultural diplomacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Gütersloh

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment and Charitable Funding: As a charitable foundation under German law (Stiftung des privaten Rechtes), Liz Mohn Stiftung operates exclusively for public benefit purposes. The foundation receives its funding from the endowment established by founder Liz Mohn, who represents the fifth generation of Bertelsmann's founding families. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Liz Mohn Stiftung is a private independent foundation under German civil law that operates programs and dialogues in four thematic areas: international relations, leadership, culture and music, and youth development. The foundation runs flagship programs including the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition (since 1987), Generation Global youth dialogue initiatives, the Salzburger Trilog leadership forum, leadership training modules, and youth attitude studies. All programs are delivered free of charge for public-benefit purposes, funded by the founder's endowment.

Product overview

The Liz Mohn Stiftung is a charitable foundation with four core program areas: International Relations (Generation Global, Germany's Role in the World, International Leadership Dialogues, Salzburger Trilog), Creating Leadership Cultures (leadership training and studies), Power of Culture (NEUE STIMMEN Competition and Masterclass, Cantara – Bridging Cultures, Cultural Relevance Monitor), and Global Talents (VONEINANDER LERNEN, Growing together. Working together.). The foundation consolidates activities from the former Liz Mohn Center gGmbH and Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung, operating as a unified organization since February 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEUE STIMMEN: International Singing Competition for young opera talents from around the world, one of the foundation's longest-running projects since 1987.
• NEUE STIMMEN Masterclass
• Generation Global
• Creating Leadership Cultures
• Power of Culture
• Global Talents
• Trilogue Salzburg
• Cultural Relevance Monitor
• Cantara – Bridging Cultures
• Got it, Classical Music?

Products and services

• NEUE STIMMEN Competition

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,100 opera talents from 69 nations applied for NEUE STIMMEN 2026 competition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EvKB, one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most important healthcare facilities, operates the 'Growing Together. Working Together.' project funded by Liz Mohn Foundation. The project addresses loneliness among children and young people aged 10-17, providing community-based support through workshops, activities, and mentorship. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst visited the project in February 2026.
• Opera Europa (Next Generation Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEUE STIMMEN is one of 44 members of Opera Europa Next Generation (OENG), an initiative supporting over 560 emerging artists in opera and dance between 2025-2028. The network brings together opera houses and talent development organizations from 17 European countries, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme.
• Staatsoper Unter den Linden, BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEUE STIMMEN winners perform at Berlin State Opera concerts. The foundation maintains ongoing relationships with Germany's premier opera houses for career development opportunities.
• Opéra national de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlexander Neef, Director of Opéra national de Paris, serves as new Chair of the Jury for NEUE STIMMEN 2026 competition, providing expert leadership and industry connections.
• Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf/DuisburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the NEUE STIMMEN partnership network providing career opportunities for competition winners and finalists.
• Munich Security ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of 'Zeitenwende on tour' events bringing together youth and security policy experts. NEUE STIMMEN singers perform at MSC opening concerts. Collaboration combines political discourse with cultural excellence.
• Government of North Rhine-WestphaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government cooperates with Liz Mohn Foundation and Bertelsmann Stiftung on addressing youth loneliness. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst finalized collaboration agreement with Liz Mohn in May 2024.
• Bertelsmann StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiz Mohn Stiftung operates in close connection with Bertelsmann Stiftung. Liz Mohn served on Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board until June 2021 and is now honorary member of Board of Trustees. Foundation shares office proximity and collaborative projects including joint presence at Federal President's Citizen Festival.
• Club de MadridminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of democratically retired heads of state and government. Liz Mohn Foundation collaborated on recommendations for G20 summit on energy/climate, food, and debt crises. WYDE Network brings together young policy makers from Global South.
• Digital8 / Paul von PreußenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital8, founded by Paul von Preußen, facilitates the 'Voneinander Lernen!' project by providing young digital experts who mentor teachers in reverse mentoring format.
• Elke Büdenbender (First Lady of Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-initiator of 'Voneinander Lernen!' project alongside Liz Mohn. Both work together on digital education initiatives and regularly meet with project participants to provide guidance and visibility.
• Federal President of GermanycoreOthersParticipation at Federal President's Citizen Festival (Bürgerfest) in 2023 and 2024. Liz Mohn Foundation presents civic engagement initiatives at Germany's highest-profile national celebration event.
• Global Summit of Women / GlobeWomenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiz Mohn Foundation co-hosted kick-off and dialogue event during Global Summit of Women 2025 at Bertelsmann representative office in Berlin, bringing together international women leaders.
• OperaVisionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperaVision provides livestreaming platform for NEUE STIMMEN final concerts, enabling global audience access to competition performances.
• Ipsos (Opinion Research Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts annual youth studies for Liz Mohn Foundation, surveying 3,300 young people aged 12-18 on their attitudes, concerns, and wishes regarding political engagement and social issues.
• Duisburg Philharmonic OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jonathan Darlington, accompanied NEUE STIMMEN 2024 final concert, providing orchestral accompaniment for finalists.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lizmohnstiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liz-mohn-stiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/lizmohnstiftung

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Liz Mohn Stiftung