Cooperation Project Education as an Opportunity

The Haniel Foundation advances collaboration between social enterprises and educational institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia (Duisburg) and Hamburg through its collective-impact initiative Cooperation Project Education as Opportunity. The goal is to systematically support disadvantaged children and adolescents until they complete school and enable them to successfully start their careers. Through coordinated offerings such as co-teaching, individual support modules, and learning mentorships, synergies are created and the dropout rate is sustainably reduced. Partnerships with Teach First Germany, Chancenwerk, and apeiros provide a broadly diversified set of measures that include both extracurricular learning venues and cultural cooperation projects. To date, the initiative has reached around 1,500 students and has been piloting the expansion of the model since 2019 in Hamburg pilot schools.

As a grant project, the funding is exclusively aimed at non-profit social enterprises or gGmbHs that are active in educational support and can demonstrate a partnership with the Haniel Foundation. Continuous application submission enables timely integration of new cooperation partners without being bound to fixed deadlines. Prerequisites include a focus on equal opportunities, willingness to pursue collective goals, and local anchoring. With this initiative, the Haniel Foundation remains a driving force for the sustainable reduction of educational disadvantages and sends a clear signal for social cohesion and democratic engagement.