Robert Bosch Stiftung to Focus Work on Three Support Areas
- 80 million euros spent on philanthropic work
Stuttgart, February 17, 2021 – Last year saw the Robert Bosch Stiftung complete the most comprehensive strategy process in its history as the Foundation realigned its focus. Going forward, it will focus its work on three support areas: Health, Education, and Global Issues.
“We want to be even more impactful,” explained Professor Joachim Rogall, Chair of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. “Which is why we have reduced the Foundation’s activities from five to three support areas. Within these three areas, we will concentrate on ten topics instead of the previous 34. We are convinced that this realignment will allow us to make an even greater contribution to solving social problems.”
Focus on the major issues of the day
The Global Issues support area centers around the topics of Peace, Inequality, Climate Change, Democracy, Migration, and Immigration Society. When it comes to Education, the focus is on Individual Learning and Organizational Learning. In terms of Health, the Foundation is committed to securing a sustainable health care system, while increasing the focus on the people within the system.
The Foundation aims to pay greater attention to the relevant correlations between the issues – for example, how climate change contributes to conflict and migration. As well as this realignment, the Foundation has also adapted how it offers support and responded to current philanthropic developments.
Enabling more collaborations
“It’s not projects that change the world, but people and institutions,” said Sandra Breka, Member of the Robert Bosch Stiftung Board of Management. “We will be running fewer programs ourselves, but instead launching more collaborations and supporting organizations that bring a forward-looking, long-term approach to an issue. As a Foundation, we also need to dive deeper into the make-up of complex issues and access relevant expertise.”
The Foundation pursues this approach by, for instance, supporting interdisciplinary exchange between decision-makers and opinion leaders at the Robert Bosch Academy, making even greater use of academic advice, and promoting the work of high-profile, practice-oriented think tanks worldwide.
Optimizing structures for greater efficacy
Prerequisites for further structural changes were put in place last year, intended to up the efficacy of support. For example, in an attempt to draw together all the Foundation’s health-related activities, the Bosch Health Campus in Stuttgart will integrate not just the Robert Bosch Hospital and its associated medical research facilities, but also the Foundation’s existing activities in the support area of Health. Equally, when it comes to the support area of Education, activities will be aligned along a common strategic goal. For this reason, the German School Academy and the Foundation’s previous work in education will be pooled under the umbrella of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
While working on the strategic realignment, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has continued its project work and support. Last year, it spent a preliminary figure of around 80 million euros on charitable causes. In its New Year’s letter, the Board of Management took stock of the Foundation’s work in 2020 and concluded the year had overall been positive for the Foundation, despite the massive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Foundation managed to act swiftly and pragmatically to support its partners and grant-holders at this difficult time. Conditions of support were updated, project durations extended, and maximum flexibility was granted to secure structures beyond the pandemic. The Foundation intends to uphold many of the changes introduced in support activities beyond the immediate crisis.