Mr. Schöpflin, you have steered the work of the Schöpflin Foundation since it was established in 2001. What moved you to hand over the Chair of the foundation at the beginning of 2025?
Hans Schöpflin: I take a realistic view of the world and my lifetime. When, at some point, I am no longer around, the foundation must continue to run well. That requires careful preparation. The past 20 years or so have been a time of intensively establishling and developing the Schöpflin Foundation. With the Villa Schöpflin addiction prevention center, the Werkraum venue for cultural and public debate, the FABRIC project for community building and civic engagement and the Schöpflin Schule primary school, we are firmly anchored here in Lörrach and the surrounding region. The Schöpflin grantmaking and Publix, a house for journalism and public debate (Berlin), are working across Germany to strengthen democracy and media diversity. That is why now is the right time to hand over the management of the foundation to my experienced colleague and Executive Director, Tim Göbel. In future, he will run the Schöpflin Foundation on his own – supported by a team of proven managers. 

What does that mean in concrete terms? 
Hans Schöpflin: That involves two things: I will withdraw from the active day-to-day business of the foundation as of 2025 and concentrate on chairing the Board in the future as non-executive chairman. In future, I will take on the role of mentor and sparring partner. At the same time, I want to ensure a good transition within the family. The foundation is a highly valued project of the entire family, including my sister's and brother's families. I am therefore delighted that my daughter Lisl from the second generation will assume a more active role in this body.

Dr. Lisl Schöpflin, you have been running the Panta Rhea Foundation in the US since 2017, which was also founded by your father. What do you bring to the Schöpflin Foundation as Deputy Chair of the Board?  
Lisl Schöpflin: Building on the precedent set by my father, the Panta Rhea Foundation focuses its support on local actors and communities within a systems change framework. As a historian of colonial Latin American history living in Mexico, the Panta Rhea Foundation has expanded to incorporate the relationship between the Global North and the Global South. We continue to deepen our grantmaking practices for trust-based and collaborative philanthropy. These experiences will certainly be a catalyst for the foundation’s work. However, there is a second aspect that is important to both me and my father, and that is how the second generation of the family will be involved in the future. The Schöpflin Foundation is »mission-driven«, which means that the mission of the foundation is at the forefront, not the fact that it is a family foundation. And we want to keep it that way. That is why we are working on further institutionalizing the foundation. For example, we have stipulated that the Board consist of family members and external members -– with the latter always in the majority.

To what extent will you follow in your father's footsteps?
Lisl Schöpflin: My father and I share core values such as courage and a willingness to take risks, a belief in young people, in education and in the power of local initiatives and diversity. And we share a commitment to democracy. We believe that trust is the basis of every successful collaboration, both in a team and with partners. Creativity is very important to both of us. But we are also very different: I belong to a different generation and live on a different continent, in a country that is part of the Global South. I am influenced by progressive American philanthropy and am a second-generation wealth holder. My father approaches philanthropy through his experience as a business man, while I draw from work in theater, history and education. But despite or because of our difference experience, I believe we complement and learn from each other in our contributions to the foundation.

You grew up in California and now live with your family in Mexico City. What is your relationship with Lörrach?
Lisl Schöpflin: I have visited Lörrach regularly since I was a child and this is where I get together with my family. I have many memories of vacations spent at the villa. That's why I have a personal connection to this place. In my role as a Board member of the Schöpflin Foundation, I travel to Germany several times a year. I visit Lörrach as well as our facilities and project partners in Berlin. And with every visit I work to deepen my understanding and appreciation of Lörrach and Berlin in their regional, national, and global context.

Hans Schöpflin, what do you wish for the foundation when you are no longer at the helm?
Hans Schöpflin: An imminent challenge is a construction project in Lörrach-Brombach, which will begin in the fall of 2025. It is another major milestone for the foundation and a commitment to Lörrach as a location for us. We are investing 30 million euros here. I am delighted that this project, which we started planning several years ago, is now becoming a reality. It will add a very special building in combination with a creatively designed park to the existing Villa Schöpflin, Werkraum and Schöpflin Schule. I am convinced that this will become a new center of attraction for people here in Lörrach.