About FES
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES, Stiftung being the German word for Foundation) was founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany's first democratically elected president, Friedrich Ebert.
In response to his own painful experience in political confrontation Ebert, a Social Democrat who had risen to the highest political office in his country from a humble craftsman's background, had proposed the establishment of a foundation serving the following aims:
- to further political and social education of individuals from all areas of life in the spirit of democracy and pluralism,
- to facilitate access to university education and to help gifted young people by providing scholarships,
- to contribute to the achievement of international understanding and cooperation.
As of present, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, which was banned by the Nazis in 1933 and re-established in 1947, continues pursuing these aims in all of its extensive activities. As a private cultural non-profit institution it is committed to the ideas and basic values of social democracy.
The main subjects of the foundation are:
- A fair and just society
- Innovations and development
- Active democracy
Staff
A total of 609 (2007) in the offices in Bonn and Berlin, the four academies and the thirteen State and regional offices and abroad.
Budget
Approx. 111 million € (2007): mainly public funding.
Events
In Germany alone more than 150,000 persons took part in some 3,000 educational courses, discussion forums and special-subject conferences in 2007.
International cooperation
Activities in more than 100 countries.
Scholarships
Approx. 2.000 students received a scholarship in 2007, 270 of them from abroad. Over 600 new scholarships were awarded that same year.
Library
Largest specialised library on the German and international labour movement with over 700,000 volumes.
Archives
Largest collection of documents on the history of the labour movement in Germany.