Purpose

Topics discussed by the AKF have included:
... Digitalisation and Culture – Using New Media Correctly / Culture and Branding: Who Helps Whom? / Art Tax or Tax Art? / On Monetary Value: Benefits and Drawbacks / Guerilla Marketing and Participation – For and with Culture...
The AKF connects culturally committed enterprises, facilitating an industry-wide exchange that pools together various forms of experience and knowledge. In sessions that take place every six months, the AKF aims to professionalise corporate support for the arts. Each session is dedicated to a different topic, which is explored from multiple perspectives through presentations, examples of best practices, and interactive workshops.
Please find here an overview of the topics and hosts of previous AKF-working sessions.
The AKF represents the interests of its members in questions of cultural sponsorship and advocates for a cultural policy framework that supports corporate cultural engagement. Through its expert knowledge and professional public relations work, the AKF raises awareness of corporate cultural engagement within society. To honour companies that have demonstrated a commitment to culture, the AKF initiated the Deutscher Kulturförderpreis (German Arts Sponsorship Award), which is conferred annually by the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft in partnership with Handelsblatt.
Vorstand des AKF
Dorothea Gregor, Bertelsmann Stiftung (Vice Chairwoman)
Dr. Nicola Müllerschön, Odgers Berndtson
Jens Häußler, Siemens AG
Prof. Dr. Susanne Hilger, RheinEnergieStiftungen
Sebastian Wieser, Audi AG
AKF Members
At present, some 50 companies are AKF members. With regard to size and industry, they represent a cross section of the German economy. They are united by the idea that essential impulses for creative and unconventional thought and action can be gained through dialogue with artists. Simultaneously, they represent the numerous potential forms that cooperation between culture and industry can take.
Aareal Bank AG, Wiesbaden
Ahlers AG, Herford
AUDI AG, Ingolstadt
AXA XL, a division of AXA (Kunstversicherung), Köln
BASF SE, Ludwigshafen
Barmenia Krankenversicherung AG, Wuppertal
Bayer AG, Leverkusen
Berliner Volksbank eG, Berlin
Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh
BEST GRUPPE, Düsseldorf
BMW Group, München
British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbH, Hamburg
Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (BDI), Berlin
Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken e.V. (BVR), Berlin
DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale, Frankfurt a.M.
Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt a. M.
Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e. V., Berlin
Dr. Arend Oetker Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin
ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Hamburg
EEW Energy from Waste GmbH, Helmstedt
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Karlsruhe
E.ON SE, Essen
Evonik Industries AG, Essen
Mercedes-Benz Group, Stuttgart
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt
OTEC GmbH+ Co. KG / Werksviertel Mitte, München
Impressionen der Fachtagung zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum des AKF
Vor 25 Jahren wurde der Arbeitskreis Kulturförderung gegründet (bis 2017 Arbeitskreis Kultursponsoring). Das einzigartige Netzwerk vereint Unternehmen und unternehmensnahe Stiftungen, die sich für Kunst und Kultur engagieren. Zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum fand in Berlin eine Fachtagung zum Thema "Unternehmerische Kultuförderung im Wandel" statt. Zum Tagungsprogramm.
Im Rahmen der Tagung wurde auch der AKF Award 2021 an die Dorit & Alexander Otto Stiftung und an die Philip Morris GmbH verliehen.
AKF Award
Each year, the AKF awards a prize for an exceptionally innovative cultural sponsorship project initiated by one of its members. Since 2012, this distinction is made during one of the working group’s sessions.

Gewinner AKF-Award 2012-2020
Stiftung Ahlers Pro Arte für "#Depicting Women" und Volkswagen für "Volkswagen ART4ALL" (2020)
Commerzbank-Stiftung für "ZukunftsGut" und
Vollack Gruppe für "Karlsruhe Multiple" (2019)
GASAG AG für "ACADEMY" (2018)
DATEV eG für "Talking about Borders" (2017)
KfW Stiftung für "Cairo Short Storiees" (2016)
KfW Stiftung für "Cairo Short Stories" (2016)
Otto Group für "The Young ClassX MusikMobil" (2015)
GASAG AG für den "berliner kindertheaterpreis" (2014)
ZEIT Verlagsgruppe für den "Bundesweiten Vorlesetag" (2013)
BASF SE für "School of Rock" (2012)
