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| Candid Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Candid Foundation |
| Type | Nonprofit think tank |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Focus | International affairs, development, policy research |
| Key people | Helmut Anheier, Ulrike Guérot, Daniel Birnbaum |
Candid Foundation Candid Foundation is a Berlin-based nonprofit think tank engaged in international policy research, convening, and grantmaking focused on European foreign policy, transatlantic relations, and global governance. The foundation operates through research publications, conferences, and partnership programs linking policymakers, scholars, and civil society across Europe, North America, and the Global South. It situates itself at the intersection of practical diplomacy and academic inquiry, engaging with a wide range of institutions and figures from the fields of international relations, cultural policy, and democracy promotion.
Founded in 2014 in Berlin by a group of practitioners and scholars with roots in European policy networks, the organization emerged amid debates following the Eurozone crisis, the annexation of Crimea, and shifting transatlantic dynamics during the Presidency of Barack Obama and the Presidency of Donald Trump. Early initiatives drew on collaborations with institutions such as the European Council on Foreign Relations, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, while engaging scholars from universities including Humboldt University of Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, London School of Economics, Harvard University, and Stanford University. The foundation has hosted events featuring figures associated with the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the United Nations. Over time it expanded programming to address crises like the Syrian civil war, the Yemeni Civil War, and geopolitical competition involving the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
The foundation’s stated mission emphasizes strengthening liberal democratic norms and multilateral institutions, supporting policy innovation across the European Union, and fostering transatlantic dialogue between stakeholders from the United States, Canada, and EU member states like France, Germany, Poland, and Italy. Activities include convening roundtables with participants from the European Parliament, the Bundestag, the French National Assembly, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Chatham House, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It produces policy briefs, white papers, and cultural programs engaging with the Goethe-Institut, the British Council, and museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre. The foundation also publishes analysis referencing reports by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the OECD, and the World Economic Forum.
Programmatic work spans thematic portfolios: European foreign policy and defense, digital governance, cultural diplomacy, and regional stabilization. Projects have included conferences on NATO readiness with speakers linked to the US Department of Defense, the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and the Bundeswehr, workshops on China-Europe relations involving delegations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China), trade seminars with experts from the World Trade Organization, and research series on migration alongside NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Rescue Committee. Other initiatives connected to the foundation engaged artists and curators from institutions like the Tate Modern, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and partnered on dialogues with city administrations including City of New York, City of Paris, and City of Berlin.
Funding and partnerships have come from a mix of philanthropic foundations, governmental agencies, and private donors. Partners include the Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the King Baudouin Foundation, as well as grants from national foreign ministries such as the Federal Foreign Office (Germany), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden), and the United States Agency for International Development. Collaborative projects have involved academic centers like the European University Institute, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, and corporate partners including multinational firms with interests in technology and infrastructure. The foundation has participated in EU-funded consortia under programs administered by the European Commission and partnered on initiatives with the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
Governance is conducted through a board and advisory council composed of former diplomats, academics, and civil society leaders with affiliations to institutions such as the Bundeskanzleramt (Federal Chancellery of Germany), the UNDP, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Crisis Group. Staff and fellows have included researchers educated at universities like Oxford University, Cambridge University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Princeton University, and practitioners drawn from ministries and international organizations including the European External Action Service, the UNHCR, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The foundation maintains offices in Berlin and temporary program offices in partner cities such as Brussels, Washington, D.C., and Istanbul.
The foundation’s work has influenced policy debates within forums like the Munich Security Conference, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, and its publications have been cited by media outlets including Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Financial Times, Politico, and The Guardian. It has received awards and acknowledgments from cultural institutions and policy networks, collaborating with recipients of honors such as the Nobel Peace Prize, the Charlemagne Prize, and the Heinrich Heine Prize. Alumni and partners have gone on to positions in cabinets, parliaments, and international organizations including the European Parliament, the World Health Organization, and national ministries in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Spain, and Japan. The foundation continues to convene cross-sectoral dialogues aiming to shape responses to geopolitical challenges and to support cooperative frameworks involving actors like the G7, the G20, and regional organizations across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Category:Think tanks based in Germany