Mission Statement
Inspiring Ideas
Our world thrives on the ideas of committed individuals. We have to grasp, develop and implement these ideas. Our foundation provides social perspectives so that people can shape dynamic change processes to create tomorrow's world on the basis of mutual respect and peaceful cooperation.
Our Location – Our Identity
Retail entrepreneur Karl Schmidt and his family established our foundation at the end of the 1990s.
It is named after Duisburg cartographer and humanist,
Gerhard Mercator (1512-1594). In a world characterized by fundamental change, he created the geographical maps and coordinates that improved the global exchange of goods and ideas.
Mercator's cosmopolitan attitude and his commitment to knowledge transfer are both inspiration and motivation for Stiftung Mercator.
New Approaches - New Ideas
To move things that move people in an open society, you need creativity, visions and the commitment to implement these ideas.
Stiftung Mercator
- Supports science and research
- Advocates a comprehensive education for children, adolescents and young adults
- Promotes dialogue and understanding between people with different cultural backgrounds as the prerequisite for peaceful cohabitation
Our Objectives
Stiftung Mercator's objectives are:
- To set positive examples which encourage responsibility and imaginativeness as indispensible creative powers for social progress
- To support the creativity of decision makers and to support the ideas of committed individuals
- To initiate forward-looking projects independently and in conjunction with partners
- To set standards of transparency and quality which apply to both us and to our partners