A total of 2.5 million euros is annually distributed to the party foundations of the SPD, Greens, CDU, Left Party and FDP by the Berlin Lottery Foundation, according to a report by the Bild newspaper, citing a spokesperson for the Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin.
Until 2023, the foundation’s council, comprising Berlin state politicians, directly allocated the funds to the party foundations. However, since summer 2024, the Berlin Stiftungsfinanzierungsgesetz and the revised bylaws of the lottery foundation have come into effect and the funds are now channeled through the Berlin Landeszentrale für politische Bildung and the Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, in accordance with a legally established key. The lottery foundation’s council only decides on the amount.
“A basis for this has been set for 2024, with a total of 2.5 million euros made available” a spokesperson for the Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin told the Bild. For 2025, the council has also pledged 2.5 million euros.
Party foundations are primarily financed through the federal budget. Alexander Kraus, a representative of the Bund der Steuerzahler Berlin, stated, “Additional financial resources are not necessary and could be used for truly worthy purposes. It should no longer be Berlin lottery money spent on party foundations.