Since 1991, Stiftung Niedersachsen has been inviting exceptional young violinists from all over the world to compete in the ›Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover‹, which is held every three years. 

The foundation, which was founded in 1987, presents this exceptional endowment program in order to further especially gifted young musicians. These efforts have received international recognition. The competition is framed by a statewide program with special focus on music pedagogy, as the Stiftung Niedersachsen is committed to strengthening cultural diversity across the entire state. 

The foundation also sets its own thematic accents in other areas. Since 2018, for example, its LINK program has been exploring the potential applications of artificial intelligence in culture. The festival 'Best OFF' presents every two years selected productions of the independent theater scene and the 'Spectrum - International Prize for Photography' honors outstanding positions in artistic photography since 1994. By lending aid to several subfoundations, the Stiftung supports private initiatives dedicated to the common good. 

Since its founding, the foundation has supported some 3,400 projects with a total value of 114 million Euro.