Über Uns | BRUKER-Stiftung

About Us

Founding and history:
The BRUKER Foundation, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, was established on 17 June 2015 by its founders Hans-Peter and Karin Bruker. It merged two trust foundations, the BRUKER Stiftung and the EUWAX Stiftung, which had been set up on 27 June 2007 with the trustee Schaudt Rechtsanwälte GbR in Stuttgart. Their original endowment of €3,960,000 consisted of 75,000 shares in EUWAX AG, Stuttgart, the company founded by Hans-Peter Bruker. The Stuttgart Regional Council recognised the BRUKER Foundation as an independent foundation with legal capacity on 26 June 2015.

Why we founded:

It is the stated aim of the founders to promote cultural life and contribute to the preservation of existing and the development of new institutions of cultural value. This can be achieved through material donations and intellectual or personnel support. Sport is an important component of culture. It should convey joy, relaxation, and camaraderie; it can shape character and personality, and promote and maintain health and well-being. Its educational, social, integrative, political, and economic aspects, as well as its significant influence on prevention and health promotion, give sport important socio-political significance. The foundation is intended, in particular, to support projects and individuals who receive no support from public institutions or associations.

Invested in equities, as the founder wished:

The foundation's initial assets were formed through a stake of 75,000 shares in EUWAX AG, valued at approximately €3,960,000 . EUWAX AG, founded by Hans-Peter Bruker, is a company with the vision that professional stockbrokers should use their expertise to ensure fair and equitable stock market price discovery, and that the stock exchange, as a vital component of the social market economy, can only function sustainably if all investors have equal access to the capital market. The principle of equal opportunity for all is the link between this foundation and its mission.
The contribution of the EUWAX shares is intended to ensure that the successes from the world of finance will also contribute sustainably to the promotion of cultural cohesion among people, in line with the binding social responsibility of those who have become prosperous. At the express wish of the founder, Hans-Peter Bruker, the majority of the BRUKER Foundation's assets are now invested in shares of international companies or corresponding funds. This has made it possible to achieve an increase in assets of €3 million between its founding in 2007 and 2026, despite mostly negative real interest rates. Of this, more than €2 million has been allocated to grants and self-developed projects, in accordance with the foundation's purpose.

Low costs thanks to volunteers:

All members of the board of directors and the foundation council work entirely on a voluntary basis. Administrative costs are less than 1 percent of the foundation's assets.