About the Humboldt Foundation

When the foundation was established in 1953, the moon landing was little more than a pipe dream, pacemakers and the contraceptive pill had not yet been invented, and smartphones and the Internet were at best science fiction. However, the fundamental idea underlying the Foundation is still relevant today.

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was a nature researcher and explorer, universal genius and cosmopolitan, scientist and patron. His lengthy Latin American journey from 1799 to 1804 was celebrated as the second scientific discovery of South America.

The Foundation maintains an interdisciplinary network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries around the world – including 61 Nobel Prize winners.

The Humboldt Foundation’s activities are chiefly financed from resources deriving from government and non-government funders.

Statutes of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of 10 December 1953 (as last revised on 11 May 2017, in German only)

informational material about Humboldt Programmes

Your donation to the Humboldt Foundation helps to promote the next generation of outstanding researchers worldwide.