895 new foundations were established in 2025. This brings the number of foundations with legal status according to civil law to 27,082. The foundation sector in Germany thus grew by 2.8 percent (2024: 2.2 percent), meaning there are currently 32.4 foundations on average for every 100,000 German citizens.
Federal states with the most foundations
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to the largest number of foundations (5,263). With 4,590 foundations, Bavaria is in second place, while Baden-Württemberg is in third place with 3,861 foundations.
However, if the density of foundations is considered, that is to say the ratio of foundations to the number of people who live there, it is clear that Hamburg continues to lead the field, with 83 foundations for every 100,000 German citizens. On this basis, Bremen ranks second (with 51 foundations per 100,000 German citizens) and Hesse third (with 48 foundations for every 100,000 German citizens).
International co-operation
The Association of German Foundations is part of an international network; it supports and advises German foundations that work internationally, many of them in the development cooperation sector.
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