Stiftung trias, based at Droste-Hülshoff-Strasse 43 in Hattingen, Germany, was founded on March 2, 2002, with initial capital of 74,500 euros raised from a network of supporters including Gerda Helbig, Anne Dellgrün, Wolfgang Kiehle, and Rolf Novy-Huy. Registered under number 21.13.01.02-304 in North Rhine-Westphalia's foundation directory, it has grown to manage assets of 49 million euros as of December 2024, up from 30 million in 2024 and 45.5 million in 2023. Over 250 donors back the organization, which oversees a three-member board and a nine-member supervisory board.
The foundation secures land from speculation through long-term heritable building rights, leasing it to initiatives while collecting fees into a mutual fund for further acquisitions. It has removed nearly 1 million square meters of land from the market, supporting 54 such leasehold projects and owning 29 full properties outright. In 2024, it spent 199,242 euros on its operations and grants to third parties.
Current projects include a 50-resident multi-generational wooden housing complex built to KfW Efficiency Standard 55 with affordable rents; a cooperative in Dortmund's north planting community gardens amid cultural spaces; and the conversion of a 1911 school into family housing with a permaculture garden. Others repurpose historic sites like a Thuringian spa administration into learning hubs or a Rhön biosphere pension into shared housing. The group also runs a nationwide Wohnprojekte-Portal for project networking and advice on financing, law, and group processes, alongside grants like 6,000 euros annually to Munich's KunstWohnWerke for neighborhood work.