The three bodies of the foundation (also called organs) are involved in the planning and implementation of the various projects of the Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld (BMH), which serve to achieve the foundation’s objectives: the Board of Trustees, the full-time executive board and the advisory board.
The Board of Trustees makes the most important decisions of the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation and monitors the work of the Executive Board. It consists of members who are elected or appointed by the German Bundestag, five federal ministries and nine LGBTIQ* organizations (representatives of civil society). They work on a voluntary basis. The Board of Trustees is usually chaired by the incumbent Federal Minister of Justice. The Board of Trustees’ approval is required in particular for decisions on the basic principles of the research and education program, the allocation of foundation funds for research contracts and educational work, asset management and important budget and personnel matters.
The Managing Director of the Foundation is a natural person. The latter conducts the business of the Foundation unless it is assigned to the Board of Trustees. The Managing Director works for the Foundation full time. The term of office is five years.
The Advisory Board consists mainly of scientists and education experts who have made a name for themselves in one or more specialist areas related to the foundation’s purposes. They are elected by the Board of Trustees for a term of four years and, like the Board of Trustees, work on a voluntary basis. The Advisory Board advises in particular on the allocation of foundation funds by writing reports on funding applications or statements on behalf of the Board of Trustees or the Executive Board. Advisory Board members are also involved in various working groups, for example on “History and Memory”, “Theory and Research” and “Politics and the Present”. The term of office of the Advisory Board is four years.