The Schmidt family founded the charitable Stiftung Mercator GmbH, Essen, and the charitable Stiftung Mercator Schweiz, Zurich, and provided them with substantial financial resources from their assets.
Further assets transferred to the charitable Meridian Foundation and the charitable Cambiata Foundation, Zurich, which it established, are used to support the two foundations on an ongoing basis in the form of donations. The charitable Meridian Stiftung is the sole proprietor of Stiftung Mercator GmbH, Essen.
In 2023, Stiftung Mercator approved 55 million euros (including subsequent approvals) in funding for a total of 79 new projects. Since beginning its activities, the foundation has made around 961 million euros worth of grants available to about 2050 projects.