Henning-Kaufmann-Stiftung zur Pflege der Reinheit der deutschen Sprache

The Henning Kaufmann Foundation for the German Language was established in 1978 by the secondary school teacher and onomastician Dr. Henning Kaufmann (1897–1980) as a non-profit foundation managed in trust. Until 2019, the German Foundation Center in Essen served as trustee, followed by the German Language Foundation until 2021; since 2020, the trust mandate has been held by the Plansecur Foundation in Kassel. Originally named the "Henning Kaufmann Foundation for the Preservation of the Purity of the German Language," it was renamed in 2022 to "Henning Kaufmann Foundation for the German Language." Its primary purpose is the awarding of the German Language Prize, which has been presented since 1984 to individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to the care, development, and clarity of the German language in the fields of science, literature, translation, journalism, or other language-related activities.

The Henning Kaufmann Foundation is dedicated to the promotion and recognition of the German language by honoring individuals who have distinguished themselves in research, artistic or journalistic practice, as well as in other language-related activities, through a clear, aesthetically refined, and widely comprehensible mode of expression.

The target group comprises scholars, writers, journalists, and other individuals who have produced significant work in the field of the German language or who excel in their professional activities through exemplary language cultivation, promotion, and communication. The foundation is equally aimed at professionals from research and teaching, authors, translators, as well as language enthusiasts from all disciplines and genres.