Our Areas of Impact
Our work focuses on four interconnected themes. They are not rigid categories – many of our ChanceMakers work at the intersection of several. Together, they form the framework for a just and liveable future, in which all people can lead a self-determined life within planetary boundaries.
Dignity, Protection and Self-Determination for the Most Vulnerable: Those who have experienced exploitation or human trafficking have lost control over their own body, their work and their future. Those who are persecuted as minorities or forced to flee are not free – not in where they live, not in what lies ahead, not in who they are. Our ChanceMakers fight to restore these freedoms. They support people who have lost their self-determination through exploitation, trafficking, displacement, oppression and poverty to reclaim agency and become active shapers of their own lives.
Education That Enables Marginalised People to Shape Their Own Futures: Learning that bridges local knowledge with the skills needed for the future, creating real opportunities where people actually live. Skills that prepare people for life, not just for the labour market. Programmes that give young people the tools, confidence and space to build something of their own in their communities. Our ChanceMakers develop holistic education models, social entrepreneurship programmes and accessible learning platforms that help young people unlock their full potential.
Ecological Foundations and Liveable Futures: Soils recovering. Forests returning. Land rights secured. Smallholder farmers earning an independent income. Our ChanceMakers take holistic approaches that treat ecological renewal and social justice as two sides of the same coin – because neither is possible without the other. Agroecology, agroforestry, community-based conservation and creating sustainable livelihoods for smallholder families are some of the concrete fields in which they work.
Social Business Models for a Just World: We believe economies can be moved in a different direction – toward communities, toward nature, toward justice. Markets and economic systems are not neutral forces – they can exploit or uplift, destroy or regenerate. Too many people around the world work hard and yet have little to show for it: value flows past them, and the market structures work against them. Our ChanceMakers build social enterprises, cooperatives and other holistic business models that succeed because of their social mission, not despite it. They create new livelihoods within their communities, keep value where it is generated, and demonstrate that economic success and ecological responsibility go hand in hand.
We believe that effective and sustainable change is best driven by the people who are directly confronted with the social and environmental challenges of our time in various ways.
That is why we support ChanceMakers with the aim of helping people around the world to lead independent lives. With our innovative solutions, we open up new prospects for disadvantaged people.
After careful consideration, we also offer new, innovative and courageous solutions a chance. We generally provide long-term support to all ChanceMaker initiatives in order to achieve maximum impact and create opportunities to expand the programmes and activities to other population groups.
We operate like an agile start-up, always open to new ideas. We welcome innovation and combine entrepreneurial spirit with a clear focus on the creation of sustainable livelihoods for local people.
We are reliable sparring partners for our ChanceMakers who are looking for exchange beyond financial resources. In doing so, we draw on our many years of expertise in non-profit work and our constantly growing network. Whenever possible, we visit the ChanceMakers on site to gain a direct impression of the impact of their initiatives.
Introducing the ChanceMaker Foundation team
Crispine Maier
Partnerships & Organisation
Peter Cramer
Online Communications
Get to know the foundation’s advisory board