The German government will contribute €120,000 to cover the cost of running the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation office in 2010 under an agreement signed in Warsaw by the Michael H. Gerdts, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, president of the Foundation Management Board.

The goal of the Foundation, established last year, is to create a Perpetual Fund of €120 million, with the income it generates being used to finance long-term construction plans for the grounds of the Auschwitz Memorial. So far, the German federal government and the Länder (federal states) have pledged €60 million, to be paid in installments over five years, beginning in 2011. The new donation will cover the costs of running the Foundation office.

“Setting up the Foundation is very time-consuming. There are meetings, business trips, and translation on a regular basis. However, there will be no income from the Perpetual Fund for about twenty months. In the meantime, we must raise money for current costs, audits, and meetings of the board. The German decision will make it possible to work through the end of 2010,” said Cywiński.

In 2009, the German federal government contributed almost €40,000 to the costs of running the Foundation office.