The Heinrich Böll Foundation (, HBS) is a German, legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with the German Green Party, it was founded in 1997 when three predecessors merged. The foundation was named after German writer Heinrich Böll (1917–1985). Mission statement and structure The Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the global Green political movement that has developed since the 1980s. It describes itself as an agency for green visions and projects, a think tank for policy reforms, and an international network. In its mission statement the foundation defines its aims as follows: With the approval of the Böll family and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (the German Green Party), the foundation carries the name of the writer Heinrich Böll. According to its mission statement, Böll personified what the foundation stands for: The courage to stand up for one's beliefs; inspiring people to meddle in public affairs; and unconditional support of human dignity and human rights. Böll encouraged others to be politically active and get involved in political matters, famously stating: "Meddling is the only way to stay relevant." The Heinrich Böll Foundation also has a scholarship programme for university and PhD students, as well as a research archive with a focus on new social movements, Green politics, and a special section for political activist Petra Kelly. The foundation, with headquarters in Berlin, operates 30 offices on four continents and has branches in each of Germany's 16 states. Since 2002, Ralf Fücks and Barbara Unmüßig have led the executive board; Steffen Heizmann is the current CEO. In November 2016 Barbara Unmüßig was re-elected and Ellen Ueberschär was elected to succeed Ralf Fücks in July 2017. The German state did subsidize the work of the foundation with 63 Million Euros in 2018. History In what was then West Germany, state-level foundations affiliated to the Green Party were set up in the early 1980s. In 1983, an effort to create a national foundation came to nothing, yet later in the 1980s three different nationwide foundations were established, reflecting the different political strands within this rainbow coalition. They were the feminist Frauenanstiftung, the Buntstift federation of regional foundations, and the Cologne-based Heinrich Böll Foundation. Later, an umbrella organisation, Regenbogen, was created whose task it was to co-ordinate the activities of the three separate foundations. In 1988, the Green Party recognised Regenbogen as the foundation allied to the party thus making it eligible for government funding. In