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The Stiftung Mercator GmbH is a private, independent, and non-profit German foundation, founded in 1996 by the trading family Schmidt-Ruthenbeck from Duisburg. Named after the cartographer, mathematician, and theologian Gerhard Mercator, the foundation is headquartered in Essen in the Ruhr area and maintains additional locations in Berlin, Istanbul, and Beijing.
The Stiftung Mercator is committed to an open, solidarity-based, and equal-opportunity society. Its work focuses on promoting equal opportunities, social cohesion, respect, tolerance, openness to the world, and the protection of nature and the environment. A central concern is the strengthening of democracy and the promotion of understanding between people of different cultures[2][4].
The Stiftung Mercator has defined clear sustainability goals to be implemented in a five-year strategy by the end of 2025. These goals include:
Through its work, the Stiftung Mercator aims for a society characterized by openness to the world, solidarity, and equal opportunities, in which the natural foundations of life are preserved. Its initiatives are marked by quality, professionalism, and transparency and address the underlying causes of social problems[4].
