About us

The Sto Foundation, established on the occasion of our 50th company anniversary, began to fulfill its mandate in 2005. The most urgent goal was and is to promote the training of young people in the painting and plastering trade as well as students in the field of construction / architecture. A special feature of our foundation may be that, in addition to the classic promotion of the best, we also value a social component. In the craft sector, young people who are socially disadvantaged, i.e. who begin their training under difficult conditions, should also be supported.

Various scholarships, grants and seminars, which shape the life of the foundation, are available for these efforts. Apprentice painters were provided with high-quality work materials at the beginning of their vocational training; successful journeymen can receive a scholarship for training as a technician. A seminar for young masters, in which the participants learn important things about people and business management, has already taken place.

It is important to us to promote the dialogue between craftsmen and architects. Because this dialogue is the decisive prerequisite for amicable cooperation on the construction site. We are pleased to be able to make a very concrete contribution to this understanding: The competition “Fantasy worlds - the search for what is feasible”, which was held for the first time in 2007, brings together future plastering master students and architecture students who jointly explored the limits of what is technically feasible on the basis of several projects.

The architecture sector has also been making a name for itself with exciting projects for years. In addition to high-ranking lecture series, notably the November series in Stuttgart, the foundation supports grants and the summer school competition that has been held annually since 2011. German architecture faculties can submit applications for forms of teaching that deal with the topic of sustainability across borders. In addition, the Sto Foundation repeatedly supports projects in which prospective architects lend a hand themselves. Whether Mexico, Peru or South Africa, students experience in practice on site that their work makes a difference for people.

I wish everyone involved in the foundation's work all the best and the necessary bit of luck for the tasks ahead of us.

Jochen Stotmeister

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sto Management SE, Deputy Chairman of the Foundation Council