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Photos of Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen (Credit: Hornischer)

The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, and primarily privately funded institution. Support for the Academy’s programs and its annual fund is provided by private individuals, foundations, and corporations, whose generosity enables us to maintain our level of excellence. We are exceptionally grateful to our donors, whom you will find listed below, in lists of donations spanning the period of February 2023 to February 2024.

Individuals and Family Foundations

  • Anonymous (3)
  • Merl & Rita Baker
  • Leon Botstein
  • Brigitte Döring
  • Norma Drimmer
  • Alexander Georgieff
  • Klaus A. Heiliger
  • Brigitte & Bernd Hellthaler
  • Jenny Holzer
  • Joseph Koerner
  • Howard K. Koh & Claudia Arrigg
  • Gina Kuhn-Deutscher & Gabriel Deutscher
  • Evi Kurz
  • Nina & Daniel Libeskind
  • Marcia MacHarg
  • Hans-Jürgen Meyer
  • Joahim Mohn
  • Jens Odewald
  • Norman Pearlstine & Jane Boon Pearlstine
  • Klaus & Carmen Pohle
  • Botho & Margarete von Portatius
  • Marc Porter
  • Ulrich Quack
  • Bernhard Sakmann
  • René Scharf
  • Volker Schlöndorff
  • Harald Schmid
  • Etel Solingen
  • Maren & Joachim Strüngmann
  • Bill Taubner
  • Anonymous
  • David Boyum
  • Gahl Hodges Burt
  • John B. Emerson & Kimberly Marteau Emerson
  • Klaus Entenmann
  • Georg Kulenkampff
  • Maren & Joachim Strüngmann
  • Klaus & Gesa Vogt
  • Andrew Wylie
  • Henning von Zanthier
  • Caroline & John Flüh
  • Bart Friedman
  • Jeffrey Mark Goldberg & Pamela Ress Reeves
  • Martin Koehler
  • John C. Kornblum (1943-2023)
  • Regine Leibinger
  • James Edward McGoldrick
  • Julie Mehretu
  • Richard & Ronay Menschel
  • Ludwig von Reiche & Marie Unger
  • Wolgang Spoerr
  • Karen S. Besson
  • Jutta von Falkenhausen & Thomas van Aubel
  • Hans-Michael & Almut Giesen
  • Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation
  • Kati Marton
  • William S. Paley Foundation
  • Tal & Ariel Recanati
  • Sal. Oppenheim-Stiftung im Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft
  • Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust
  • Karl & Mary Ellen von der Heyden
  • Christine I. Wallich
  • Caroline Wamsler & DeWayne N. Phillips
  • William Benjamin
  • Sonja & Martin J. Brand
  • Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann
  • Charles Haimoff Foundation
  • Werner Gegenbauer
  • Martin Indyk
  • Nader A. Mousavizadeh
  • Marjorie & Jeffrey A. Rosen
  • Joe Sherman
  • Peter Y. Solmssen
  • Anonymous
  • C. Boyden Gray (1943-2023)
  • William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
  • Stefan von Holtzbrinck
  • Dirk & Marlene Ippen
  • William A. von Mueffling
  • Sandra E. Peterson
  • Carol Kahn Strauss
  • Maureen White & Steven Rattner
  • Leah Joy Zell
  • Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and the descendants of Hans and Ludmilla Arnhold

Corporations & Corporate Foundations

  • Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
  • The Brunswick Group
  • C.H.Beck Kulturstiftung
  • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
  • Volkswagen Group of America
  • Bank of America Europe DAC
  • BASF SE
  • Bayer AG
  • White & Case LLP
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies
  • Carnegie Corporation of New York
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG
  • Robert Bosch GmbH

Endowed Fellowships

The Holtzbrinck Fellowship was established in 1999 with the generous support of the Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. The fellowship is intended to promote German-American dialogue in the fields of journalism, nonfiction, and fiction. The Holtzbrinck Fellow is selected annually from the Academy’s pool of accepted fellows and may have a background in academia, journalism, or other related media. The following individuals are the recipients of the Holtzbrinck Fellowship:

The Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellowship in Fiction was established in 2007 and endowed in perpetuity in 2009, with the purpose of bringing outstanding novelists and fiction writers to Berlin as part of the American Academy’s residential fellowship program. Karl von der Heyden, a native Berliner, is a founding trustee of the American Academy in Berlin, served as its treasurer for more than a decade, and was the Academy’s co-chairman from 2009 to 2011. The fellowship recognizes his wife Mary Ellen’s lifelong passion for fiction writing, we are grateful to them both for endowing this outstanding initiative. The following individuals are the recipients of the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellowship at the American Academy in Berlin:

The Mercedes-Benz Berlin Prize was founded in 1998 and endowed in perpetuity by Daimler-Benz AG. Daimler-Benz, now Mercedes-Benz Group AG, supports the work of the American Academy via the Mercedes-Benz Fellowship in deepening the economic, cultural, and social bonds between Germany and the United States. The fellowship is granted to at least one person annually who has achieved distinction in a particular manner in one of the aforementioned fields. The following individuals are the recipients of the Mercedes-Benz Fellowship:

We are grateful to Baroness Nina von Maltzahn for endowing this fellowship, which concentrates on German history after the Second World War. The prize was founded in 2010 and endowed in 2012. Nina von Maltzahn was a founding member of our Board of Trustees (until 2020), one of the Academy’s most active benefactors, and is a granddaughter of Hans and Ludmilla Arnhold. The Nina Maria Gorrissen Berlin Prize is granted to two outstanding scholars per academic year; the first prize recipient was in spring 2011. The following individuals are the recipients of the Nina Maria Gorrissen Fellowship:

Starting in 2018 / 2019 the American Academy in Berlin will award the Richard C. Holbrooke Fellowship to one residential fellow per academic year. The Richard C. Holbrooke Fellowship was created as a programmatic addition to the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum, which honors the American Academy’s founder. Its objective is to provide opportunities for dialogue on questions of special importance to both the United States and Germany. The program will include a workshop with practitioners from the United States and Europe which is convened by the Richard C. Holbrooke Fellow. Workshop findings will be published by the Richard C. Holbrooke Fellow through the American Academy in Berlin.

Annually Funded Fellowships

The American Academy in Berlin awards the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities to two residential fellows per academic year. The projects of the Andrew W. Mellon Fellows focus on key themes the American Academy has identified for in-depth transatlantic exploration: migration and integration, race in comparative perspective, and “exile and return.” The program also includes a biannual workshop for scholars based in both the US and Europe which is convened at the American Academy by the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the conclusion of his or her fellowship.

The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities was established with the generous support of the New York-based Mellon Foundation.

The Bayer Berlin Prize in Health & Biotech was established in 2021 and is generously supported on an annual basis by Bayer AG. The fellowship will allow individuals working at the forefront of public health, biotechnology, and adjacent fields to advance expert networks and promote cross-border dialogue. The inaugural Bayer Fellow in Health & Biotech is Howard K. Koh, the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard University’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Berthold Leibinger Berlin Prize was founded in 2006 and is supported annually by the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung. The fellowship aims at highlighting the bonds between the United States and Germany as well as to encourage dialogue beyond Berlin, namely in Baden-Württemberg. Leibinger Fellows, one of which is chosen annually, come from the liberal arts and the humanities. The following individuals are the recipients of the Berthold Leibinger Fellowship:

The Deutsche Bank Berlin Prize in Music Composition was inaugurated in spring 2022. Each year the fellowship invites a talented composer to spend a semester at the American Academy in Berlin, interact with professionals in fields of music and performance, and present his or her work to German audiences in an annual Deutsche Bank Concert. The inaugural Deutsche Bank Fellow in Music Composition was the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and performance artist Du Yun.

Endowed Distinguished Visitorships

The Airbus Distinguished Visitorship, inaugurated in 2010 as the EADS Distinguished Visitorship, was endowed in 2011 after three generous donations from EADS to support the American Academy’s mission of cross-cultural exchange between the United States and Germany. To this end, EADS enables an expert in a field related to its business and activities to reside at the American Academy for a period of one week. During this time, the Airbus Distinguished Visitor engages in meetings, roundtable conferences, and lectures related to his or her professional field. The Visitor also visits the EADS offices in Munich or Paris. The following individuals are recipients of the Airbus Distinguished Visitorship:


The Kurt Viermetz Distinguished Visitorship was established in 2008 with the collective support of 44 distinguished individuals in the fields of banking, law, and publishing. It was founded in honor of Kurt Viermetz, the retired Vice Chairman of JPMorgan, in recognition of his career in international finance. Each year, the Kurt Viermetz Distinguished Visitorship brings a prominent expert in finance or economics from the United States to Berlin, where they spend a period ranging from a few days to an entire month at the Hans Arnhold Center. During the visit, each guest receives a richly diverse itinerary that allows them to engage with German counterparts as well as targeted audiences through a series of meetings, roundtable discussions, lectures, and other programs. The purpose of these many activities is to encourage dialogue and the exchange of ideas on the subject of international finance and economics between high-ranking decision-makers in Germany and the United States.

We are grateful to the following donors for supporting this outstanding initiative: Karl-Georg Altenburg, Bank of America, N.A., Dr. Georg Friedrich Baur, Citibank, Citigroup Global Markets Deutschland AG, Robert Bierich, Detlef Bindert, Frank Böhnke, Pilar Conde, Ernst Cramer, Rudolf Delius, Deutsche Börse AG, Astrid & Klaus Diederichs, Peter & Monika von Elten, Jan von Haeften, Fabian K. vom Hofe, Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, John Jetter, JP Morgan Germany, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Stephanie & Martin Korbmacher, Hannelore & Claus Löwe, Doris & Kurt Mühlbauer, Sybille & Steffen Naumann, Heinz-Joachim Neubürger, Werner Pfaffenberger, Friedrich von Pfeil, Klaus Pohle, Gerhard Roggemann, Pia & Peter Scherkamp, Henrik Schliemann, Renate & Hannes Schneider, Peter Schwicht, Magdalene Götz-Seifert & Helmut Seifert, Günther Peter Skrzypek, Axel Springer Stiftung, Jean Villechaise, Paul P. Werhahn, Philipp Zenz-Spitzweg and Christian Zügel.

The following individuals are the recipients of the Kurt Viermetz Distinguished Visitorship:

With the Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitorship the American Academy in Berlin honors one of its founding trustees, the legendary attorney Lloyd N. Cutler. In 1962 Lloyd Cutler cofounded Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, which included over 500 lawyers representing corporate and industrial clients. Aside from his expertise and authority in the private sector, Lloyd Cutler became deeply involved in some of the most pressing issues facing the federal government during the past century. Working for six presidential administrations, he advised on matters ranging from the Iranian hostage crisis to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the Whitewater investigation. Still other facets of Cutler’s curiosity and intellect led him to other pursuits: teaching at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies and serving as a director of the Metropolitan Opera.

This endowed program in his name brings the best of the American legal world to Berlin to interact with German colleagues, counterparts, and the interested public on mutually relevant issues of domestic and international law. The Academy has in recent years hosted exceptional guests in the field of law and aims to address the need for more intense dialogue about and public discussion of current and strategic legal aspects. On December 15, 2008, Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer delivered the inaugural Lloyd Cutler Lecture, entitled “The Court and the Constitution: The Counter Example of Dred Scott.”

We are grateful to the following donors for supporting this outstanding initiative: WilmerHale, C.H. Beck Stiftung (Wolfgang Beck), Georg Graf zu Castell-Castell, Reuben Clark, Christian Crones, Stephen Cutler, Paul P. Eckert, Jutta von Falkenhausen, Dennis Flannery, Gabriel Resources Ltd. (Joel Bell), C. Boyden Gray, Jan Heithecker, Dieter G. Lange, Carol F. Lee, William F. Lee, Daniel & Maeva Marcus, Stefan Ohlhoff, William J. Perlstein, Joseph Pillman, Lisa J. Pirozzolo, Ulrich Quack, Martin Seyfarth, Daniel H. Squire, Roland Steinmeyer, Verband der Deutschen Automobilindustrie (VDA) / Matthias Wissmann, Villa Grisebach (Berlin) / Bernd Schultz, and Micaela Kapitzky, John B. Watkins, David Westin, Jill J. and Roger M. Witten.

The following individuals are recipients of the Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitorship:

The American Academy in Berlin established the Marcus Bierich Distinguished Visitorship in the Humanities in order to facilitate access to important scholarship and academic debate for professionals from the worlds of business and politics. Particularly outstanding scholars who excel at communicating difficult ideas with clarity and vividness are invited to the Hans Arnhold Center for an exchange of ideas with peers from other sectors of civil society. During his or her stay, the Marcus Bierich Distinguished Visitor in the Humanities holds a formal lecture to an invited audience at the Academy’s Hans Arnhold villa, in cooperation with the Königswinter Stiftung, and is encouraged to participate in a series of meetings, discussions, and interviews with individuals from the business, academic, governmental, and media worlds.

The following individuals are the recipients of the Kurt Viermetz Distinguished Visitorship:

We are grateful to the following donors for supporting this outstanding initiative. Please note that the list below documents the contributions made in 2014: Gahl Hodges Burt, Betsy Z. & Edward E. Cohen, A. Michael & Mercedes Hoffman, Dirk & Marlene Ippen, Michael Klein, Renate Küchler, Nina von Maltzahn, Achim Moeller, Hartley & Virginia Neel, Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Rosen, Mary Ellen von Schacky-Schultz & Bernd Schultz, Victoria & Aurel Scheibler, Clemens Vedder.

The following individuals are the recipients of the Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship:

The Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitorship was founded in honor of the former German Federal President and American Academy founding member, whose personality and life’s work enjoy the highest esteem on both sides of the Atlantic. Consistent with the political achievements of its name bearer, this Distinguished Visitorship is awarded to outstanding US dignitaries in academia or public service committed to and working to strengthen the transatlantic cause. The Richard von Weizsäcker Visitorship was inaugurated by former president of the World Bank James Wolfensohn in 2007. Subsequent Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitors have been Senator Thomas Daschle, former US Senate majority leader; the eminent American foreign policy analyst and president of the Brookings Institute, Strobe Talbott; Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve; and Peter Seligmann, chairman and CEO of Conservation International.

The Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitorship is endowed by ACS Airport Commercial Services, Bank of America, N.A., Verlag C.H. Beck oHG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH, Stiftung “Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft”, Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld GmbH, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, GSW Gemeinnützige Siedlungs- und Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Berlin, Richard C. Holbrooke, Hotel InterContinental Berlin, Körber-Stiftung, Nina Gorrissen von Maltzahn, Christopher von Oppenheim, Mary Ellen von Schacky-Schultz and Bernd Schultz, René Scharf, and Villa Grisebach (Berlin).

The following individuals are recipients of the Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitorship:

The Stephen M. Kellen Distinguished Visitorship was established in 2004 and is endowed in perpetuity by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and the descendants of Hans and Ludmilla Arnhold, who provided the founding gift for the Academy and continue their generous support. The Stephen M. Kellen Distinguished Visitorship was established in honor of founding benefactor Stephen M. Kellen, husband of Anna-Maria Kellen, subsequent his passing, in 2004. Stephen M. Kellen was an ardent supporter of the American Academy in Berlin since its inception, and he remained so financially, intellectually, and diplomatically for the remainder of his life. This Distinguished Visitorship aims to honor an accomplished man who cultivated broad intellectual interests alongside his professional life by bringing high-level financial experts and leading cultural figures to the Academy each year. The following individuals are recipients of the Stephen M. Kellen Distinguished Visitorship:

Special Projects

Special thanks to our partner SMART Germany for their continued support of the American Academy and providing a new smart for our library service in the 2019-20 academic year.

The American Academy in Berlin’s Head of Operations at the Hans Arnhold Center, René Ahlborn, and Head of Development & Programs, Berit Ebert, with Bertram Johne of smart center Berlin.

(Photo: Sophie Maaß)

Alfred A. Knopf, The Altman-Kazickas Foundation, Anheuser-Busch, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and the descendants of Hans and Ludmilla Arnhold, A. T. Kearney, Inc., Bank of America, Bayer AG, Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Roland J. Bopp, Katherine and David Bradley, Sonja & Martin J. Brand, Stephen B. & Ellen C. Burbank, Gahl Hodges Burt, Gerhard Casper, Avna Cassinelli, Citi, Daimler AG, Michael Del Giudice, Antoinette Delruelle & Joshua L. Steiner, Dinyar & Aashish Devitre, Remmel T. Dickinson, Blair Effron, Marina Kellen French, Goldman Sachs, The Honorable C. Boyden Gray, Richard N. Haass, Mary Ellen & Karl von der Heyden, Elizabeth Jennings & Philip Tuinenburg, Jim & Heather Johnson, Mary Ellen Johnson & Richard Karl Goeltz, Michael M. Kellen, Stephen S. Lash, Christie’s, Pascal & Melanie Levensohn, Longaberger Family Foundation, Macmillan (a subsidiary of Holtzbrinck Publishing), Vincent A. & Anne Mai, Nina von Maltzahn, Catie & Donald Marron, Kati Marton, Joachim Mohn, Nader Mousavizadeh, Macro Advisory Partners, Noerr LLP / GWFF USA Inc., Norman Pearlstine, Peter G. Peterson, Steven Rattner & Maureen White, Raymond Roberge & George Barvinchak, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Rosen, Peter & Sarah Solmssen, Robert & Gillian Steel, Michael P. Steinberg, TimeWarner, Vintage and Anchor Books, Gesa B. and Klaus D. Vogt, White & Case, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Roger W. Witten—WilmerHale LLP, Elaine & James D. Wolfensohn, Andrew Wylie / President, the Wylie Agency, Leah Joy Zell, Joy Foundation

The Henry A. Kissinger Prize is generously endowed by Bloomberg Philanthropies and was supported each distinct year by the following donors:

2023: Presenting sponsor: Mercedes-Benz Group AG; Supporting sponsors: Bank of America, Bayer AG, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, and Microsoft Corporation. Additional funding: Deutsche Bank AG, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, and Robert Bosch GmbH

2022: Lead and Presenting Sponsors: Deutsche Bank, Linde plc, Schmidt Futures; Supporting Sponsors: American Express, BASF, Bayer, Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Fresenius Kabi, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, Microsoft, PwC, Robert Bosch GmbH, The Brunswick Group, Volkswagen Group of America, White & Case

2021: Robert Bosch GmbH, Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH, Google Germany GmbH, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

2020: Robert Bosch GmbH, Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH

2019: Robert Bosch GmbH, Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH

2018: Robert Bosch GmbH

2017: BMW Group, Robert Bosch GmbH

2016: Robert Bosch GmbH; DaimlerAG; Werbegemeinschaft Württembergischer Weingärtnergenossenschaften e.G.

2015: Audi AG; Georg Bauch – Food Concepts; Robert Bosch GmbH; Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

2014: The Honorable & Mrs. Hushang Ansary; The Honorable Edward P. & Mrs. Françoise Djerejian; Helga & Erivan Haub; Robert Bosch GmbH; Golf- und Land-Club Berlin-Wannsee e.V.; Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin; Nina von Maltzahn; Porsche AG; Unternehmensgruppe Tengelmann

2013: BMW AG; Robert Bosch GmbH; Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH; EADS; Estrel Berlin; Golf- und Land-Club Berlin-Wannsee e.V.; Porsche AG; Waldorf Astoria Berlin

2012: Audi AG; Robert Bosch GmbH; Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH; JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.; Deutsche Lufthansa AG; In cooperation with German Federal Foreign Office

2011: Audi AG; Robert Bosch GmbH; Cerberus Deutschland GmbH; Dr. Pia and Klaus Krone; Märkischer Golfclub Potsdam e.V.

2010: BMW AG; Robert Bosch GmbH; Cerberus Deutschland GmbH; Dr. Pia and Klaus Krone; Märkischer Golfclub Potsdam e.V.

2009: Porsche AG; David Rockefeller

2008: Audi AG; C. Boyden Gray

2007: EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG; Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH; Mars Inc.; Die Zeit; in cooperation with Bayerische Staatsregierung

A Joint Visiting Speaker Series in cooperation with Fritz Thyssen Stiftung established in fall 2022 allows the Academy’s Distinguished Visitors and Fellows to engage with audiences in Cologne through a semi-annual public lecture.

Ellen Maria Gorrissen Stiftung and the descendants of Hans and Ludmilla Arnhold, Mr. & Mrs. Henry Arnhold, Manfred Bischoff, Stephen B. & Ellen C. Burbank, Gahl Hodges Burt, Hans-Michael & Almut Giesen, C. Boyden Gray, HDH Ingenieursgesellschaft für technische Gebäudeausrüstung mbH, A. Michael & Mercedes Hoffman, Dirk & Marlene Ippen, John C. Kornblum, Kati Marton, Volker Schlöndorff, Peter Y. Solmssen, Kurt F. Viermetz

The Stuttgart Head-to-Head series brings together an American Academy fellow with a German counterpart to discuss a topic germane to their shared expertise. Founded in 2011, the series is sponsored by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, Dirk Ippen, and Berthold Leibinger Stiftung GmbH. Past participants include literary historian Leland de la Durantaye speaking with critic Ijoma Mangold of Die Zeit; the writers Adam Ross and Julia Franck; novelist Jonathan Lethem and historian Ronald Suny; and Egyptologists Janet Richards and Gerald Moers.

The American Academy’s twentieth anniversary celebration, on October 8, 2014, was generously sponsored by the Mercedes T. Bass Charitable Corporation, Holtzbrinck Family, and Jeane Freifrau von Oppenheim.

Download a newspaper supplement from Der Tagesspiegel, published on the occasion of the Academy’s twentieth anniversary. (German version)

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