Excerpts from statute and funding guidelines
The objectives of the Hans Hermann Voss Foundation stem from the foundation statute from 06-28-2006, last modified on 06-21-2012. § 2 of the foundation statute reads:
“1. The objectives of the foundation are
a) promotion of natural science and research;
b) promotion of education and training;
c) promotion of youth and seniors;
d) (case by case) support of charitable causes.
2. The objectives of the foundation are achieved e.g. by supporting
- research projects of academic institutions, in particular universities and universities of applied sciences and other scientific facilities, e.g. Max Planck Institute, as well as research projects of non-profit, private, and public institutions, as well as by aiding students and affiliates of these institutions through scholarships and scientific awards,
- educational and athletic institutions, such as kindergartens, youth centers, athletic clubs, and schools,
- retirement and rest homes,
- individuals listed in § 53 nos. 1 and 2 of the fiscal code, or by founding and maintaining facilities like those listed above.
3. The funding does not necessarily have to be granted uniformly to all foundation objectives. The foundation can fund individual foundation objectives to a lesser extent than other foundation objectives or - over a restricted period of time - not at all.
4. The foundation can entirely or partially allocate its resources for the fulfillment of the objectives to suitable corporations of public law or other tax-deductible bodies insofar as it does not fulfill the objectives itself - if necessary, using auxiliary persons within the meaning of § 57 sect. 1, sentence 2 of the fiscal code in the publication version from 10-01-2002.
5. The board of trustees has the right to set funding guidelines for the allocation of resources within the framework of the objectives of the foundation in accordance with sect. 1 to sect. 4.”
In the funding guidelines from 08-09-2013, it is firstly established that funding is prioritized for Wipperfürth and for the Oberberg district for the foundation objectives “Youth and seniors” and “Support of charitable causes”. Secondly, the following funding principles are defined in § 2:
“Principles of funding
(1) Out of the foundation resources available according to § 1 sect. 3, the projects that can be funded according to the statements above and the statute can be financed entirely or partially.
However, the following should in principle not be financed:
- costs following completion of funded projects,
- projects that lead to withdrawal by the public authorities that were previously financing these projects,
- projects with party political impact,
- projects that would not have been supported by the founder Hans Hermann Voss, according to the opinion of the board of trustees.
(2) Indiscriminately distributed funding is not desirable. On the contrary, it may turn out to be appropriate to bundle the expected foundation resources. This can be done by allocating larger proportional shares to particular foundation objectives in an annual rotation. This allows the possibility of funding of more costly and possibly more urgent projects.
(3) The funding must take place according to objective and transparent criteria.
(4) When allocating foundation resources that require particular expertise, the executive and board of trustees may rely on consultation with specialists (e.g. when awarding scholarships).”