Städel Endowment
The new Future Fund
Our mission is to preserve the free spirit of art and secure our programmatic and institutional independence in the long term. This requires us to be financially independent. As one of the oldest civic museum foundations in Germany, the Städel Museum is primarily financed by its visitors, private patrons, foundations, corporate partners and the Städelscher Museums-Verein. We receive additional funding from the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse.
More than two hundred years after the museum was founded through the bequest of Johann Friedrich Städel, we are now taking a decisive step towards securing our long-term financial independence. In times of political and social upheaval, the Städel Museum aims to remain a place of freedom for art and science.
Our endowment will be another important pillar of the museum’s core funding.
Städel Future Fund
Together with you, we want to preserve the Städel Museum for future generations, and to carry Johann Friedrich Städel’s vision of a civic museum forward into the future.
With your donations to the Städel Future Fund, the museum foundation’s capital will be gradually expanded over the coming years and decades. The endowment itself will not be spent but rather preserved permanently. We will use the income to finance all of the museum’s core tasks.
The significant expansion of our foundation’s endowment is a historic milestone and, at the same time, the next logical step towards the future. The existence and success of the Städel Museum are shaped by civic engagement like few other institutions […]. Our primary goal is to preserve the openness and freedom of our institution, as well as its financial independence, for future generations.
Philipp Demandt, Director of the Städel Museum
Sylvia von Metzler, Chair of the Board of Städelscher Museums-Verein
The Städel is one of the best-known and most visited art museums in Germany. We are a place of encounter, exchange and exploration of our past, present and future. Engaging with art enriches life, builds historical knowledge, strengthens judgement and provides guidance. Our collection brings together international masterpieces spanning 700 years of art—from Botticelli to Rembrandt, from Vermeer to Monet, from Beckmann to Richter. We own, maintain, research and expand a significant collection. We inspire visitors with our many outstanding exhibitions. With our programme and digital offers, we provide unique access to art across generations, epochs and styles. Science, research and art education are of the highest calibre. Collaborations connect us with some of the world’s most important museums.
Städel remains Städel. With your contribution to the Future Fund. An initiative of the Städel Museum in collaboration with the Städelscher Museums-Verein.
How can I contribute?
To support the endowment grow, we count on you. By making a contribution to the Städel Future Fund, you are securing the museum’s future, ensuring that it remains open, excellent and free forever and for everyone.
Become a benefactor today and help us to make history. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We invite all individuals, companies and foundations to participate in the endowment. Take the lead—with your contribution to the Städel Future Fund.
Become part of an active community that is committed to supporting art at the Städel Museum in the long term.
The general endowment contribution
The general endowment contribution
With a general endowment contribution, you provide support exactly where it is most needed. Every sum, whether one-off or recurring, strengthens our ability to act and helps us continue delivering outstanding quality in our museum work.
Join us in preserving the unique diversity of the Städel Museum.
Further possible endowment contributions
As an alternative to a general endowment, you can support individual subject areas, contribute to a named fund or set up your own trust foundation. If you wish, this can be done not only during your lifetime, but also by means of a testament. We would be glad to advise you to determine the most suitable form of endowment for your needs.
Thematic Funds
If you would like to support an area of the Städel Museum that is particularly close to your heart, you can make a contribution to one or more of our thematic funds.
- Collecting & Exhibiting: With a contribution, you will primarily enable the multifaceted curatorial work for our high-calibre collection and diverse exhibitions.
- Educating & Communicating: Learning from the past to shape the future—that is the Städel’s mission. Our on-site and digital offers inspire audiences. Support these initiatives with a contribution.
- Research & Restoration: Art of inestimable value requires scientific expertise and global cooperation for documentation, conservation and research. Your endowment contribution will help to finance everything that this entails.
- Preservation & Renovation: The Städel Museum owns its properties and is responsible for their maintenance, preservation and modernization—a wonderful and important task. Support us with this.
The Named Fund
A special type of your endowment contribution is the named fund. With this, you can leave a visible and lasting personal mark in your own name or in memory of someone important to you. Many donors also combine a named fund with their will. The inheritance or bequest then flows into the named fund, supporting the Städel beyond the donor’s lifetime. By making an contribution to such a fund, you will inscribe your name or that of a person close to your heart in the history of the Städel Museum for all time.
The Trust Foundation
To express your personal connection to the Städel and the region, you can also establish your own foundation for the purpose of supporting the museum. However, a legally independent foundation involves considerable administrative effort. A better alternative is to set up a trust foundation, which we will manage for you under our umbrella foundation. This reduces bureaucracy and allows you to participate individually in the foundation’s activities. Feel free to contact us to discuss the advantages of a trust foundation.
Contact
Play an active role in shaping the future of the Städel Museum. Get in touch with us.
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Stefanie Jerger
Member of the Management Board
Institutional Development & Cultural Partnerships
Telephone: +49(0)69-605098-231 -
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Claudia Kaschube
Head of Donations & Legacies
Telephone: +49(0)69-605098-207
Contribute
by Bank Transfer
Of course you can also send us your endowment contributions as a bank transfer.
Account holder: Städel Museum
IBAN: DE08 5007 0010 0096 0310 05
BIC: DEUTDEFFXXX
Deutsche Bank AG Frankfurt
Reference: Endowment to the foundation’s capital
Your Tax Benefits
Good to know: One-off or regular donations that are subject to prompt use of funds are tax-deductible up to a total amount of 20% of annual income. An endowment, on the other hand, is a donation to the assets of a foundation. This can be claimed as a special donation deduction of up to one million euros, which can be deducted over a period of ten years from the date of the donation. For married couples, two million euros can be deducted (§ 10b, section 1a, German Income Tax Law).
Questions & Answers
What is an endowment?
Our endowment is the basic capital of our museum foundation. Through endowment contributions to the “Städel Future Fund,” the capital of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut Foundation will be gradually expanded over the coming years and decades.
Why does the Städel Museum need an endowment?
In the medium term, our endowment will be another important pillar of the museum’s core funding. Our aim is to preserve the Städel Museum for future generations, maintain the free spirit of art and secure our programmatic and institutional independence in the long term. Financial independence is crucial for this, as it enables investment and innovation without influence.
How is the Städel Museum financed?
The Städel Museum is supported by the non-profit Städelsches Kunstinstitut foundation and has been a private, civic museum foundation since 1815. With eighty-five per cent of its total budget financed from its own resources, the Städel Museum boasts one of the highest self-financing ratios of any European museum. Admission revenues and donations from civil society are key sources of funding for the Städel.
The museum is mainly financed by private patrons, foundations, corporate partners and the Städelscher Museums-Verein. Additional funds come from the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse. In the medium term, the Städel endowment will be another important pillar of the museum’s basic financing.
What does the foundation’s assets consist of?
The foundation’s core capital consists mainly of the art collection and the buildings of the Städel Museum and the Städelschule. The Städelsches Kunstinstitut does not have any significant endowment capital.
What happens to my contribution to the Städel endowment?
Your contribution increases the foundation’s endowment capital and strengthens it in the long term. All endowment contributions to the Städel Museum are legally inalienable. The endowment will not be spent but rather preserved for future generations. The income, however, can be used to finance all of the museum’s core tasks.
What are the advantages of an endowment contribution?
With an endowment contribution, you provide support exactly where it is most needed. Your endowment contribution is permanent in nature—as a foundation, we are obliged to preserve the donated capital in the long term. An endowment thus secures the museum’s financial independence in the long term.
As a benefactor, you also benefit from tax advantages. Inheritance or gift tax is not generally levied.
What is the difference between an endowment and a donation?
An endowment constribution increases the museum foundation’s endowment capital and strengthens it in the long term. A donation is a voluntary contribution that is spent promptly for a specific purpose.
Who is responsible for managing the Städel Endowment?
The endowment is monitored by an investment committee, which also defines the investment guidelines. This committee comprises three members of the museum foundation's board of trustees and three financial experts.
How is my endowment contribution invested?
The investment is made through an asset manager and banks. The Städel Museum’s administration department (Finance & Business Operations) is responsible for project management and acts as the central point of contact for operational processes. If you have any questions, please contact us.