Engagement

Thanks to the commitment of many people and a wide variety of institutions, we are able to preserve numerous testimonies to Berlin’s past for future generations. Here you can find out how you can contribute to making this possible in the future.

The Stadtmuseum Berlin can look back on a long history of civic engagement, dating back to its beginnings as the Märkisches Provinzialmuseum in 1874. Even today, exhibitions, educational offerings or additions to the collection on the history of the city are often only possible with the help of generous donations and gifts from private individuals, foundations or companies. Many projects can only be realized thanks to public or private funding. Four sponsoring associations accompany and support our work and, like the dependent and independent foundations under the umbrella of the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, contribute to the diversity of our locations and collections. There are many ways to get involved with the Stadtmuseum Berlin. We look forward to hearing from you!

Donations and gifts

Donations and gifts from citizens have given rise to the collections of the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin and continue to expand them today. Many of the approximately 4.5 million objects collected come from private ownership and are thus a living part of the city’s memory. However, monetary donations and bequests also support our work significantly and make many large and small projects possible, such as the purchase of collection objects, the restoration and conservation of collection items, or offerings in the areas of exhibitions, events, or outreach/mediation. With targeted appeals for donations, we occasionally ask for support for specific projects, but any contribution beyond that is also welcome.

Donation account

Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
Berliner Volksbank eG
IBAN DE94 1009 0000 8841 0320 13
BIC BEVODEBBXXX

Please mark your transfer as a donation. If you would like a donation receipt (usual for donations of 200 euros or more), please inform us by e-mail to fundraising@stadtmuseum.de, stating your address. In order to claim small donations up to 200 Euro at the tax office, a proof of payment (e.g. copy of the bank statement) is sufficient according to § 50 Abs. 2 EStDV.

The central collection theme of the Stadtmuseum Berlin has always been the city itself in all its facets – from everyday life and the cityscape to business, politics, science, art and culture. Currently, we are focusing on the following topics, which are still underrepresented in the collection:

  • urban ecology
  • urban and social open spaces
  • mobility
  • migration
  • national socialism
  • colonial traces
  • entertainment culture

If you are considering a donation of objects or documents from your possession, especially on one of the above-mentioned main topics, please contact us and we will clarify together whether your offer could be an important addition to our collection. We look forward to hearing from you!

Contact

Ines Hahn | ines.hahn@stadtmuseum.de

We will try to answer you as soon as possible. Please understand if it should take a little longer, as we receive many inquiries.

Estates

In addition to donations and gifts during your lifetime, it is also possible to make a gift to the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin as part of your estate planning. You can support us in the long term through a bequest or will, for example if a particular topic or area of the museum’s work is especially important to you. However, we also welcome donations and bequests that are not earmarked for a specific purpose, and they will be used by us in the long term to maintain the cultural heritage of our city. We would be happy to advise you if you are thinking about including the Stadtmuseum Berlin in your estate planning. To do so, please simply contact one of the contacts listed on this page.

Promotion and cooperation

As a foundation under public law, the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin receives subsidies from the State of Berlin. Beyond this, many projects can only be realised with additional funds. In addition to donations and endowments, funding from public and private foundations as well as from state and federal programmes play an important role here. But also cooperations with companies enable the constant further development of our work in the areas of exhibitions, research, education, outreach/mediation, building projects, expansion or maintenance of the collection and digitisation, to name but a few. If you would also like to support the Stadtmuseum Berlin or are interested in a cooperation, we would be happy to help you at any time by e-mail or telephone.

Sponsoring association

Several sponsoring associations support the work of the Stadtmuseum Berlin in a variety of ways. In addition to the Verein der Freunde und Förderer des Stadtmuseums Berlin e. V. (Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Stadtmuseum Berlin), three other sponsoring associations support the museum’s work at individual locations or in specific areas of the collection. They help to realise exhibitions, events or educational offers and to purchase objects for the collection. In this way, the members make an important contribution to the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the city of Berlin. You too can become a member of a sponsoring association!

Foundations

Since its founding, the Stadtmuseum Berlin has been a place of civic engagement, whose collections have emerged predominantly from donations by Berliners. This is represented in particular by the dependent and independent foundations associated with the institution. Among the holdings that have been placed in the care of the Stadtmuseum Berlin as a result of civic engagement are outstanding estates, some of which are administered in trust by the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin as dependent foundations. In addition, there are independent foundations that partially support the work of the Stadtmuseum Berlin.

Contact