The largest Charities and Nonprofit Organizations in Germany

What are the largest associations, federations and foundations in Germany? Based on Wikidata, here is the list of the largest organizations by donations, revenue, foundation capital, employees, members and volunteers.

Last updated on September 2, 2025

Nonprofit Organizations in Germany

The largest Nonprofit Organizations by donations
The largest Nonprofit Organizations by revenue
The largest foundations by foundation capital
The largest nonprofit organizations by employees
The largest associations and federations by members
The largest nonprofit organizations by volunteers

The data for these lists is based on the free database Wikidata and is largely taken from the organizations' annual reports or public lists, e.g., from the German Fundraising Association. By clicking on the edit icon of the organization, you can verify the source or add your own data.

Attention: This data is a starting point for your research - and you can help improve it!

Do you see missing organizations or want to add data? For each organization, you'll find an edit icon that allows you to make changes directly in Wikidata. In our short guide, we'll show you how easy it is.
We're always looking for dedicated people to help with research – including internships. Just get in touch with us!

The Largest Nonprofit Organizations by Donations

Which organization receives the most donations. This largely follows the DZI's definition of collection income. It usually consists of the sum of monetary donations, in-kind donations, bequests, endowments and fines. In-kind donations are only considered if tax donation receipts were issued for them. Membership fees are considered if the funds serve a charitable purpose.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Donations	Year
1	CBM International	340,947,000 € 99.7%	2024
2	Ärzte ohne Grenzen	244,164,012 € 97.0%	2024
3	SOS-Kinderdorf e.V.	199,909,881 € 43.3%	2024
4	SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit	191,406,000 € 96.8%	2024
5	Plan International Deutschland	168,741,907 € 66.9%	2024
6	UNICEF Germany	159,596,981 € 94.2%	2024
7	German Cancer Aid	151,830,638 € 85.6%	2024
8	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe	134,815,485 € 6.7%	2023
9	Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.	120,035,010 € 21.3%	2023
10	Workers' Samaritan Foundation Germany	94,729,025 € 70.7%	2023
11	Greenpeace Deutschland	88,032,000 € 97.5%	2024
12	Welthungerhilfe	86,463,577 € 22.6%	2024
13	Brot für die Welt	82,286,560 € 24.8%	2024
14	Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz	79,134,949 € 74.4%	2023
15	Deutscher Caritasverband	77,726,967 € 31.8%	2023
16	Aktion Deutschland Hilft	73,038,288 € 92.1%	2024
17	World Vision Deutschland	70,355,216 € 36.3%	2023
18	Bethel Foundation	69,436,144 € 4.9%	2023
19	Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft	67,804,600 € 98.3%	2023
20	WWF Deutschland	66,278,616 € 51.7%	2024
21	Misereor	64,610,104 € 24.2%	2023
22	German Red Cross	61,985,000 € 29.4%	2023
23	German Sea Rescue Society (DGzRS)	61,600,800 € 90.9%	2023
24	Naturschutzbund Deutschland	61,597,532 € 68.9%	2023
25	Das Kindermissionswerk ‚Die Sternsinger’	58,185,766 € 82.0%	2023
26	UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe	57,647,276 € 88.8%	2023
27	VIER PFOTEN – Stiftung für Tierschutz	53,737,221 € 99.4%	2023
28	Kindernothilfe	53,643,494 € 77.3%	2023
29	gut.org	45,485,121 € 98.2%	2023
30	Aktion gegen den Hunger	38,256,902 € 96.3%	2024
31	German Life Saving Association	35,548,000 € 83.1%	2023
32	Bischöfliche Aktion Adveniat	34,951,438 € 81.2%	2023
33	Islamic Relief Deutschland	33,190,229 € 97.9%	2023
34	Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe	31,209,979 € 45.5%	2024
35	Save the Children Germany	30,533,623 € 35.9%	2023
36	Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland	30,200,000 € 89.9%	2024
37	Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung	29,901,928 € 85.1%	2023
38	Ein Herz für Kinder	29,404,461 € 88.7%	2023
39	Amnesty International Germany	28,541,000 € 97.6%	2023
40	Sternstunden	28,153,181 € 94.9%	2023
41	International Pontifical Mission Society	27,091,239 € 53.1%	2023
42	German War Graves Commission	26,759,000 € 49.3%	2023
43	CARE Deutschland	26,177,178 € 25.5%	2023
44	Wikimedia Deutschland	21,176,935 € 81.9%	2023
45	Deutscher Tierschutzbund	20,461,879 € 81.5%	2023
46	Deutsche Herzstiftung	19,970,819 € 89.9%	2024
47	Weißer Ring	19,950,327 € > 100 %	2022
48	Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe	19,897,164 € 29.0%	2023
49	Die Arche – Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk	19,357,616 € 92.2%	2023
50	terre des hommes Deutschland	19,347,856 € 33.6%	2023

In this overview, Christoffel-Blindenmission is unique as its 2023 profit and loss statement shows over 300 million euros in in-kind donations. Bread for the World and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe are not independent organizations but are treated as such in reporting by the Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development and also have independent DZI seals.

The Largest Nonprofit Organizations by Revenue

A list of all associations, foundations, non-profit LLCs, non-profit corporations and other charitable organizations by annual revenue.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Revenue	Year
1	Max Planck Society	2,563,800,000 €	2021
2	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe	2,025,782,591 €	2023
3	Alexianer GmbH	1,828,891,718 €	2022
4	Agaplesion	1,766,882,000 €	2022
5	Bavarian Red Cross	1,470,000,000 €	2020
6	Bethel Foundation	1,410,000,000 €	2020
7	SRH Holding	1,223,127,231 €	2022
8	BBT-Gruppe	1,168,767,000 €	2022
9	Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe	1,040,740,479 €	2022
10	St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster	1,040,600,000 €	2020
11	Volkswagen Foundation	980,964,000 €	2023
12	Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund	969,625,292 €	2022
13	Marienhaus	916,566,524 €	2022
14	Marienhaus Stiftung	908,800,000 €	2020
15	Kath. St. Paulus Gesellschaft	886,008,161 €	2022
16	Barmherzige Brüder gemeinnützige Träger GmbH	782,059,107 €	2022
17	Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands	743,990,577 €	2022
18	Johannesstift Diakonie	736,627,452 €	2022
19	Josefs-Gesellschaft	656,147,397 €	2021
20	Immanuel Albertinen Diakonie	648,405,537 €	2022
21	Malteser Deutschland gGmbH	610,309,450 €	2022
22	Caritas Association of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising	606,975,468 €	2023
23	München Klinik	600,000,000 €	2005
24	Aktion Mensch	585,495,000 €	2022
25	Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.	563,642,705 €	2023
26	Marienhaus Kliniken	561,200,284 €	2022
27	Contilia	553,439,051 €	2022
28	St. Elisabeth Gruppe	548,110,844 €	2022
29	Stiftung der Cellitinnen zur hl. Maria	538,658,249 €	2022
30	Kath. St. Paulus	524,093,453 €	2021
31	Niels-Stensen-Kliniken	511,204,529 €	2022
32	Evangelische Heimstiftung	498,697,700 €	2022
33	SOS-Kinderdorf e.V.	462,185,595 €	2024
34	RAG-Stiftung	461,300,000 €	2023
35	Stiftung kreuznacher diakonie	451,500,000 €	2020
36	Catholic Clinic Bochum	422,521,768 €	2022
37	Stiftung Liebenau	416,000,000 €	2020
38	Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Berlin	412,000,000 €	2020
39	Augustinum	408,126,606 €	2022
40	Evangelische Diakonissenanstalt Speyer-Mannheim-Bad Dürkheim	407,000,000 €	2020
41	Norddeutsche Gesellschaft für Diakonie	401,500,000 €	2020
42	Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation	400,904,092 €	2022
43	Caritas Trägergesellschaft Saarbrücken	398,776,841 €	2022
44	St. Augustinus-Kliniken	396,715,437 €	2022
45	Welthungerhilfe	382,879,374 €	2024
46	Evangelisches Johanneswerk	378,973,787 €	2022
47	Evangelischer Verbund Ruhr	374,867,177 €	2022
48	Klinikum Westmünsterland	372,442,528 €	2022
49	Diakovere	366,194,025 €	2022
50	Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Baden-Württemberg	365,200,000 €	2020

Revenue is not easy to determine in some association and holding structures, therefore it is based on annual reports. Some Bavarian organizations such as the Bavarian Red Cross are association-like but are public law corporations.

The Largest Foundations by Foundation Capital

The largest foundations by their untouchable foundation capital. Since many foundations do not publish their foundation capital, this list is unfortunately only partially complete.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Foundation Capital	Year
1	Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation	6,200,000,000 €	2018
2	Robert Bosch Stiftung	5,095,770,171 €	2023
3	Klaus Tschira Foundation	4,091,000,000 €	2018
4	Dietmar Hopp Stiftung	3,000,000,000 €	2019
5	German Federal Environmental Foundation	2,281,125,000 €	2018
6	Elbe Habitat Foundation	2,152,686,960 €	2024
7	Zeppelin Foundation	1,451,743,470 €	2022
8	Joachim Herz Stiftung	1,350,000,000 €	2017
9	Volkswagen Foundation	1,324,707,000 €	2023
10	Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation	1,200,000,000 €	2021
11	ZEIT-Stiftung Bucerius	810,700,000 €	2022
12	Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung	800,000,000 €	2022
13	Max Planck Foundation	650,000,000 €	2022
14	Bertelsmann Stiftung	619,710,300 €	2023
15	St. Korbinian-Stiftung	607,331,682 €	2019
16	St. Antonius-Stiftung	561,760,897 €	2019
17	Bischof-Arbeo-Stiftung	506,066,273 €	2019
18	Karl Schlecht Stiftung	496,000,000 €	2023
19	Fritz Thyssen Foundation	467,011,513 €	2017
20	Bavarian Research Foundation	434,200,000 €	2010
21	Pfarrpfründestiftung der Erzdiözese Freiburg	407,817,301 €	2018
22	Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft	393,430,000 €	2018
23	Brost-Stiftung	373,794,800 €	2019
24	Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future"	357,904,317 €	2019
25	Körber Foundation	345,000,000 €	2023
26	Schleswig-Holstein Museums Foundation	322,920,000 €	2019
27	Dr. Jürgen and Irmgard Ulderup Foundation	320,000,000 €	2018
28	Siemens Stiftung	300,000,000 €	2018
29	Evangelische Stiftung Pflege Schönau	291,128,980 €	2019
30	Mahle-Stiftung	285,634,789 €	2018
31	Pfälzer Katholischen Kirchenschaffnei in Heidelberg	274,398,015 €	2018
32	Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds	266,000,000 €	2019
33	Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein	244,125,000 €	2018
34	SRH Holding	243,200,000 €	2018
35	UNICEF-Stiftung	183,510,000 €	2018
36	Fürst Donnersmarck-Stiftung	180,000,000 €	2023
37	Stiftung Warentest	175,000,000 €	2018
38	Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz	170,186,064 €	2023
39	Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz	169,326,000 €	2019
40	Hertie Foundation	163,152,000 €	2018
41	Deutsche Bank Stiftung	150,012,000 €	2019
42	Deutsche Telekom Stiftung	150,000,000 €	2019
43	Wilhelm Sander Stiftung	140,915,000 €	2018
44	Karg-Stiftung	139,000,000 €	2022
45	Software AG - Stiftung	138,200,000 €	2018
46	Daimler and Benz Foundation	125,000,000 €	2020
47	Rut- und Klaus-Bahlsen-Stiftung	120,000,000 €	2022
48	Stiftung Mercator	116,088,047 €	2018
49	Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung	111,075,698 €	2019
50	Stiftung zur Erforschung der Vaskulären Demenz	100,000,000 €	2020

Pure corporate foundations are not listed. The RAG Foundation is not charitable. Only the foundation capital is listed; this can differ significantly from equity capital in some cases, if foundations have invested freely available funds or, like the Liebenau Foundation, do not provide information about their foundation capital. An overview by equity capital can be found at the Association of German Foundations. Additionally, a query by balance sheet total can be helpful on Wikidata.

The Largest Nonprofit Organizations by Employees

Associations, foundations and other charitable organizations by number of employees.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Employees	Year
1	Arbeiterwohlfahrt	230,873	2018
2	Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres	42,178	2020
3	Workers' Samaritan Foundation Germany	41,000	2021
4	Bavarian Red Cross	33,024	2023
5	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe	31,751	2023
6	Fraunhofer Society	30,350	2022
7	Alexianer GmbH	28,181	2022
8	Rheinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband	27,507	2018
9	German Red Cross Lower Saxony	26,925	2023
10	Max Planck Society	23,950	2021
11	Sparkassen- und Giroverband Hessen-Thüringen	21,094	2018
12	Bethel Foundation	20,448	2020
13	Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.	20,288	2022
14	Agaplesion	19,799	2022
15	St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster	13,815	2020
16	SRH Holding	13,783	2022
17	BBT-Gruppe	13,503	2022
18	University of Göttingen	12,469	2017
19	Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe	12,337	2022
20	Marienhaus	11,445	2022
21	Barmherzige Brüder gemeinnützige Träger GmbH	11,273	2022
22	Marienhaus Stiftung	11,077	2020
23	Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands	10,919	2023
24	Kath. St. Paulus	10,451	2021
25	Kath. St. Paulus Gesellschaft	10,430	2022
26	Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund	10,238	2022
27	Caritas Association of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising	9,979	2021
28	Josefs-Gesellschaft	9,640	2021
29	Johannesstift Diakonie	9,613	2022
30	Malteser Deutschland gGmbH	9,304	2022
31	München Klinik	8,500
32	Evangelische Heimstiftung	8,248	2022
33	Stiftung Liebenau	7,822	2020
34	Domowina	7,300
35	Immanuel Albertinen Diakonie	7,155	2022
36	Niels-Stensen-Kliniken	6,992	2022
37	Stiftung kreuznacher diakonie	6,910	2020
38	Evangelisches Johanneswerk	6,871	2022
39	Katharina Kasper Holding	6,220	2019
40	Evangelischer Verbund Ruhr	6,080	2022
41	Stiftung der Cellitinnen zur hl. Maria	6,071	2022
42	Marienhaus Kliniken	6,038	2022
43	St. Augustinus-Kliniken	5,975	2022
44	Klinikum Westmünsterland	5,927	2022
45	Contilia	5,873	2022
46	Caritas Trägergesellschaft Saarbrücken	5,766	2022
47	Norddeutsche Gesellschaft für Diakonie	5,628	2020
48	ProDiako	5,500
49	Rummelsberger Diakonie	5,413	2022
50	Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Berlin	5,407	2020

Some federal organizations report here the number of people employed at the federal association, while others count all federally employed persons together.

The Largest Associations and Federations by Members

Associations by number of their statutory members. For federal associations, this usually results in multiple counting, as the sum of all members of the federal structures is usually given.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Members	Year
1	German Olympic Sports Confederation	27,874,195	2023
2	ADAC	21,424,663	2023
3	German Football Association	7,169,327	2020
4	Bayerischer Landes-Sportverband	4,458,933	2020
5	Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg	3,986,516	2020
6	Bund Deutscher Karneval	2,600,000	2019
7	German Youth Hostel Association	2,434,871	2019
8	IG Metall	2,214,662	2020
9	Landessportbund Hessen	2,134,686	2020
10	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne	1,942,733	2019
11	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg	1,874,400	2021
12	Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart	1,863,380	2020
13	Roman Catholic Diocese of Münster	1,853,185	2019
14	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising	1,740,300	2019
15	German Alpine Club	1,570,602	2024
16	Workers' Samaritan Foundation Germany	1,545,657	2023
17	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paderborn	1,491,856	2019
18	Automobilclub von Deutschland	1,398,423	2021
19	Landessportbund Rheinland-Pfalz	1,397,200	2020
20	German Tennis Federation	1,366,137	2020
21	Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier	1,341,880	2020
22	German Civil Service Federation	1,300,000	2018
23	Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg	1,296,200	2020
24	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe	1,177,586	2023
25	Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg	1,158,230	2020
26	Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen	1,021,500	2020
27	Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfe	1,000,000	2019
28	Naturschutzbund Deutschland	940,000	2024
29	Haus & Grund Deutschland	902,500	2021
30	Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs	800,000	2018
31	German Athletics Association	798,819	2020
32	Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen	778,470	2021
33	Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg	773,140	2020
34	Landessportverband Schleswig-Holstein	769,648	2020
35	German Handball Association	754,958	2020
36	Bavarian Red Cross	741,521	2023
37	Landessportbund Sachsen	700,325	2024
38	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg	656,799	2020
39	Kraftfahrer-Schutz	650,000	2019
40	Lohnsteuerhilfe Bayern	650,000	2019
41	German Golf Association	642,677	2020
42	ACE Auto Club Europa	628,933	2020
43	Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg	624,975	2019
44	German Life Saving Association	607,310	2023
45	Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim	601,330	2019
46	Sozialverband Deutschland	600,000	2022
47	Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz	597,767	2024
48	Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück	552,990	2019
49	Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund	540,965	2020
50	Bundesverband CarSharing	522,000	2019

Some associations like ADAC are not charitable. Not all associations are registered associations. Trade unions are often organized as non-legal associations, others are non-registered associations or historical law associations. The Bavarian Red Cross is an association-like public law corporation.

The Largest Nonprofit Organizations by Volunteers

Charitable organizations by number of their volunteers.

Legal form

Industry^(Beta)

#	Organisation	Volunteers	Year
1	Diakonisches Werk	700,000	2018
2	German Red Cross	452,840	2023
3	Bavarian Red Cross	218,970	2023
4	Arbeiterwohlfahrt	73,753	2018
5	Naturschutzbund Deutschland	70,000	2023
6	Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.	58,700	2023
7	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe	45,942	2023
8	German Life Saving Association	45,000	2018
9	Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland	30,000	2019
10	German Alpine Club	29,233	2020
11	German Red Cross Lower Saxony	25,292	2023
12	Workers' Samaritan Foundation Germany	20,000	2018
13	Der Kinderschutzbund	15,000	2019
14	Lern-Fair	12,000	2021
15	VDI – The Association of German Engineers	12,000	2022
16	Caritas Association of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising	10,000	2020
17	UNICEF Germany	8,000	2021
18	International Pontifical Mission Society	8,000	2024
19	Samaritan's Purse e.V. - Die barmherzigen Samariter	7,768	2023
20	TelefonSeelsorge	7,700	2024
21	Greenpeace Deutschland	7,000	2020
22	Bund Naturschutz in Bayern	6,400	2018
23	NETZ Bangladesch	6,000	2018
24	ArbeiterKind.de	6,000	2018
25	Gemeinschaft Sant´Egidio	5,000	2023
26	Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft	4,700	2019
27	CVJM-Landesverband Bayern	3,650	2019
28	German Red Cross Oldenburg	2,726	2023
29	Evangelische Heimstiftung	2,700	2020
30	Weißer Ring	2,700	2022
31	Stiftung Liebenau	2,654	2018
32	German Tenants Association	2,500	2018
33	Balu und Du	2,004	2019
34	Berliner Stadtmission	1,800	2019
35	terre des hommes Deutschland	1,630	2021
36	German Sea Rescue Society (DGzRS)	1,450	2023
37	SOS-Kinderdorf e.V.	1,411	2024
38	Die Heilsarmee in Deutschland	1,378	2013
39	Deutscher Kinderhospizverein	1,301	2024
40	Rummelsberger Diakonie	1,300	2017
41	DIAKONEO	1,300	2019
42	International Justice Mission Deutschland	1,243	2023
43	nestwärme e. V.	1,200	2022
44	eva Evangelische Gesellschaft Stuttgart	1,200	2018
45	Stiftung Deutsche Schlaganfall-Hilfe	1,200	2023
46	Plan International Deutschland	1,200	2023
47	Diakonie Stetten	1,000	2018
48	Kindernothilfe	1,000	2023
49	Kinderhilfswerk Stiftung Global-Care	900	2022
50	Ingenieure ohne Grenzen e.V.	900	2023