The Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa, based at Sophienstraße 28/29 in Berlin's Mitte district, traces its origins to April 1, 1971, when Pauline Schwarzkopf founded it in Hamburg to promote European unity and peace among youth, inspired by her late husband and the horrors of war. Initially focused on seminars and study trips to EU institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg, it organized early cross-Iron Curtain exchanges with Poland and East Germany in the late 1970s. The foundation relocated to Berlin in 2000 and expanded after 2008, when a historical review revealed Heinz Schwarzkopf's Nazi affiliations, prompting a name change and explicit commitments to combat right-wing extremism, racism, and antisemitism.
Today, a team of around 30 staff coordinates six program areas, reaching up to 40,000 young Europeans annually through education, dialogue, and participation initiatives. Key networks include the European Youth Parliament, which it has led internationally since 2004, hosting 500 events yearly for 30,000 participants; the Junge Islam Konferenz for post-migrant dialogue; and Understanding Europe, delivering peer-led EU workshops in schools across Germany and beyond.
Awards like the Young European of the Year (since 1997, €5,000 prize) and Schwarzkopf-Europa-Preis recognize youth and public figures advancing integration. Recent efforts feature support for Ukrainian youth via travel funding and a 2021 composition stipend with the Berlin Philharmonic, won by Armenian Hovik Sardaryan. Upcoming events, such as a February 2026 gathering of 200 youths on ethics in politics, underscore its ongoing emphasis on diverse, critical engagement.