Foundation

The BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt was established in 1970 in recognition of Herbert Quandt’s services to BMW AG. BMW AG, as the Foundation’s sponsor, and the bodies of the BMW Foundation consider the independence of the Foundation to be the prerequisite for its credibility as a non-profit, socio-political actor.

Vision

The BMW Foundation believes that today’s complex social challenges can be addressed through international, cross-sectoral dialogue and multiple collaborations.
We are convinced that if every individual takes responsibility for the common good and commits him/herself to utilize his/her competencies and expertise for social change, this will lead to an active, creative and socially coherent society driven by social innovation.We see ourselves as an effective and innovative platform that contributes to this vision and has an impact on social innovation and social cohesion.

Objectives

It is our goal to make an original and effective contribution to strengthening social cohesion and innovation:

We support leaders who, in their professional and personal lives, take into consideration the greater common good and who are committed to developing a lively civil society in cooperation with others.
We deal with questions of globalization and thus contribute to an international dialogue on socio-political issues.
We base our work on scholarly expertise and promote interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches.
We provide guidance by making visible successful socio-political commitment and promoting the dissemination and development of innovative pilot projects.

In our programs, we foster this broad concept of responsible leadership and inspire leaders from different sectors to share their skills, learn from each other, and engage for the common good.
To this end, we act as a platform for a cross-sectoral transfer of competencies.

Theory of Change

We are convinced that the time of one-dimensional answers to social challenges has passed. Cross-sectoral collaborations between politics, business, academia, media, and the third sector are essential in dealing with today’s social challenges.
We thus develop and promote programs that invite leaders to look beyond their professional responsibilities and to critically examine the relevance of their actions for society as a whole.
We encourage them to contribute to the shaping of our communities – as citizens, social entrepreneurs, and members of their local communities, using their competencies in cross-sectoral dialogue and engagement.
We believe that our approach, to support leaders and their actions for society, has a deeper and more sustainable impact on social cohesion than financial support for projects run by civil society organizations.

Instead of making direct donations, we help facilitate the organizational and human resource development of these organizations through crosssectoral competency transfer. Thus we strengthen not only the civil society organizations, but also build understanding and engagement for society among leaders from other sectors.
Our activities do not result in dependent parallel systems being set up, but strengthen and link existing systems or infrastructures. We believe that our work is most effective and sustainable where it complements governmental, economic, and civic structures in an intelligent and cooperative manner.

Since we are increasingly sought out as a partner by private and public actors in all the areas of our activities, we are able to systematically expand the socio-political, academic, and practice-oriented programs in the future.

Strategy

We especially engage in organizing international Young Leaders Forums to connect and sensitize leaders of all sectors to cross-sectoral competence transfer and interdisciplinary dialogue.
In addition, we also organize conferences and workshops, where academic scholars and decision-makers in politics, industry and finance come together to discuss key issues of economic development and international cooperation and to develop far-reaching, answers related to the global and regional economic and political order.

Over the years, we have built an international network of leaders of all ages and sectors.
Together with partners and civil society organizations, we are using this network to foster social innovation by providing direct supervision, counseling and assistance for organizational development as well as by matching leaders and organizations for crosssectoral competence transfer.
Through academic programs held in cooperation with selected universities, we also encourage future leaders to act in a responsible way and to play an active role in society. 

Eberhard von Kuenheim Foundation

The Eberhard von Kuenheim Foundation was established in 2000 in honor of Eberhard von Kuenheim. It, too, is a foundation of BMW AG.
The Eberhard von Kuenheim Foundation promotes people who think in an entrepreneurial way and whose actions show skills, initiative, and a sense of responsibility. The foundations are institutionally separate, but work together on particular projects.