International partners on visit at the Schöpflin Foundation

Around 20 years ago, Hans Schöpflin and his siblings established the Schöpflin Foundation in Lörrach, Germany. In the meantime, the foundation enjoys a reputation both regionally and nationally - but what many people do not know: Even before Hans Schöpflin had created the foundation in his hometown, the descendant of the Lörrach mail order pioneers Schöpflin set up his first foundation in the USA, where he lived and worked for 40 years. In 1998, he laid the keystone for his philanthropic commitment with the Panta Rhea Foundation in California.

Germany: Lörrach and Berlin

Almost 10 years ago, Hans Schöpflin returned to Germany and has since then continuously expanded his commitment. In addition to local activities and supraregional grantmaking, two neu projects have been launched in Berlin: Publix, a house for journalism and the public, is being built in Berlin-Neukölln. And right next door, perhaps Hans Schöpflin's most ambitious project will open its doors on Earth Day (Saturday, April 22, 2023): The Spore Initiative - a place by and for people who are committed to preserving biocultural diversity through cultural programs and traditional knowledge. Like the Panta Rhea Foundation, Spore is a separate entity, i.e. a foundation in its own right.

Two continents, »one ecosystem«

The opening of the Spore building provided the occasion to fulfill a mission of our founder: To connect the American and German strands of his philanthropic activities. "On both sides of the Atlantic, we have accumulated so much expertise and experience - it's time we exchanged ideas and learned from each other. My goal is to turn my two pillars of engagement into one cohesive philanthropic ecosystem," explains the 82-year-old. For this reason, team members of the "sister foundation" Panta Rhea are visiting Lörrach this week, including Hans Schöpflin's daughter Lisl, president and co-chair of the American foundation and, since 2022, also a member of the advisory board of the Schöpflin Foundation. Also present are long-standing grantees of the Panta Rhea Foundation from the USA, Mexico and the Philippines, as well as representatives of Hans Schöpflin's asset management.

Here, they will get to know the activities of the Lörrach Foundation in more detail and will exchange ideas with Villa Schöpflin, Werkraum Schöpflin, Schöpflin School and our "FABRIC" project. Afterwards, the journey continues to Berlin, where, in addition to the opening of SPORE, a meeting with partners from the German grantmaking programs is on the agenda, who will provide insight into their work. In this way, a cross-continental network will be spanned, following the motto of our founder: "One and one is more than two."