Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS)

In 2026, SGS stated that it had convened more than 1,100 sessions, gathering more than 40,000 fellows from over 170 countries.  ¹

Activities

The Salzburg Global Seminar aims to “change the conversation” on what it claims to be pressing global issues, especially when opinions are strongly held, voices are polarized, and alternative ways of thinking are quickly dismissed. SGS brings together “open-minded” leaders to collaborate through conversations that challenge their ways of thinking, to explore and develop what it hopes will prove to be better possibilities. ²

SGS convenes its sessions using the “Salzburg Method,” based on seven principles that it has developed since its founding. These principles include bringing together groups of people with different areas of expertise from a variety backgrounds, treating everyone equally, providing personalized experiences for each group, allowing time for topic exploration through in-depth conversations, and inspiring real-world, collaborative action. ³

SGS hosts programs and lectures that include Salzburg Global Programs, which take place throughout the year, both online and in person, and are either invite-only or open for application, and Salzburg Global Lectures, which are occasionally open to the public. Salzburg Global also hosts public-facing events that include open houses, book readings, theatrical performances, and single-day forums. In 2026, SGS stated that it would be launching new event series called Salzburg Global in Austria and Salzburg Global in the World. ⁴

The Salzburg Global Seminar’s website features reports, opinion pieces, statements, and interviews dating back to 2009. In 2026, SGS produced reports on nature-based education and insights on advancing youth safety and justice, and opinion pieces claiming corruption is making climate change worse, that AI and misinformation will influence Brazil’s October 2026 elections, and that public health could be improved through better communication design. ⁵

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Salzburg Global Seminar has developed a set of organizational values that guides the direction of its programming, its potential business opportunities, and its brand identity. Throughout its history, SGS has embraced the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and in October 2023 published its first DEI report, which describes why people, program, and place are at the foundation of its “DEI journey.” ⁶

In 2021, SGS created its DEI Working Board Group, made up of senior management, board members, and Salzburg Global Fellows, in order to provide insight and advice on creating and achieving long-term DEI goals.  ⁶

In 2019, SGS created its DEI Task Force, made up of SGS employees in Salzburg and Washington, D.C., whose goal it was to research and draft a strategy to meet its diversity goals based on company culture, employee “pain points,” and accessibility. The Task Force was created in direct reaction to the Venetian Room Protest, which occurred on the last day of the 2018 Salzburg Global Young Cultural Innovators Forum, October 21st.  ⁶ Posters were put up in the Venetian Room of Schloss Leopoldskron protesting the Commedia dell’arte paintings hung in that room. The protestors claimed that the artworks featured “depictions of blackface and racial prejudice.” ⁷

Partners

Salzburg Global Seminar partners with organizations worldwide that provide either academic collaborations or from which it receives endowments and scholarships that support a diverse range of its program participants. As of 2026, the 21st Century Trust, a charity registered in England and Wales, had particularly close ties to SGS, connecting its own fellows with SGS and taking the lead in organizing its London events. ⁸

Financials

According to its 2024 tax return, the Salzburg Global Seminar generated $16.4 million in total revenue, including $9.1 million from contributions and grants. ⁹

In 2024, tax filings confirm that SGS received $1 million from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for the “promise of an equitable future”;  ¹⁰ $350,000 plus an additional $350,000 approved for future payment from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support projects for youth justice, safety systems, and healthy development;  ¹¹ and $498,982 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support “health equity for all.”  ¹²

According to its website, in 2024 SGS also received financial support from major businesses including Google, Stripe, PayPal, Amazon, the Coca-Cola Company, and the Walt Disney Company. ¹³

Tax filings confirm that SGS also received grants from the David Rockefeller Fund ($100,000 in 2021), ¹⁴ the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ($25,000 in 2021), ¹⁵ the Ford Foundation ($25,000 in 2018), ¹⁶ and the Open Society Institute ($15,000 in 2021). ¹⁷

In 2024, SGS paid out $6.5 million in salaries and compensation. Its total program expenses were $11.3 million, ¹⁸ which included $157,025 in grantmaking. ¹⁹

Leadership

As of 2026, Martin Weiss was president and CEO of the Salzburg Global Seminar. Prior to this, Weiss served as an Austrian diplomat, holding the posts of Ambassador to the United States from 2019 to 2022, Ambassador to Israel from 2015 to 2019, director of the Press and Information Department of the Austrian Foreign Ministry from 2012 to 2015, and Ambassador to Cyprus from 2009 to 2012. Weiss also previously worked as a political counselor and later as director of the Austrian Press and Information Service at the Austrian Embassy to the United States in Washington, D.C. ²⁰

SGS maintains a board of directors, and as of 2026, Grant Cambridge was the board chair. At that time he was also a partner of the Capital Group, an equity portfolio manager at Capital International Investors, and the principal investment officer at the Investment Company of America. ²¹ Some former members of the board of SGS continued to serve as distinguished fellows, acting as worldwide ambassadors. ²²

SGS has advisory committees, which as of 2026 included committees on the arts, American studies, corporate governance, the Cutler Center, finance, Japan, and senior advisors. At the time, its senior advisors were Sean M. Cleary, chair of Strategic Concepts and vice chair of the FutureWorld Foundation; Richard J. Goldstone, honorary president of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association; and Clare Shine, non-executive director of the Crown Estate in the U.K. ²³