Facts and figures

"The foundation pursues goals that exclusively and directly promote the common good."
(Bertelsmann Stiftung Articles of Incorporation, I. §2)

Funding
The Bertelsmann Stiftung was founded by Reinhard Mohn in 1977. Its nonprofit work is funded predominantly by income earned from its shares in Bertelsmann AG. To document how it utilizes its funds, the foundation publishes an annual report at the end of each fiscal year once its operations have been officially audited. Since its inception, the Bertelsmann Stiftung has spent roughly €728 million on nonprofit projects. The total budget for the 2007 fiscal year amounted to €62 million.

Organization
The Bertelsmann Stiftung's project work is divided up among 18 main programs, which are grouped under the topics "Helping people," "Strengthening society" and "Developing systems." As "strategic resources," additional programs provide tools and findings to the main project teams. In addition, the foundation awards the Carl Bertelsmann Prize annually to honor innovative and exemplary solutions in areas of pressing social concern.

With its offices in Washington and Brussels, the Bertelsmann Stiftung has begun providing a targeted international framework for its ongoing project work. The offices located outside of Germany are dedicated to promoting knowledge transfer and creating new local networks.