We’re creating a foundation

All of the political foundations in Germany, and therefore also the Heinrich Böll Foundation, operate almost entirely from public funding. With this money we are usually able to finance the majority of projects around the world. But still there are always projects we cannot support, even some that seem promising. The Heinrich Böll Foundation’s group of friends and supporters (also known as its Förderkreis or Freundeskreis) has minimal financial resources at its disposal. To consolidate and increase its resources, the group came up with the idea to establish a foundation similar to those at most of the other political foundations and non-profit organizations. For the establishment of a foundation, an initial capital of 75,000 Euro is needed to ensure approval by Berlin’s supervisory authority for foundations. In the last weeks and months we have received financial pledges; the sooner we gather the capital, the sooner TuWas – Foundation for Solidarity can begin to work. You can help us with this.

Why should you do this?

This is how you can support the Green cause – with a one-time donation, no matter how big or small. It’s entirely up to you. Future foundation revenues will flow into the project work of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and into the projects that are important to you. The Heinrich Böll Foundation’s work in educational policy and project support could be expanded and improved, especially in areas that are unable to be financed due to legal regulations on donation use. The foundation will be called TuWas – Foundation for Solidarity.

Where must something be done?

In 2011, the Freundeskreis provided start-up funding for the creation of a café for women near Kabul. Although the project was well received locally and within the foundation headquarters, it cannot continue as the Freundeskreis no longer has sufficient funds available, and using donations from within the Heinrich Böll Foundation for the project is legally not permitted. TuWas – Foundation for Solidarity could help here. Two other examples: opposition activists and artists exiled from Syria cannot receive support from political foundations’ project finances; TuWas – Foundation for Solidarity could provide such support. Bloggers critical of the system in Egypt also work with the Heinrich Böll Foundation; but it is unable to provide technical support because that would constitute technical collaboration, for which Germany uses other institutions. In short, the Green political foundation can talk about alternative energy, but it cannot build a windmill.

These are all things that TuWas – Foundation for Solidarity could do. And the following two points must be stressed: the projects themselves receive your money, and financing that is not based on donations allows for lean administrative costs outside of ministerial restrictions and constraints.

TuWas Contact:
Leonie Tillmann-Mihm
Assistant to the Managing Director’s Office
Email: tillmann-mihm@boell.de
Tel.: +49 (0)30-28534-128