Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation

The Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation is a non-profit foundation under civil law with its headquarters in Düsseldorf/Germany and around 59 employees worldwide. The foundation focuses on supporting the technical education of economically disadvantaged young people and young adults - primarily in the countries of Central America and South Asia. Since 1993, the foundation has primarily initiated and implemented its own aid projects for technical education. Young people in need of support are given access to qualified training. The foundation currently runs its own centres for technical education in Costa Rica, India and Nicaragua.

The founders - Hedwig and Robert Samuel
The foundation was founded by the Düsseldorf couple Robert and Hedwig Samuel. Born in Düsseldorf in 1871, the Jewish merchant Robert Samuel was active in the import and trade of tobacco products and supplied the Württemberg royal court, among others. In 1927, Robert Samuel decreed the establishment of the foundation in his will. After the death of the couple, who had no children, the foundation was to serve charitable purposes. As a financial basis, Robert Samuel contributed the so-called "Hohenzollernhaus" in Düsseldorf to the foundation.

After Robert Samuel's death in January 1931, the foundation was officially recognised by the Prussian Ministry of Justice on 3 June 1932 on the basis of the will. In the period that followed, the authorities and National Socialist organisations attempted to gain access to the supposedly Jewish assets. However, the state bodies blocked each other, and as the purpose of the foundation had no reference to Jewish beneficiaries, the foundation survived the Third Reich.

With the termination of the usufruct stipulated in the will, the foundation became active in 1976 after the death of the co-founder Hedwig Samuel. The funds that accrued to the foundation as income from 1976 were initially mainly used for the urgently needed renovation of the "Hohenzollernhaus" in Düsseldorf, which had suffered severe damage from a firebomb in 1942.

Start of project aid in Germany
After completing the measures to maintain the building's substance and establishing its own infrastructure, the foundation was able to support larger projects. At this time, the foundation operated purely as a supporting foundation mainly giving funding for social projects in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area.

Start of project activities abroad
In the mid-1980s, the Samuel Foundation extended its help for those in need abroad for the first time. Driven by the increasingly evident poverty in the countries of the global South, the Foundation expanded its geographical reach. Initial donations to other development aid organizations were followed by direct aid. The foundation shifted its focus of support to operational projects, so that within a relatively short period of time it established international branches in Costa Rica (1987), Nicaragua (1989), India (1993) and Thailand (2002-2017).

Capital of the foundation
90% of its financing comes from asset management and 10% from project proceeds. Asset management generates its income from rental and investment income from the foundation's own properties.

Income and expenditure
The annual income for 2018-2020 amounted to 2.0-2.3 million euros and expenditure to 1.5-1.7 million euros. Of the expenditure, 70% was for project funding, 15% for project supervision, 7% for administration, 6% for public relations and fundraising, 3% for exchange rate conversion, interest and depreciation.

The Hohenzollernhaus
The so-called "Hohenzollernhaus" is a 6-storey commercial building at the renowned Königsallee 14 in Düsseldorf. The Foundation's headquarters are also located there. The building was purchased by Robert Samuel in 1907 and used by him for the storage and sale of cigars as well as for offices after being remodelled by the architect Hermann vom Endt. The name of the building probably originated from Samuel's work as purveyor to the court of the Württemberg royal house of Hohenzollern. Severely damaged by an incendiary bomb during the Second World War, the house was gradually renovated and extended after the war. Since the complete renovation and reconstruction of the historic roof in the early 1980s, the house has formed the most important financial basis for the foundation's activities.

Other projects
In addition to its focus on offering technical education for economically disadvantaged and eligible young people in the industrial and commercial sectors, the Samuel Foundation also supports on a regular basis local and international projects that have come to its attention as part of its foundation work. In Germany, the Foundation is the founder and co-partner of the organization KiD gGmbH, an inpatient specialist facility for abused children in Düsseldorf.