History of the EVZ Foundation

The establishment of the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) in 2000 marked a turning point in our culture of remembrance – the state, economy and society assumed political and moral responsibility for the suffering experience by forced laborers in the National Socialist regime of injustice.

The Foundation's assets were made available by the foundation initiative of the German industry and the Federal Government. A total of approximately 6,500 companies and private individuals took part in the foundation initiative of the German industry.

The EVZ Foundation has been given responsibility for keeping the memory of National Socialist injustice alive for the benefit of future generations. This is the reason for funding projects that research the history of NS forced labor.

On August 2, 2000, with the support of all political groups in the German Bundestag, the Law on the Creation of a Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future was passed. It provided for individual humanitarian payments to former forced laborers and the permanent funding of projects.