“Toward Just Futures” – that was the title of the first Allianz Foundation Summit in Berlin. Three days, 35 countries, 200 risktakers from the realms of art and culture, the climate movement and civil society, and 19 workshops. It was an intensive, inspiring and above all encouraging network meeting that we and our partners had worked toward over the entire year and that had been conceived of, developed and organized in cooperation with them.

The Summit began with the first in-person meeting of our Allianz Foundation Fellows and a gathering of the entire Allianz Foundation Hubs Network – including new members from Brussels and Madrid. The Hubs meeting was the start of the multi-year collaboration. Many more representatives of the projects, initiatives and partner organizations we support also had the opportunity to meet over the subsequent days.

Along with the workshops, the highlight of the Summit was a joint event in the Maxim Gorki Theater on 9 November. Participants listened to a moving podium discussion involving the human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk from the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the British–Israeli architect Eyal Weizman, founder and director of Forensic Architecture, Susanne Baer, former Justice at the German Federal Constitutional Court, and the lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck from the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). The evening began with a captivating theater performance called “Mothers. A Song For Wartime,” a project in which the internationally renowned Polish director Marta Górnicka (founder of the Political Voice Institute) who is famous for her choral work brings together more than 20 Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish women from various generations. As witnesses of war and violence they raise their voice to call for peace.

As the year drew to a close, the Summit above all showed us and our partners that solidarity and consensus about fundamental values are the foundation that will carry us through turbulent times and give us strength.

On May 15, 2023, historian Timothy Garton Ash presented his book "Europe: A Personal History" in a conversation with journalist and Eastern Europe expert Katja Gloger at the Allianz Forum. A passionate European, Ash refused to accept the division of the continent even before 1989 and fought against Brexit until the end. Thus, the discussion centrally focused on how Europe can be preserved despite existential crises such as the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and how it can deal with its complex historical legacy between democracy and imperialism. The event took place in front of over 300 attendees at the Allianz Forum in Berlin and was organized in cooperation with the International Literature Festival Berlin.

Youth participation means giving young people the opportunity to shape society according to their ideas by actively taking part in planning and decision-making processes. Together with school groups and German Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, the following questions, among others, were discussed: What needs to change so that more young people become interested and engaged in democracy in Germany and Europe? How and where should democracy education be expanded? What can parties, parliaments, and politicians do to grant the younger generation more say?
The event at the Allianz Forum was held in cooperation with the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe, Youth Decides, and the Lotto Foundation Berlin

Between February 24 and March 30, 2023 the Allianz Foundation organized seven Future Labs in seven European cities – Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, London, Palermo, Prizren and Warsaw – as well as three cross-border Online Labs.
The Future Labs are a place where risktakers from across Europe and the Mediterranean region can network, share ideas and learn from one another. The interactive workshops brought together more than 100 civil society leaders working in the fields of climate action, social justice, art, culture and the media.

Participants discussed some of the most pressing issues of our times and came up with innovative solutions to the following questions: What conditions need to be put in place to increase civic engagement in Europe? How can more people be encouraged to get involved in issues such as social justice, open societies and a liveable planet?
The results produced at these workshops were summarized in a Future Lab Report that was published on October 30,2023. The Report summarizes the most promising approaches and presents practical information for civil society, foundations and politics. We made significant changes to our Foundation Strategy based on this Report.

The Allianz Foundation and the SINUS-Institut collaborated on the first Engagement Study to find out how young adults imagine a liveable future and what they are prepared to do to achieve it by surveying 10,000 young adults (aged between 18 and 39) in Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. Entitled ‘The Movers of Tomorrow?’ the study was published on October 30, 2023. More than 400 media reports reached more than 60 million people in the five countries studied.

The study reveals that young people’s perspective on the future is often one of disillusionment. Many young Europeans believe that society will become less just, more unsafe and more divided going forward. The young generations are unsure about who will lead society into a safe, just and climate-friendly future. They do not trust current political, business and civil society leaders to make the necessary changes.

Although economic, political and social conditions differ across Europe, there are a number of things young adults agree on: Almost three quarters of those surveyed believe that a robust social welfare state, stable prices and a strong social safety net are the most important foundation of a society fit for the future. In addition, 52 percent believe that equal opportunities, climate action and environmental protection are at least equally as important.
Despite significant anxieties about the future, Generations Z and Y are optimistic when it comes to climate action: Almost two thirds of young Europeans are confident that the fight against climate change can be won. Sixty-eight percent of those who are concerned about global warming have already been active in this area in some way, for example by making donations, signing online petitions or making more sustainable purchasing decisions.
Just over half of all the young people surveyed are prepared to do more for a just and green future. However, many are reticent to get involved because they simply do not know what they can do. This is where politics and civil society need to step in to rebuild trust and pave the way for more people to do their bit.

The Future Dialogues were born out of the Future Labs. This new exchange format is the Foundation’s response to the needs of the more than 100 risktakers who came together at the Future Labs. Even those who are involved in a number of networks often lack contacts in the realms of politics and administration – and many feel the need for more direct dialogue.

The idea behind the Allianz Foundation Future Dialogues is to provide a space for an open exchange based on trust between civil society and the political realm with the aim of countering looming social divisions and promoting joint action.
The first two Future Dialogues were held in November 2023 together with our partners ECCO in Rome and Eteron in Athens. Thirty-six political and civil society leaders discussed what is needed in addition to civic engagement to ensure a socially just climate transformation. The results of the Allianz Foundation’s first Engagement Study provided the basis for this debate.

The response to our call for individual funding was overwhelming. Within a few weeks we received around 900 high-quality applications from 68 countries, the majority of which were aligned with the Foundation’s goals. This positive response confirms that our program is on the right track and that there is an enormous need for individual funding. Nevertheless, we were only able to consider only a proportion of the applications submitted. 
Together with our Board of Trustees and specialist juries we chose 12 people who work at the points where our strategic areas intersect.
Individual funding was first paid out in autumn 2023 and will continue over a period of 10 months. Fellows receive a monthly grant and in addition, they receive support from the Allianz Foundation Team and become part of the Allianz Foundation Network – starting with the Allianz Foundation Summit as a kick-off event.

Find out more about some of the Fellows here.

In 2023 we also launched the Risktakers Fellowship together with our partner SUPERRR LAB. Twelve people were selected who study the crises of our times and develop ideas for a better future, be it online, by way of activism, art or civil society engagement.

The program supported 10 projects, including the Romnja Feminist Library, a platform for critical feminist knowledge. It provides a safe space to increase the visibility of the many Roma authors, researchers, activists and students who find it difficult to access the world of academia.

The Fellows each received a grant of 10,000 euros. They can access an additional budget of up to 2,000 euros to cover expenses linked to the fellowship. An additional 500 euros in Community Flash Grants was available. Besides receiving financial support, the Fellows are part of a vibrant community across Europe and beyond. They all met twice in Berlin, where they had the opportunity to work together and take part in our Allianz Foundation Summit.

Information about other projects are available here.

The Datteltäter Academy , which the Allianz Foundation funded in 2023, is a Fellowship Program for content creators and media newcomers with a migration background. It aims to provide a safe space for Fellows to work in, to disrupt labels, encourage mutual learning and enable the grantees to tell their stories - on their own terms and in their own unique way. 

The Turkish–German Coproduction Grants for the Tarabya Cultural Academy are at least equally as important. They are awarded in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. The grants provide access to a residency program for tandems of artists and creative professionals from Turkey and Germany. The Cultural Academy, based on the grounds of the historic summer residence of the German Ambassador in Tarabya on the European side of Istanbul, is run by the German Embassy in Ankara and curated by the Goethe-Institut. The grantees are supposed to use their time in Tarabya to gain inspiration for and continue with their work.

The fourth Edition of the Autostrada Biennale once again showcased the socially engaged, bottom-up approach of our Hub in Kosovo. The idea is that internationally relevant art can be closely linked to local communities by sharing ideas with residents of all ages and social strata at the local level. It gained wide recognition and had more than 80,000 visitors. The magazine Frieze named the Biennale one of its Top Ten Shows in Europe in 2023.

In 2023 the Residency on the Road Fellowship also proved how powerful the networked approach adopted by the Hubs is. Nine participants at an event entitled “Decolonizing Food: Water, Land and Heritage” from the world of art, agriculture and academia studied issues around nutrition and environmental protection in Kosovo and Istanbul and on Sicily. Three art projects were subsequently realized as part of the cooperation project’s production stage.

Two new hubs in Spain and Belgium completed the network in 2023. At three locations in the northern Spanish mountains, in Madrid and on Mallorca, INLAND weaves together artistic and ecological practices so as to ask questions around the relationship between the center and the periphery. Recyclart, based in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, is a multidisciplinary art center that unites socially just economic activity, underground art and a cosmopolitan restaurant.

Here is a full list of all Allianz Foundation Hubs:
Autostrada Biennale, Prizren, Turkey
Fondazione Studio Rizoma, Palermo, Italy
Postane, Istanbul, Turkey
INLAND, Spain
Recyclart, Brussels, Belgium

ReFOCUS Media Labs: "Nothing About Us Without Us"

ReFOCUS Media Labs is building a network of places of learning that teach media skills to asylum seekers and refugees. The initiative has already opened media schools on Lesbos, in Athens and in Krakow. Known as “Labs,” they offer participants a platform on which they can undergo further training, showcase their work and tell their stories. Courses are available on photography, audio and video production, graphic design and media processing. ReFOCUS produces feature film–length media content, cooperates with international media and is regularly involved in interactive formats and media art installations in school communities.

Negotiating Peace: how can peace be achieved?

Our project partner Qendra Multimedia brought together a diverse ensemble of European artists and groups for its “Negotiating Peace” theater production. This touring production project deals with the Dayton Agreement, the Good Friday Agreement and peace deals in the Middle East, as well as those few successful meetings that have been held between Kosovo and Serbia. And it raises the question of how Russia’s war against Ukraine could be brought to an end.
“Negotiating Peace” looks at the various dynamics that are at play in peace negotiations. Who is called to direct such a process? Do people actually reconcile once a peace agreement has been signed? Can there be collective forgiveness, or is forgiveness an individual act?

IDDRI: Transforming the EU Food System

Equal access to healthy foodstuffs, fair workplaces at every stage of the supply chain and sustainable production – these are the goals of IDDRI, an independent research institute for sustainable development and international relations that works to transform EU food systems. The Allianz Foundation supports the think tank’s Agriculture and Food Policies Program. IDDRI provides a platform for dialogue between various interest groups and conducts research into the conditions and tools that could ensure that the realms of international relations and politics turn their attention to sustainably developing the food system.

The  “Key technology for climate protection in buildings: heat pumps in multi-family buildings in practice” project, which received funding from the European Climate Hub in 2023, aims to deliver sound facts on this much-debated issue. On the initiative of the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) working with the company HEAT GmbH, this project collates information on the use of heat pumps in existing apartment buildings and presents it to the public and politicians. The survey looks at where heat pumps can be used, technical obstacles and possible solutions when conflicts arise. Owners and housing companies are to be able to use the insights gained to install heat pumps themselves. The information can also provide the basis for better policy decisions when it comes to the use of this technology in buildings.

The new JIVE Klima live journalism show premiered in Berlin in autumn 2023. The journalists on stage presented solution-oriented, imaginative ideas for more climate-friendly urban development. Their narratives were linked via artistic interludes. The event was organized by the CORRECTIV research center and the not-for-profit organization Headliner gUG.

The Glaciers Caravan is a journey at great altitude that teaches how dramatically and quickly our Alpine glaciers are shrinking as a result of climate change. It is an information and awareness-raising campaign in the Alpine regions of Austria, Italy and Switzerland run by Legambiente and Cipra. The project wants to create alliances for a new climate culture that are aimed at public administrations, local communities, economic players, tourists, the media and the general public.

European Civil Society

Wolfgang Kaleck
Prof. Dr. Kader Konuk
Yasmine Ouirhrane

Arts & Culture

Vitali Alekseenok
Kader Attia
Julia Wissert
 

Climate & Environment

Dr. Camilla Bausch
Prof. Dr. Ali Aslan Gümüsay
Imeh Ituen