Our Mission
Climate change and the accelerating loss of natural resources are the defining challenges of our time. The Foundation for Global Sustainability (SGN) is dedicated to fostering innovative solutions across science, policy, and business to harmonize ecological integrity with economic progress.
Operating as a grant-making foundation, we support initiatives that develop evidence-based concepts and translate them into measurable, real-world impact. A core pillar of our work is the Circular Economy—driving resource efficiency and closing material loops—alongside our commitment to preserving biodiversity and establishing Natural Capital as a cornerstone of economic valuation.
We believe a sustainable transformation requires collective action. To this end, we champion initiatives that bridge the gap between policy-making, industry, academia, and civil society, forging the cross-sector partnerships necessary to secure a resilient future for generations to come.
More about our goals and operations +
Through the SUN Institute for Environment and Sustainability and other partner organizations, we support projects that provide systemic solutions to the most pressing environmental issues of our time. We foster connections between scientific research, policy frameworks, and corporate strategy. Our goal is to promote evidence-based strategies that are both ecologically impactful and economically viable. We focus on long-term impact rather than short-term success and maintain a network of experts and institutions who share our vision of a sustainable global economy.
Our Approach
We promote pioneering strategies at the intersection of economics and ecology. SGN—formerly the Deutsche Post Foundation—funds organizations in Germany and abroad that align with our core mission. To maximize our impact, we identify and invite our partners through a proactive internal selection process, which is why we do not accept unsolicited grant applications at this time.
Our Partnerships
SGN achieves its objectives primarily through the SUN Institute for Environment and Sustainability (Stiftungsfonds für Umweltökonomie und Nachhaltigkeit gGmbH) as the primary vehicle for our funding activities. Rather than maintaining internal research departments, the Foundation strategically pools its resources through SUN to channel them into high-impact external collaborations.
SUN acts as the catalyst where SGN’s commitment meets the scientific and practical excellence of our partners, including:
United Nations, Paris
Switzerland
Berlin
Munich
London
In select instances, SGN Asset Management also provides philanthropic venture capital to startups driving the sustainability transition.