The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom ('' German: Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit e.V.; Abbreviation: FNF'') is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Established in 1958 by

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His civil demeanour and his cordial nature – something of a contrast to German nati ...

, the first president of the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

, it promotes

individual freedom Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and ad ...

and

classical liberalism Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics and civil liberties under the rule of law, with special emphasis on individual autonomy, limited governmen ...

. Usually still referred to as the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (), the foundation supplemented its name in 2007 with the words "for Freedom" ('). The foundation follows the ideals of the Protestant theologian,

Friedrich Naumann Friedrich Naumann (25 March 1860 – 24 August 1919) was a German Liberalism in Germany, liberal politician and Protestant parish pastor. In 1896, he founded the National-Social Association that sought to combine liberalism, nationalism and ...

, except his Christian socialist views. At the beginning of the last century, Naumann was a leading German liberal thinker and politician. He resolutely backed the idea of civic

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

. Naumann believed that a functioning

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

needs politically informed and educated

citizen Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality ...

s. According to him, civic education is a prerequisite for

political participation Citizen participation or public participation in social science refers to different mechanisms for the public to express opinions—and ideally exert influence—regarding political, economic, management or other social decisions. Participato ...

and thus for democracy. The foundation is an agent of organized liberalism. It promotes this through civic education, international political dialogues, and political counselling. The foundation has numerous offices in Europe, Africa, America, and Asia. It also has close links to Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) and

Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberalism, liberal political parties. The political international was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal and progressive democratic parties aim ...

(LI). The foundation's activities in the field of civic education consist of seminars, conferences and publications aimed at promoting liberal values and principles. The international political dialogue program provides a discussion forum for a wide range of liberal issues. The foundation's counselling programs focus on candidates for political office, liberal political parties and other democratic organizations.

Scholarship program

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, together with other foundations of different philosophical, political, and ideological orientation and the non-political German National Academic Foundation, acts as an instrument for the promotion of excellence in German tertiary education. This scholarship system is funded by the Federal Government. Around 1% of university students in Germany hold one of these federally funded merit scholarships. Currently, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation provides scholarships to approximately 800 students, among those 175 PhD students (as of 2009). Scholarships are granted after a competitive multi-stage admission process. The selection is based on grades, letters of recommendation, leadership potential, community service, and a visible commitment to liberal values. Around 20% of the scholarships are held by foreign students studying at a university in Germany.

Foreign involvement

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, the foundation was involved in a misunderstanding on a meeting related to the some members of the Congress. The Peru Office Director testified before the Peruvian Congress to clear the misunderstanding. The North America Regional Office in Washington, D.C. runs two programs. The Transatlantic Dialogue Program encourages discussions between the US, Canada, and Germany on various fronts, while the World Order and Globalization Hub enhances global economic understanding. Both aim to foster knowledge exchange and promote global social and economic progress. Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the foundation's work in Moscow was stopped and the Moscow office's registration was revoked. In April 2024, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation was declared an undesirable organization in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

References

External links

Homepage of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Engl) Instituto Friedrich Naumann para a Liberdade -
Instituto Friedrich Naumann para a Liberdade - Brasil
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Scholarship Funds and Foundations in Germany
I {{authority control Classical liberalism
Free Democratic Party (Germany) Liberal organizations Liberalism in Germany Political and economic think tanks based in Germany Political and economic research foundations Political organisations based in Germany Organizations listed in Russia as undesirable

Scholarship program

Foreign involvement

See also

References

External links