The Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH (Robert Bosch Foundation), a charitable institution, is one of the leading private foundations of Europe that is known for its promotion of natural and social sciences, including public health and science, education, society and culture, and international relations. Established in 1964, the Robert Bosch Stiftung aims to advance the philanthropic and social endeavors of founder Robert Bosch (1861–1942).
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is unique in that it owns Robert Bosch GmbH, one of Germany's largest companies. This charitable foundation holds a 92% stake in the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH. The foundation channels the share dividend it receives for charitable work exclusively, including to support general medical care, international understanding, social work, training and education.
The non-profit foundation is both operative and grant-giving. In its activities, the foundation concentrates on six subject areas: Health, Science, Education, Society, International Relations – America and Asia and International Relations – Europe and its Neighbors.
The foundation operates three facilities for health and research in Stuttgart: the Robert Bosch Hospital (Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus), the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology and the Institute for the History of Medicine, which houses the private papers of the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann.
The Robert Bosch Stiftung administrates three other foundations: the Hans Walz Stiftung, which funds naturopathic treatment, die Otto und Edith Mühlschlegel-Stiftung, whose funds are used for projects that deal with the topic of aging and enhancing the quality of life of the elderly and the DVA-Stiftung, which is a subsidiary of the Robert Bosch Stiftung since January 2005 and supports Franco-German relations in the fields of culture, literature and theatre.
In 2014, the Robert Bosch Stiftung established the Berlin-based Robert Bosch Academy, a multidisciplinary institution that invites distinguished public intellectuals and thinkers from across the world to be Richard von Weizsäcker Fellows in Berlin.
From 1964 to 2011, the foundation provided 1 billion euros in funding. In 2011, it issued grants worth 68 million euros. It is a member of the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF).