BMW Group | Notion

Founded in 1970 and based in Munich and Berlin, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt is the BMW Group’s independent corporate foundation. With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

Recognizing its contribution to the BMW Group’s corporate responsibility and to mark its centenary in 2016, the BMW Group strengthened its philanthropic commitment and doubled the Foundation’s assets from € 50 million to € 100 million. The siblings Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten provided the Foundation with an additional € 30 million.

That same year, BMW Group’s two corporate foundations, Eberhard von Kuenheim Stiftung and BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt, were consolidated to pool their strengths and resources to accelerate their mission. This organizational and strategic realignment has enabled the Foundation to expand its global activities, impact investments, and programmatic work, which has significantly strengthened its impact.

The relationship between the corporate founder and the foundations is guided by the Ten Recommendations for Nonprofit Corporate Foundations, published by the Association of German Foundations.

Herbert Quandt - Our Namesake

Shaping a better future for all people also means learning the right — and often painful — lessons from the past. This is particularly true for a foundation that is globally oriented but has its roots in Germany and the country’s history. Not least the role and activities of many German companies during the Nazi dictatorship shows that the moral frame of reference had completely shifted during the Second World War.

Then as now, entrepreneurial activity cannot exist outside its social context and there can be no Responsible Leadership without an ethical framework of values. The UN 2030 Agenda provides this framework of values; it is the frame of reference for the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt today.

Against this background, the Foundation acknowledges that its name giver Herbert Quandt, as a young entrepreneur, was part of the National Socialist system and thus also bore responsibility within this unjust regime.

Find more information about the Biography of Herbert Quandt, the Historical Review and our Mandate on our BMW Foundation Website.

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