Sponsorship and Financing - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The agreement on the joint financing of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz was renewed by the federal government and the states on March 12, 2025, and entered into force on January 1, 2026.

The funding agreement governs the joint financial responsibility of the federal government and the states for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. It specifies how the funding for day-to-day operations and construction projects is organized and how costs are shared between the federal government and the states. In doing so, it establishes a reliable foundation for the foundation’s work and long-term development.
The currently valid financing agreement remains the binding basis for the foundation’s financing to this day.

The federal government and all the federal states provide funding for the foundation and also collaborate within its governing bodies. Together, they ensure the continued existence and development of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz.

The foundation’s federal structure underscores the significance of Prussia’s heritage for Germany as a cultural nation. At the same time, it makes clear that the preservation and maintenance of this heritage is a shared responsibility. The foundation’s governing body and joint financing are enshrined in the law establishing the foundation. The foundation’s bylaws and the financing agreement between the federal government and the states set forth the details.

The Federal Government and all 16 states appoint representatives to the decision-making body of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, the Foundation Council. The Foundation Council also nominates the President of the Foundation, who is then appointed by the Federal President.

In addition, the federal government and the states have the right to nominate members of the Advisory Board, the foundation’s consultative body. The Foundation Council appoints the members of the Advisory Board.

After the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz was established, only the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein, in addition to the federal government, initially agreed to finance the foundation. Starting in 1975, the remaining federal states also joined in. The first “Agreement on the Joint Financing of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation” between the federal government and the then eleven states was therefore a milestone in the history of the foundation. It placed its work on a solid financial footing and definitively established it as a nationwide institution.

Following German reunification, the five new federal states also joined the financing agreement on January 1, 1992. After a transitional phase and lengthy negotiations, a new financing agreement was signed in 1996. This “Agreement on the Joint Financing of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation” remains in effect to this day.

The funding agreement governs how the federal government and the states ensure the foundation’s financing. The federal government covers 75 percent of the publicly funded portion of the operating budget. The states cover 25 percent. The agreement sets a base amount of 120 million euros for operating costs. Any annual financial needs exceeding this amount are covered 75 percent by the federal government and 25 percent by the State of Berlin.

The costs of construction projects and major renovation projects were initially borne by the federal government and the State of Berlin, each covering 50 percent. Since 2003, the federal government has been the sole source of funding for the foundation’s construction budget.