Climate-resilient Society - Stiftung Mercator

Enriched family-office · Found: 2026-03-11 08:12

OUR OBJECTIVE. We aim to strengthen the climate resilience of society in Germany and Europe by supporting the development of an integrated climate policy.

Source: https://www.stiftung-mercator.de/en/what-we-work-on/climate-resilient-society/

Funding Details

Funder

Stiftung Mercator

Funding Goal

Strengthen climate resilience in Germany and Europe by supporting integrated climate policy that combines emissions reduction, carbon dioxide removal, and climate adaptation — with particular focus on economic modernisation, social justice, civil society empowerment, and joined-up policy thinking.

Funding Amount

Not specified. Stiftung Mercator typically funds multi-year projects; grant sizes vary by project scope and are not published on this page.

How to Apply

No open call is active on this page. Prospective grantees should review the "How we support / Information for applicants" section on the Stiftung Mercator website. The foundation appears to work through a mix of proactive outreach and concept note submissions. Contact via the online contact form is listed as the primary channel.

Target Region

Germany and Europe (primary); international cooperation supported where it serves core objectives

Contact

Contact form: https://www.stiftung-mercator.de/en/contact/contact-form/ | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stiftung-mercator-gmbh/

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:48

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Project must address climate resilience in Germany and/or Europe
• Organisation must be a civil society, research, or think tank actor — or business sector partner working on climate

Project Scope

• Project should align with at least one of four strategic areas: economic modernisation, social justice, collective resilience, or integrated climate policy
• Project should demonstrate systemic impact potential — not just single-project outputs but contribution to structural change

Required Documents

• No open call — check 'Calls for applications' page before submitting and prepare a concept note
• Submit initial enquiry or concept note via the official contact form

Constraints

• International activities only funded if they directly serve the Germany/Europe objectives
• Foundation does not appear to fund direct service delivery — focus is on policy influence, knowledge, and systemic change

Summary

Stiftung Mercator's "Climate-resilient Society" programme is one of the foundation's four strategic thematic pillars. It funds projects and organisations working to build a climate-resilient Germany and Europe by promoting integrated climate policy that links mitigation, adaptation, and carbon dioxide removal. The foundation does not limit itself to environmental actors — it explicitly seeks to embed climate as a cross-cutting issue across economic, financial, and social policy. The programme operates across four strategic areas: (1) advancing economic modernisation through climate action, with a focus on removing investment barriers and building alliances between the financial sector and civil society; (2) implementing climate policy in a socially just manner, ensuring fair distribution of benefits and burdens; (3) collectively shaping climate resilience, by strengthening civil society organisations, local actors, and young people; and (4) joined-up climate policy thinking that integrates mitigation, adaptation, and CDR (carbon dioxide removal) strategies. Stiftung Mercator primarily works through project grants and strategic partnerships. The foundation funds a broad ecosystem of actors including NGOs, research institutions, think tanks, and civil society organisations. Its geographic focus is Germany and broader European cooperation. There is no open competitive call associated with this page — the foundation appears to work via proactive outreach and submitted concept notes reviewed by programme staff. This is a mature, well-resourced strategic programme from one of Germany's largest foundations. Funding relationships tend to be multi-year, and the foundation values systemic thinking, coalition-building, and the capacity of organisations to act as change agents within their sector.

Historical Context

Stiftung Mercator is one of Germany's largest private foundations. The Climate-resilient Society programme is part of a 2026-updated foundation strategy visible on the website (a new Foundation strategy page was uploaded January 2026). The programme reflects a shift from pure mitigation focus toward integrated climate policy including adaptation and CDR, indicating an evolved strategy.

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