Founded in 2003 by German publisher Monika Schoeller (1939 – 2019), the S. Fischer Foundation is dedicated to the promotion of international cultural exchange initiatives, specifically in the field of literature. The Foundation’s eponymous patron, Samuel Fischer, was chosen as he embodies its core value: to disseminate the humanist spirit.
In line with its mission statement to promote cultural exchange, the S. Fischer Foundation has supported translators and translations via international grants in Belarus, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine as well as in Southeast Europe and the Blacksea Region.
In 2008, in a private-public partnership, it initiated TRADUKI, a European network for literature and books, which encompasses Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Since 2012, the S. Fischer Foundation also organises the series DEBATES ON EUROPE together with the German Academy for Language and Literature.
In addition, the S. Fischer Foundation manages the literary estates of several renowned writers and authors, including Hubert Fichte, Dieter Forte and Wolfgang Hilbig as well as the estate of photographer Leonore Mau. Together with the German Literature Archive Marbach, the Foundation also funds historical research projects focusing on literature and culture.