Source description last updated: 25 February 2022
 
In brief:
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung is a foundation established in 1997 and closely affiliated with the German Green Party aiming to promote democracy, human rights, social participation, non-violent conflict resolution, rights of individuals and environmental protection in Germany and abroad.
 
Coverage on ecoi.net:
Monthly Iran report and selected other reports.
Covered monthly on ecoi.net, for countries of priorities A-C.
 
Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the Green political movement that has developed worldwide as a response to the traditional politics of socialism, liberalism, and conservatism. Our main tenets are ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, self-determination and justice. We place particular emphasis on gender democracy, meaning social emancipation and equal rights for women and men. We are also committed to equal rights for cultural and ethnic minorities and to the societal and political participation of immigrants. Finally, we promote non-violence and proactive peace policies. […]

Our namesake, the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll, personifies the values we stand for: defence of freedom, civic courage, tolerance, open debate, and the valuation of art and culture as independent spheres of thought and action.” (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Mission Statement, undated)

The Heinrich Böll Foundation “sees itself as an agency for green ideas and projects, as a reform policy future workshop and international network” and “is a political foundation close to the party Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen”. (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Who we are and what we want, undated)

Funding: 

The Heinrich Böll Foundation is funded almost entirely through public grants; other sources of funding include membership fees, donations, and income generated through the business operations of the foundation’s training academy. In 2020, revenues amounted to 74.6 million Euro, while expenditures amounted to 71.2 million Euro, of which two thirds were spent on programmatic activities as well as scholarships for studies and PhD programs. (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Jahresbericht 2020, June 2021, p. 51, for further details, see also pp. 52-54). (working translation by ACCORD)

Scope of reporting:
Geographic focus: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Middle East.
Thematic focus: Democracy, environment, human rights, social inclusion, conflict resolution, gender and diversity.
 
Methodology:

The Heinrich Böll Foundation is “part of an international net­work encompassing well over 100 partner projects in approxi­mately 60 countries” and “maintain[s] a world­ wide network with currently 30 international offices”. (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Who we are, undated)

“The Iran Report analyses news from various sources, which can also be understood as a bypass to censorship and restrictions on journalistic work imposed by those in power. The Iran Report does not yield headlines, but enhances news releases by shedding light on media reports and what is left unsaid between their lines.“ (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung website: Iran-Report, undated, working translation by ACCORD)

No further information found.
 
Languages of publications:
German, English and languages of project countries.
 
Further reading / links:

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung website: Bylaws of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, December 2017
https://www.boell.de/en/2017/01/31/bylaws-heinrich-boell-stiftung?dimension1=division_stift

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung website: Foreign Offices: Contact and Information, undated
https://www.boell.de/en/foreign-offices

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung website: Mission Statement, undated
https://www.boell.de/en/navigation/ueber-uns-519.html?dimension1=division_stift

Heisterkamp, Ulrich: Think Tanks der Parteien? Eine vergleichende Analyse der deutschen politischen Stiftungen, 2018
https://www.springer.com/de/book/9783658185213

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner. 

All links accessed 25 February 2022, except where noted otherwise.