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The Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds is a German foundation under public law with a rich tradition and over 200 years of experience in managing foundations and their assets. As an umbrella organization, it unites the foundation assets of more than 300 private educational foundations as well as the historical school and cultural assets of former Cologne Jesuits. The goal is the sustainable promotion of education through the management, safeguarding and generation of income from these diverse assets[1][4].
The focus of the Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds' activities is the targeted support of talented and needy pupils and students at secondary schools and universities. To this end, around 1,000 scholarships are awarded annually from the proceeds of the foundation's assets, supplemented by funding programs with a volume of around 200,000 euros annually. The funding is individual and based on the personal situation of the recipients. In this way, the Fonds makes an important contribution to equal opportunities in education in Germany. The funding is financed exclusively from private foundation funds, which is unique in Germany[3].
The assets of the Fonds are managed responsibly and sustainably in order to guarantee long-term capital preservation and at the same time generate income for funding projects. The assets are invested in a broadly diversified manner, including 50% in agricultural land, 41% in real estate and heritable building rights and 9% in financial investments. This asset structure ensures a stable and sustainable earnings base[1].
The main mission of the Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds is to promote education, develop the potential of young people and enable social participation through targeted financial and non-material support. Values such as sustainability, responsibility towards the community and commitment to equal opportunities characterize the work of the foundation. The large number of individual foundations under its umbrella enables flexible and customized funding according to the ideas of the respective founders[3][4].
The Fonds is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen and the Netzwerk Stiftungen und Bildung. It has received several awards for its innovative foundation management and sustainable educational support, including the "Kompass 2008", as a "Selected Location in the Land of Ideas 2010" and the nomination for the feri-Stiftungspreis 2012. In addition, the "Chancen stiften" community foundation is an exemplary example of its commitment to the Bildungsrepublik Deutschland[2][4].
In summary, the Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds is an important institution that pools private foundations in order to finance educational projects through prudent asset management and thus achieve a sustainable social impact. Its comprehensive commitment to education and its sustainable orientation make it an exemplary player in the field of non-profit educational funding in Germany.
