Corporate Foundations for social commitment
A commitment to the welfare of society has been a key component of Siemens’ company culture ever since its founding. In addition to a wide range of activities and programs, various foundations have been set up to fulfill this commitment.
The new Siemens Stiftung
The youngest of our foundations is the non-profit Siemens Stiftung headquartered in Munich. It has been founded to enhance the sustainability and visibility of Siemens’ corporate citizenship activities. “Siemens has been committed to fostering social welfare for 160 years,” said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher. “The Siemens Stiftung will carry on this tradition while showcasing the sustainability of our commitment to corporate citizenship.”
The lucky winners of the 2008 Siemens competition in math, science and technology: Isabella Pflugmann (project: "Reducing CO2 Emissions at Home through Energy Efficiency"), Felix Jankowski (project: "Reducing Standby Power Consumption of Electrical Appliances to Zero "), Rosa Meyer and Christine Mauelshagen (project: "Photovoltaic Potential and Opportunities to Reduce CO2 Emissions through Solar Energy in the Community of Morsbach")
The Siemens Stiftung is charged with coordinating corporate citizenship activities for the entire company while further developing the related programs and projects. The new foundation, which went into operation at the beginning of 2009, is independent of the three private foundations run by the Siemens family and the company foundations that are already supporting community projects in Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Colombia and the U.S.
The task of the Siemens Stiftung is to find answers to worldwide social challenges, identify opportunities and help those affected by emergency situations to help themselves. It focuses its activities in accordance with its mandate on social commitment, education, technology, research and innovation as well as on art and culture. In the interest of achieving sustainable results, we concentrate on long-term programs.
Siemens provided the foundation with an endowment of some €400 million, which has been earmarked exclusively for non-profit-activities. The foundation is subject to state supervision by the government of Upper Bavaria and performs its tasks independently of the company. It operates both as a patron at national and international levels and as an active partner in projects all over the world. The Siemens Stiftung is managed by a board. The foundation’s council, headed by the president of the foundation, supports and advises the board and monitors its work.
Disaster relief in Bangladesh: After Cyclone Sidr in November 2007, Siemens helped to meet the urgent need for drinking water supplies and installed 20 SkyHydrant water filters. The filters provide up to 10,000 liters of drinking water per day.
Foundations worldwide
The new foundation is independent of the three private foundations run by the Siemens family and the company foundations that are already supporting community projects in several countries. The most important foundations:
- The Siemens Caring Hands Foundation USA was founded in 2001 to help the victims of the September 11th attacks.
- Educating and training employees and their children is a core focus for the Peter von Siemens Foundation Brazil. (Portuguese)
- The Siemens Fondation France focuses on helping the homeless and ill. (French)
- Under the Siemens Caring Hands umbrella, the Fundación Siemens in Colombia helps the needy build a better future for themselves. (Spanish)
- The Fond pomoci foundation in the Czech Republic was founded to help the socially disadvantaged. (Czech)
- The Fundación Gantz in Chile also has a mission to help the socially disadvantaged.
- Education, social involvement and cultural promotion are the main areas of focus for the Fondazione Siemens Italy. (Italian)