Too Good To Be True!

I had the opportunity to visit the Baden Würtemberg Stiftung this week. This translates to the Baden Würtemberg Foundation. Baden Würtemberg is the name of the state we are visiting and the foundation’s mission is to ensure the sustainability of the state by focusing on research, education and society and culture. A non-partisan supervisory board made up of political delegates from the state manages the foundation. The foundation’s assets are worth an estimated 7.5 billion Euros, and it funds up to 50 million Euros in programs annually. This foundation is unique in that it is operational in nature. In other words, the board decides which research and programs it will fund and the foundation’s officers and staff partner with state organizations to run the programs and research. The foundation employs 35 staff members and currently serves 70 programs.

There’s so much more I could share about this wealthy foundation. One thing I’m envious of is its Expedition D Bus that takes STEM on the road, to give girls in particular, access to STEM education. Like all German endeavors, this bus is technologically superior to anything I’ve ever witnessed. It can almost double in size upon reaching its destination, expanding by width and height with the push of a button. Inside, students can experience Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and all kinds of scientific explorations.

I was curious about the sustainability of so many programs but it seems that the BW Stiftung has it covered. They start programs and once they are successful they will be incorporated into another government entity into perpetuity. It all seems too good to be true and I want to take it back to Virginia!