The non-profit Kühne Foundation has been a supporter of Lucerne Festival since 2008. Since 2020, the foundation is a main sponsor. The focus of the cooperation is the support of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
The non-profit Kühne Foundation, headquartered in Schindellegi/Schwyz, was established by the Kühne family in 1976. It works as an operative foundation that develops and executes almost all of its projects itself. Its President is Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Michael Kühne. The foundation's primary purpose is to support education and training as well as scienes and research in the areas of logistics and transport. With the Kühne Logistics University, founded in 2010, the foundation maintains its own private university in Hamburg. The foundation is furthermore highly engaged in building and establishing logistics expertise in developing and emerging countries. HELP Logistics AG, a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation, is involved in humanitarian logistics and advises and supports government institutions as well as aid organizations in humanitarian aid worldwide. The Kühne Foundation moreover has a large-scale commitment to medical projects. It supports a medical campus in Davos, Switzerland, where extensive research programs in allergology and cardiology are conducted. Since 2023, the foundation has also been involved in the area of climate and, for example, develops innovative ideas and initiatives on how the transport and logistics sector can promote environmentally friendly and sustainable development at a global and local level.
In the cultural field, the Kühne Foundation provides support to renowned festivals, opera houses, and concert halls in various European countries.