Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung

The Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung is a legally independent church foundation under German civil law (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) and a church foundation within the meaning of § 20 of the Lower Saxony Foundation Act. It was established in 1989 by a decision of the Synod of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover, which endowed it with capital of 20 million Deutsche Mark. The foundation is named after Hanns Lilje, the former Landesbischof (regional bishop) of Hanover. Its office is located in the Hanns-Lilje-Haus in the old town of Hanover. The foundation's statutory purpose is to promote, in Protestant responsibility, the ongoing dialogue of church and theology with science, technology, business, art and politics. It pursues this through three funding priorities: the future of politics and society; the significance of science, technology and business for life; and the formative power of art and culture. It carries out its own projects, such as the annual Hanns-Lilje-Forum lecture series and the Loccumer Gespräche on professional ethics, and it also supports third-party projects that align with its purpose. Since 1989 it has funded more than 2,000 projects with a total funding volume of nearly 17.3 million euros (as of 2026). Its current assets stand at approximately 14.86 million euros, making it one of the largest funding church foundations in Germany. The foundation is governed by a twelve-member Kuratorium (board of trustees) whose members are appointed by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover and serve on an honorary basis. The Kuratorium decides on the allocation of funding, meets three times a year, and sets the foundation's profile and direction. The day-to-day management is led by a secretary (managing director); since 2008 this position has been held by Christoph Dahling-Sander, an honorary professor at TU Braunschweig. The Landeskirchenamt of the Hanover regional church handles administrative tasks such as personnel matters. The foundation is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen (German Association of Foundations) and follows the principles of good church foundation practice. It has signed the self-commitment of the "Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft" (Transparent Civil Society Initiative), making public the origin and allocation of its funds and its decision-making structures. Beyond grant-making, the foundation runs its own initiatives and awards. Since 2009 it has awarded the Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungspreis "Freiheit und Verantwortung" (Freedom and Responsibility), a prize with a total endowment of 20,000 euros, presented every two years with changing thematic focuses. It also cooperates on the Evangelischer Buchpreis (Protestant Book Prize) and organizes the Landeswettbewerb Evangelische Religion for upper-secondary students in cooperation with the Religionspädagogisches Institut Loccum. Through its events, publications such as its annual Jahrbuch, and its funding activities, the foundation seeks to stimulate public debate and influence developments in politics, culture and society.

The Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung was established in 1989 by a decision of the Synod of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover. The synod endowed the new foundation with capital of 20 million Deutsche Mark. It was named after Hanns Lilje, the former Landesbischof of Hanover, and its office was set up in the Hanns-Lilje-Haus in the old town of Hanover. The foundation was constituted as a legally independent church foundation under civil law, within the meaning of § 20 of the Lower Saxony Foundation Act. From the outset, the foundation's statutory purpose was to promote, in Protestant responsibility, the ongoing dialogue of church and theology with science, technology, business, art and politics. Over the decades it developed three main funding priorities: the future of politics and society; the significance of science, technology and business for life; and the formative power of art and culture. These priorities are understood not as isolated fields but as overlapping frameworks for analysis and action. Since 1989 the foundation has funded more than 2,000 projects with a total funding volume of nearly 17.3 million euros (as of 2026). Its current assets are approximately 14.86 million euros, placing it among the largest funding church foundations in Germany. In 2009, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, it awarded the Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungspreis "Freiheit und Verantwortung" for the first time; the prize, endowed with a total of 20,000 euros, has since been awarded every two years with changing thematic focuses. The foundation also runs its own projects such as the Hanns-Lilje-Forum, an annual lecture series on current issues, and the Loccumer Gespräche on professional ethics. It initiates cooperative projects, including the Landeswettbewerb Evangelische Religion for upper-secondary students, organized with the Religionspädagogisches Institut Loccum, and it supports third-party projects that match its purpose, such as the exhibition project "Leben im Verborgenen" and the short-film competition "Woran glauben wir?" organized with the Klosterkammer Hannover. Governance has been stable. The Kuratorium, the foundation's board of trustees, consists of twelve public figures appointed by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover; they serve on an honorary basis, meet three times a year, and decide on funding allocations, the annual budget and the annual accounts. Since 2008 the foundation has been led by Christoph Dahling-Sander, an honorary professor at TU Braunschweig, as secretary (managing director). The Landeskirchenamt of the Hanover regional church provides administrative services such as personnel matters. The foundation is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen and follows the principles of good church foundation practice; it has signed the self-commitment of the "Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft", disclosing the origin and use of its funds and its decision-making structures. In 2022 the foundation marked the 75th anniversary of the introduction of Landesbischof Hanns Lilje with a commemorative video.

• 2026

  Foundation reports over 2,000 funded projects with a total volume of nearly 17.3 million euros since 1989.

• 2024

  Prof. Dr. Volker Kirchberg becomes chair of the Kuratorium.

• 2022

  Commemorative video for the 75th anniversary of the introduction of Landesbischof Hanns Lilje.

• 2009

  First award of the Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungspreis "Freiheit und Verantwortung" on the foundation's 20th anniversary.

• 2008

  Christoph Dahling-Sander becomes secretary (managing director).

• 1990

  Foundation begins its funding activities.

• 1989

  Synod of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover decides to establish the Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung with capital of 20 million DM.

One of the largest funding church foundations in Germany, promoting dialogue between church and theology and broader society in Protestant responsibility.

• Hanns-Lilje-Forum

  Annual lecture series addressing current issues of the time.

• Loccumer Gespräche

  Discussions on professional ethics.

• Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungspreis "Freiheit und Verantwortung"

  Prize awarded every two years with changing themes, total endowment 20,000 euros.

• Landeswettbewerb Evangelische Religion

  State competition for upper-secondary students, in cooperation with the Religionspädagogisches Institut Loccum.

• Jahrbuch

  Annual yearbook publication.

• Evangelischer Buchpreis

  Cooperation on the Protestant Book Prize.

1. 1Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung – Hanns-Lilje-Stiftunghanns-lilje-stiftung.de
2. 2Hanns-Lilje-Stiftung – Die Hanns-Lilje-Stiftunghanns-lilje-stiftung.de
3. 3Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungwikidata.org
4. 4Hanns-Lilje-Stiftungde.wikipedia.org