Retail Entrepreneur Karl Schmidt and his family from Duisburg established Stiftung Mercator in the late 1990s. They named it after the cartographer and humanist Gerhard Mercator, who was born in Flanders and lived in Duisburg for many decades.
We work from our headquarters in Essen, as well as from offices in Berlin, Istanbul and Beijing.
Our work is defined by quality, professionalism and transparency. We are guided by the principles of good foundation practice adopted by the Association of German Foundations, we are committed to measures that promote ecological sustainability, and have signed the Diversity Charter.
What we aim to achieve
Enabling social progress
We stand for human rights, a solidary, open and socially just society, for the rule of law and equal opportunities, and for the protection of our natural foundations of life. These values can only be realised within a free social order – for which liberal democracy is a fundamental, yet no longer self-evident, prerequisite.
We therefore see ourselves challenged to defend and strengthen it. This commitment is expressed in our motto #StandingUpForDemocracy.
However, we cannot achieve this alone. That is why we work together with a broad network of democratic actors.
Across all our thematic areas, we aim to:
- open up spaces for constructive, solution-oriented public debate.
- strengthen the capacity of state institutions to act by improving the foundations for decision-making and implementation in politics and public administration through scientific evidence and knowledge exchange with other sectors of society.
- foster broad societal alliances and strengthen leadership across different social sectors and communities in order to increase ownership of and acceptance for reform concepts.
- support an engaged civil society and thought leaders in making alternative visions of the future visible – visions that go beyond incremental improvements.
What we work on
Our thematic areas pursue complementary goals to implement the foundation’s strategy:
Digital Society
We want digital technologies in Germany and Europe to be developed and used in line with democratic rights and values.
Our fields of action:
- Supporting democratic digital policy
- Embedding public-interest orientation in the digital economy
- Promoting pluralistic debates on digitalisation
Europe in the World
We aim to strengthen Europe’s capacity to act by fostering constructive relations internally and externally – contributing to a more inclusive international order.
Our fields of action:
- Shaping a more inclusive international order
- Developing constructive relations with China and Turkey
- Advancing European integration
Climate-Resilient Society
We seek to strengthen climate resilience in Germany and Europe by supporting the development of an integrated climate policy.
Our fields of action:
- Driving economic modernisation through climate action
- Implementing climate policy in a socially just way
- Shaping climate resilience collectively
- Connecting and aligning climate policy strategies
Participation and Cohesion
We advocate for a society in which everyone has equal opportunities to participate, where social cohesion is strong, and where democratic structures are vibrant and resilient.
Our fields of action:
- Strengthening equitable participation
- Promoting social cohesion
- Consolidating democratic structures
