Foundations for Diversity

As foundations are not only important employers but also actively shape societal diversity in Germany through their project and scholarship funding, they play a special role in diversity-oriented organizational development. However, little is currently known about which opportunities and barriers exist in the foundation sector and how these are perceived by potential applicants from discrimination-vulnerable groups.
In cooperation with the German Foundation for Integration (DSI), the project scientifically accompanies three-month internships in the foundation sector, thereby contributing to closing this knowledge gap. The aim is to develop empirically grounded recommendations for action to support the diversification of foundations by examining barriers and opportunities from the perspective of migrant and migrantized and employees.

To date, there is limited knowledge about the opportunities and barriers present in the foundation sector and how they are perceived by potential applicants from groups which are vulnerable to discrimination. This research project seeks to help close this knowledge gap.

The goal is to deliver empirically founded recommendations to promote the diversification of foundations.

The research team is accompanying the German Foundation for Integration’s project “Vielfalt stiften”  over the course of one year. We are utilizing a multimethod and multiperspective research design in order to identify internal and external perceptions, past developments in diversity and anti-discrimination practices, and existing needs for action. External perceptions of diversity in foundations are assessed through (a) a quantitative survey of potential applicants. A perspective that connects internal and external perceptions is incorporated through (b) qualitative focus group interviews, workshops, and vignette experiments with migrant and migrantized interns in the foundation sector. Additional internal perspectives are captured through (c) a quantitative short survey of foundations and (d) qualitative interviews with foundation representatives.

We use the terms „migrant” and “migrantized” to indicate the interplay between an individual’s personal or familial relationship to migration (migrant) and the external ascription of such a connection (migrantized). With the latter often occurring based on racist attributions. These two terms can be understood as distinct concepts that can, but do not have to, overlap within someone’s lived reality – a person may be migrantized without having any actual relationship to migration or vice versa.