The Heinrich Böll Foundation, founded in 1997 and affiliated with the German Green Party, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, is a legally independent political foundation working in the spirit of intellectual openness.
The Foundation's primary objective is to support political education both within Germany and abroad, thus promoting democratic involvement, socio-political activism, and cross-cultural understanding. Foundation also provides support for art and culture, science and research, and developmental co-operation. Its activities are guided by the fundamental political values of ecology, democracy, solidarity, and non-violence. 
The Heinrich Böll Foundation's most important areas of activity are its projects in developmental co-operation and international policy. It currently supports about 130 projects in 60 countries on four continents. By way of its international collaboration with a large number of project partners, such as governmental institutions, public bodies and voluntary organizations, the Foundation provides intellectual and financial support for protection of the environment, art and culture, science and research, developmental cooperation and cross cultural understanding. To attain these objectives the foundation cooperates with other societal initiatives, public bodies and voluntary organizations, and supports development cooperation on partnership and long term basis.

The political face of the India office was carved out of its concern for the various forms of prejudice, discrimination, exclusion, and violence amplified especially between diverse ethnic, communal and religious groups within India; the South Asian contours of globalization; the neglect of environmental concerns given the increasing pace of climate change; the challenges to India’s democracy that lacks truly an emancipatory and participatory component.
Imperative to all programmes and projects of the Foundation is a commitment to gender justice and equality. Gender democracy is an overarching and cross – cutting issue being mainstreamed in all our activities.
National conferences and political campaigns on many critical issues, and active engagement with the international community on global and South Asian experiences of democracy and inclusion have been key tools of political education to confront political challenges. HBF India’s encouragement of new forms of civil society assertions has been significant in this light.
Our overall approach is to (a) generate opportunities of sharing, analysing and learning among formations of civil society (b) engaging in independent and critical analysis of societal trends and issues (c) enabling dialogue across varied perspectives, sectors and institutions of the concerned stakeholders.