Heraeus Bildungsstiftung

The Heraeus Bildungsstiftung (Heraeus Education Foundation) is a non-profit foundation based in Hanau, Germany, and a shareholder of the Heraeus family business. Founded in 1965 by Bertha Heraeus, it initially aimed to enable financially disadvantaged children to access education. Over time, it has shifted its focus to leadership and strategy, as well as personnel and organizational development in schools. The foundation offers seminars, training, and networks for school leaders, teachers, and school supervisory officials, covering topics such as leadership, relationship culture, communication, digital transformation, and learning coaching. It works with state education ministries and institutes and, in 2022, supported around 9,000 school leaders and teachers through its nationwide events. Since 2017, it has been commissioned by the Hessian Ministry of Education to qualify school leaders in Hesse, and other federal states have followed with their own programs. Together with the German Philologists' Association, it organizes the nationwide 'Deutscher Lehrkräftepreis – Unterricht innovativ' competition. The foundation is led by an honorary board and a full-time managing director. Alexandra Heraeus currently chairs the board, and Beate Heraeus, who chaired the board from 2008 to 2023, has led the foundation's advisory council since April 2023. Its ambassadors include Philipp Lahm, Eckart von Hirschhausen, and Willi Weitzel. The foundation is a member of the Initiative Frankfurter Stiftungen network and the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen.

The Heraeus Bildungsstiftung was founded in 1965 by Bertha Heraeus (1875–1967), daughter-in-law of Hanau industrialist Wilhelm Carl Heraeus, with the original aim of enabling financially disadvantaged children to access education. In 1976, the foundation received additional endowment from Kathinka Platzhoff (1896–1981), and in 1981 from Clara André (1893–1981), both born Heraeus. Since 1976, it has borne the name Bertha Heraeus und Kathinka Platzhoff Stiftung. In 2010, as part of a repositioning, it adopted the additional name Heraeus Bildungsstiftung, under which it operates today. The foundation is a member of the Initiative Frankfurter Stiftungen network and the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen. For more than 20 years, it has focused on leadership and strategy issues as well as personnel and organizational development in schools, with a focus on the future viability of schools in Germany. It offers qualifications for school leaders, teachers, and school supervisory officials in areas such as leadership, relationship culture, communication, digital transformation, and learning coaching. It is a cooperation partner and contractor for state education ministries and state institutes. In 2022, its nationwide events supported around 9,000 school leaders and teachers. Since 2017, it has been commissioned by the Hessian Ministry of Education to provide qualification for school leaders in Hesse (VA-QSH-SL), and other federal states have followed with their own programs. Together with the German Philologists' Association, it organizes the nationwide 'Deutscher Lehrkräftepreis – Unterricht innovativ' competition. The foundation is led by an honorary board and a full-time managing director. Jürgen Heraeus, a board member since the foundation's founding, left the board on December 31, 2016. Beate Heraeus chaired the board from 2008 to 2023. The current board is chaired by Alexandra Heraeus. The foundation's work is accompanied by an advisory council comprising personalities from science, politics, society, business, and the school system. Since April 1, 2023, former board chair Beate Heraeus has led the advisory council. Foundation ambassadors include football world champion Philipp Lahm (since 2015), cabaret artist and science journalist Eckart von Hirschhausen (since 2018), and TV presenter Willi Weitzel (since 2020).

• 2025

  Pilot program next:schule launched with seven Hessian schools

• 2023

  Beate Heraeus becomes chair of the advisory council on April 1

• 2020

  Willi Weitzel becomes foundation ambassador

• 2018

  Eckart von Hirschhausen becomes foundation ambassador

• 2017

  Commissioned by Hessian Ministry of Education for VA-QSH-SL qualification

• 2016

  Jürgen Heraeus leaves the board on December 31

• 2015

  Philipp Lahm becomes foundation ambassador

• 2010

  Repositioning and adoption of the name Heraeus Bildungsstiftung

• 1981

  Additional endowment by Clara André

• 1976

  Additional endowment by Kathinka Platzhoff; foundation renamed Bertha Heraeus und Kathinka Platzhoff Stiftung

• 1965

  Foundation established by Bertha Heraeus

Non-profit foundation strengthening school leadership and teaching staff to shape change in education.

• Seminars and training for school leaders

• Programs for teachers

• Networking events

• Studies and publications

• next:schule pilot program

• VA-QSH-SL qualification for school leaders in Hesse

• Deutscher Lehrkräftepreis – Unterricht innovativ

1. 1Startseite - Heraeus Bildungsstiftungheraeus-bildungsstiftung.de
2. 2Über uns - Heraeus Bildungsstiftungheraeus-bildungsstiftung.de
3. 3Heraeus Bildungsstiftung - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Heraeus Bildungsstiftung - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5"In Schule müssen Werte wachsen" - Story von Jasmin Khader - Heraeus Bildungsstiftungheraeus-bildungsstiftung.de
6. 6„Es bringt nichts, nur mehr vom Gleichen zu machen“ - Heraeus Bildungsstiftungheraeus-bildungsstiftung.de