Grant-making foundations in Germany represent a group of foundations that are to some extent very heterogeneous in terms of how they design their funding approaches and practices. Representative empirical analyses based on data from the Foundation Panel of the Association of German Foundations allowed three distinct groups to be identified that differ with respect to their organisational culture characteristics such as capacity building, fund control or grant duration, as well as to structural characteristics such as grant-making budgets, geographic orientation or funding areas. These findings have relevance not only for further research on this specific group of civil society organisations but also for individuals wishing to submit grant applications and for decision-makers who collaborate with grant-making foundations in the sector.
