Foundation portrait: Allianz Foundation

The Allianz Foundation is a charitable foundation with its headquarters in Berlin and legal domicile in Munich. It operates and promotes in Europe, with a focus on the Mediterranean region, and supports a large number of civil society, ecological, cultural and artistic initiatives. Good to know: The foundation emerged from the merger of the Allianz Environmental Foundation and the Allianz Cultural Foundation at the beginning of 2022. Together with the Environmental Foundation, the Cultural Foundation formed the so-called Munich Foundation Center until 2012. It was integrated into the Allianz Foundation Forum in Berlin from 2012. As a result, the Allianz Cultural Foundation also moved its headquarters from Munich to Berlin. The environmental and cultural foundations contributed a total of 100 million euros to the successor foundation, the Allianz Foundation. The coffers of this young foundation are therefore full to bursting.

Allianz Group supports the foundation with 5 million euros - per year

And there is no shortage of further endowment funds: in addition to the interest earned on these impressive assets, the Allianz Foundation will receive an annual grant of 5 million euros from the listed company Allianz SE until 2032. Allianz SE ("Societas Europaea" or "European Company") is one of the world's leading financial services providers. The company, which today has its headquarters in Munich, was founded in Berlin in 1890 by the insurance expert Carl Thieme and the banker Wilhelm Finck. It offers a wide range of insurance and asset management services. The Allianz Group operates in more than 70 countries and serves millions of customers. In the 2023 financial year, the Allianz Group achieved a business volume of around 162 billion euros. The operating result in 2023 amounted to 14.7 billion euros.

The foundation's mission: Better living conditions for future generations

The Allianz Foundation, which is independent of the company, aims to "enable better living conditions for current and future generations". On the website, the mission states: "We unite courageous voices, bold ideas and bring initiatives together. We support risk-takers who are committed to open, resilient and climate-friendly societies." The foundation supports projects and individuals. In 2024, for example, there was considerable funding for projects ranging from 80,000 to 225,000 euros per project, with a maximum duration of 24 months. The foundation pursues three strategic goals: The strengthening of civil society or the promotion of open societies, the promotion of cultural innovation and the acceleration of the transformation of our societies towards CO2 neutrality. In the face of "growing nationalism, social division and climate change", the foundation develops solutions at the interface of these challenges that "break with traditional approaches".

Who receives funding from the foundation?

In its fellowship program, the Allianz Foundation also supports thought leaders who develop creative and solution-oriented approaches to current challenges. The program is aimed at people from the arts, civil society and academia who "break new ground to overcome grievances". Fellows are supported for ten months to develop projects such as artworks, events and prototypes. Fellows receive a grant of around 10,000 euros as well as access to an additional budget of up to 2,000 euros for fellowship-related costs. Applications for funding can be submitted online. Fellows form a Europe-wide network and work together with other Allianz Foundation initiatives. The Fellows are committed to combating nationalism and exclusion and to promoting equal opportunities, openness and an environment worth living in. The foundation names the people it supports on its website. One example: Verdiana Albano is a German-Angolan artist from Frankfurt. She specializes in photography and sculpture. She promotes "transparency, diversity and openness in the art scene and aims to build bridges between cultures and disciplines".

Foundation director was on the Pro Helvetia Foundation Board

Regular calls for all funding applications are published on the website. The Allianz Foundation's Board of Trustees decides on the allocation of funds based on the recommendations of expert juries. Allianz Foundation Director Esra Küçük writes on the foundation's website: "We are looking for initiatives that prevent divisions in our minds from becoming divisions in our hearts. We want to support those who have the skills to reunite what has drifted apart." Esra Küçük was also a member of the Pro Helvetia Foundation Board from 2020 to the end of 2023. The foundation is constantly looking for "partnership initiatives from Europe and the Mediterranean region that stand for solidarity, public spirit and respect." The foundation left questions from Fundraiso.ch unanswered. It therefore remains unclear to what extent Swiss projects were also able to benefit from the Alliance's money. What is clear is that people from Switzerland also took part in an event with the journalism project CORRECTIV.

Conclusion: The Allianz Foundation is little known in Switzerland, but offers significant funding opportunities for civil society, cultural and ecological projects. It supports innovative initiatives and individuals who tackle social challenges. With its large foundation capital and Europe-wide network, it can be a valuable partner for fundraisers. It is worth checking the funding criteria and submitting applications.