Paul Klinger Künstlersozialwerk

Paul Klinger Künstlersozialwerk e.V. is an independent German non-profit social organisation founded in 1974. It's not associated with any public institution, and is financed exclusively by membership fees as well as donations. It helps artists in emergency situations, as well as with a helpline for all questions related to an artist's life, such as insurance, pension plans, legal matters, debts, and bankruptcy, and other social issues. The association has about 1.200 members of all crafts and disciplines, e.g. musicians and composers, painters and further fine artists, novelists and poets, TV and filmmakers, actors, dancers and other stage performers, photographers, journalists, publicists, and illustrators.

History
The Paul Klinger Künstlersozialwerk was founded to honor the German actor and social activist Paul Klinger three years after his death in 1971, who during his life stood for bettering the conditions of disadvantaged artists in post-WW2 Germany.

Notable members
Among the 1200 members are numerous well-known artists, e.g. the entertainers Kessler Twins, the singer and actress Bibi Johns, the musician Peter Horton (died in 2023), the singer Stephan Remmler of the band Trio, the satirist and standup comedian Claus von Wagner, or the singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker.

Honors
For their social engagement, the Paul Klinger Künstlersozialwerk was awarded the Medal of Honour of the Münchener Künstlergenossenschaft königlich privilegiert 1868 (the Munich Royal artist society from 1868, founded under King Ludwig II of Bavaria) in 2020.