The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) is a federal environmental foundation based in Osnabrück, created by the German government in 1990 using proceeds from the privatization of the state-owned steel company Salzgitter AG. It operates as a foundation under civil law and is considered one of the largest foundations in Europe by capital.
The legal basis was an act passed in July 1990, with Osnabrück defined as the seat of the foundation’s office. Work started on 1 March 1991. Over the decades, the DBU reports that it has supported more than 11,300 projects with a total funding volume of around 2.12 billion euros, while its capital has grown to roughly 2.93 billion euros.
The foundation’s mandate is to fund projects that protect the environment, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. Its funding spans environmental technology, applied environmental research, nature conservation, environmental communication and education, as well as the protection of cultural assets threatened by environmental impacts. The DBU also runs subsidiaries, including DBU Naturerbe, which manages large conservation areas, and the Zentrum für Umweltkommunikation, a conference and exhibition center in Osnabrück.
Current projects cover themes such as climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, resource efficiency, pollution reduction and environmental education formats in schools, civil society and municipalities. Examples range from pilot technologies to cut industrial emissions to urban nature projects and exhibitions on circular economy concepts, which are designed to be replicable beyond the initial funding context.