Toni Piëch Foundation

TPF has strong expertise in the built‑environment transition, covering renewable‑energy integration in districts and buildings, energy‑efficiency measures, bio‑based building materials, and life‑cycle analysis, and urban planning. In addition, we bring expertise in philanthropic network building, technology‑innovation management, strategic communications, AI risk, and Chinese culture, society, and development. We are distinguished by our fast and explorative grantmaking, and, when useful or needed, hands‑on involvement in projects where we can provide expertise and assistance. Our key contribution is putting the built environment in the spotlight: Currently, only a tiny fraction of philanthropic funding reaches the built environment, and public awareness of its pivotal role in climate change, resource use, and social equity remains low. With strategic communication formats like campaigns and initiatives, we can highlight the issues and solutions, engage a diverse range of stakeholders, and increase public and philanthropic agency. Supporting tools like the one mentioned above directly empowers change‑agents like urban planners, community movements, and energy‑transition networks to drive tangible, sustainable transformation.

Mission

The purpose of the foundation is to strengthen and accelerate social, economic and other endeavours and developments that have as their object a sustainable way of life for society, a future worth living for humanity, good and healthy living spaces and conditions, and an increase in the resilience of society. The focus is on the positive and sustainable development of cities, in particular through the development, visualisation and design of projects and developments in the areas of mobility, energy, public spaces and urban development, the promotion and acceleration of energy system transformation and of renewable and sustainable energy sources, sustainable and efficient energy use, the improvement of living conditions, living environments and spaces in cities, in particular by promoting the participation of the population and the use of data-driven and citizen-centred data management, as well as by promoting sustainable finance and building a platform for people who want to invest in promoting the foundation’s purpose and in related projects. In order to achieve its purpose, the foundation may use its assets to support and advise organisations, groups, institutions and individuals working in the field of the foundation’s purpose; it may accompany or promote certain projects; it may also initiate and implement projects itself; it may acquire real estate; it may award prizes within the scope of the foundation’s purpose and it may support companies, in particular start-ups, by means of loans and participations. The foundation is a non-profit organisation and does not pursue any commercial or profit-oriented purpose.

Geographic Focus

Global

Programme Areas

Future of Cities & Construction: Dealing with Climate Change nowadays means to stop greenhouse gas emissions but at the same time finding ways to adapt to unavoidable impacts. Both is important to make societies more resilient – which first and foremost requires a better understanding of practical and implementable solutions. The Climate Change programme of the Toni Piëch Foundation therefore keeps its focus on projects that have an immediate impact with regard to its overall mission.

Climate Change: Cities can host billions of people while still providing space for an enriching urban life. Or they can be an ecological human disaster – ‘the triumph or the tragedy’ of cities it is. Projects of the Toni Piëch Foundation will be looking at the climate footprint of cities e.g. that of buildings as they are among the biggest single sources of emissions in the world. The global construction sector is on the brink of a huge transformation towards using carbon absorbing materials. We seek to accelerate this shift and to help clean construction to thrive.

Energy Transition: Our day to day life is attached to electricity or thermal energy use for heating and cooling, transport and electricity uses. It’s important to maintain and expand these services of energy but to better interlink the different sectors (sector coupling) and switch to modern green sources. The socio-economic benefits of renewable energy deployment are widely known. And global welfare gains could also increase – the Toni Piëch Foundation will help to accelerate the transformation.

Communications & Storytelling: “If you can’t describe it in one sentence you simply don’t understand it well enough”. A quote attributed to Albert Einstein nails it: complex subjects such as Climate Change need to be explained. Not so much the technical or physical dynamics but rather what they mean to us and our day to day lives. And it needs to be communicated in a way that offerspositive outlooks. By deploying an explicit sensitivity to the storytelling, we seek to ensure a compassionate but forward-looking approach in our projects.