anstiftung

The anstiftung is a non-profit foundation under German civil law (gemeinnützige Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts) headquartered in Munich, Germany. It was founded in 1982 by Jens Mittelsten Scheid as a non-profit research society to study and promote self-provisioning (Eigenarbeit), subsistence — including in urban contexts — and sustainable everyday action. Over four decades it has grown into one of the central German civil-society actors in the field of do-it-yourself culture, community gardening and repair. The foundation's mission is to promote, network and research "spaces and networks of self-making" (Räume und Netzwerke des Selbermachens). Its work focuses on three main types of initiatives: urban and intercultural community gardens, open workshops (Offene Werkstätten, including FabLabs and bike kitchens), and repair initiatives such as Repair Cafés. What these projects share, according to the foundation, is a non-commercial orientation, the sharing and opening of knowledge, and the democratization of technologies and tools along open-source principles. The anstiftung supports this civic engagement through networking meetings, workshops, webinars, informational materials and online platforms for knowledge exchange. Organizationally, the anstiftung is governed by a board of trustees (Kuratorium) and a managing board (Vorstand). After the founder stepped back at the end of 2021, Anna Mittelsten Scheid took over as chair of the Kuratorium, alongside Jonas Mittelsten Scheid and the lawyer Nina Petrasch. The managing board consists of sociologist Christa Müller (chair) and Daniel Überall, founder of the solidarity agriculture cooperative Kartoffelkombinat eG. Several academic staff work in research, practical consulting and grant processing. The foundation's history includes the 2003 launch of the Stiftung Interkultur project, focused on intercultural and international gardens, and the 2008 merger with the ERTOMIS Foundation — founded in 1973 by the founder's parents, Erich and Charlotte "Totti" Mittelsten Scheid — to form the Stiftungsgemeinschaft anstiftung & ertomis gGmbH. Since 2017 it has again operated as anstiftung, now as a non-profit foundation under civil law. The anstiftung also runs online platforms for community gardeners and repair initiatives, publishes books and reports (often with oekom verlag and transcript Verlag), and maintains a blog and newsletter on topics such as the right to repair, DIY in university teaching, and founding a Repair Café.

The anstiftung was founded in 1982 by Jens Mittelsten Scheid as a non-profit research society (gemeinnützige Forschungsgesellschaft). Its original purpose was to research and promote self-provisioning (Eigenarbeit), subsistence — including in urban contexts — and sustainable everyday action. This early orientation placed the foundation at the intersection of social research, environmental sustainability and practical civil-society engagement. In 2003 the anstiftung launched the project Stiftung Interkultur, which focused on researching and promoting intercultural and international gardens. This marked a significant expansion of the foundation's practical work and helped establish it as a key actor in the German community gardening movement. In 2008 the anstiftung merged with the ERTOMIS Foundation, which had been founded in 1973 by the founder's parents, Erich and Charlotte "Totti" Mittelsten Scheid. The merged entity was called Stiftungsgemeinschaft anstiftung & ertomis gGmbH. Since 2017 the organization has again operated under the name anstiftung, now in the legal form of a non-profit foundation under civil law (gemeinnützige Stiftung bürgerlichen Rechts). After the founder stepped back at the end of 2021, Anna Mittelsten Scheid took over as chair of the foundation's board of trustees (Kuratorium). The board also includes Jonas Mittelsten Scheid and the lawyer Nina Petrasch. The managing board (Vorstand) is chaired by sociologist Christa Müller, with Daniel Überall, founder of the solidarity agriculture cooperative Kartoffelkombinat eG, as a member. Several academic staff work in research, practical consulting and grant processing. Over the years the anstiftung has built and maintained online platforms for knowledge exchange and networking, notably for community gardeners and repair initiatives. It organizes networking meetings, workshops and webinars, and publishes books and reports, often in collaboration with oekom verlag and transcript Verlag. Its publications include works on urban gardening, subsistence and work beyond the market, social inequality and health, the city of commoners, repair and open source as post-capitalist practice, and urban gardens as places of transformation. The foundation also runs a blog and newsletter covering topics such as the right to repair, DIY in university teaching, and practical guides for founding Repair Cafés.

• 2026

  The German Bundestag passes the 'right to repair' law on 25 June 2026; the anstiftung blog discusses its implications for open workshops and Repair Cafés.

• 2021

  After the founder steps back at the end of 2021, Anna Mittelsten Scheid takes over as chair of the board of trustees.

• 2017

  The organization returns to operating as anstiftung, now as a non-profit foundation under civil law.

• 2008

  The anstiftung merges with the ERTOMIS Foundation to form the Stiftungsgemeinschaft anstiftung & ertomis gGmbH.

• 2003

  The anstiftung launches the Stiftung Interkultur project, focusing on researching and promoting intercultural and international gardens.

• 1982

  Jens Mittelsten Scheid founds the anstiftung as a non-profit research society to research and promote self-provisioning, subsistence and sustainable everyday action.

• 1973

  ERTOMIS Foundation is founded by Erich and Charlotte 'Totti' Mittelsten Scheid, parents of the anstiftung founder.

A non-profit foundation that promotes, networks and researches do-it-yourself culture, community gardens, open workshops and repair initiatives as practical experiments in sustainable, non-commercial and open-source ways of living.

• Netzwerk Urbane Gärten (Urban Gardens Network)

  An online platform for knowledge exchange and networking among urban community gardeners.

• Netzwerk Reparatur-Initiativen (Repair Initiatives Network)

  An online platform for knowledge exchange and networking among repair initiatives such as Repair Cafés.

• Stiftung Interkultur

  A project launched in 2003 to research and promote intercultural and international gardens.

• Self-learning course: founding a Repair Café

  An online self-learning course launched in January 2026 to help people found a Repair Café.

1. 1Startseite – anstiftunganstiftung.de
2. 2Über uns / Stiftung – anstiftunganstiftung.de
3. 3Anstiftung Foundation – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Anstiftung (Stiftung) – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org