Schader Stiftung

The Schader Foundation is a non-profit foundation under civil law based in Darmstadt. It has been promoting the social sciences since 1988. As a foundation that promotes science, it brings the social sciences and practice into dialogue with each other in order to work soundly and effectively on the complex issues of our time. It creates spaces in which people from science and research can discuss current challenges together with civil society, business, administration and politics. Together with its cooperation partners, the Schader Foundation contributes to strengthening social cohesion and democratic culture. In this sense, the Schader Foundation contributes to the further development of the community.

As an exclusively operational institution, the foundation initiates its own projects without providing financial support for external projects. All projects involve cooperation partners, and each project culminates in dialogue-based elements such as conferences, workshops, lecture evenings, exhibitions or summer schools. The foundation's work focuses on seven key areas: public welfare and responsibility, democracy and engagement, sustainable development, diversity and integration, urban development and housing, communication and culture, and demography and structural change.

World Design Capital 2026 is cooperating with the Schader Foundation precisely because of this thematic focus. We are delighted to have gained a strong partner in Darmstadt in the form of the Schader Foundation, which has a deep understanding of and interest in interdisciplinary formats and will be increasingly incorporating design perspectives into this dialogue as part of the WDC 2026 programme.