Sustained promotion of cultural offerings for children and teens is one of the priorities in Gruner + Jahr's social activities. G+J is deeply committed to the cultural diversity of the city of Hamburg.

Together with Hamburg's "BürgerStiftung" (Civic Foundation), the publishing house has promoted literacy in Hamburg's socially disadvantaged neighborhoods since early 2005. Projects include the "Leseclub" (Reading Club) at the "Kölibri" community center in St. Pauli district, the "LeseZeit" (Reading Time) project, and the "Family Literacy" integration project, as well as the mobile literacy promotion project "Lesen in Altona" (reading in Altona, a district of Hamburg).

Apart from this, G+J is also a partner to "Seiteneinsteiger," Hamburg's reading festival for children and teens that has taken place since 2005.

In January 2007 G+J joined the City of Hamburg Culture Authority in launching "Buchstart" (Bookstart), a long-term project to promote reading in the early childhood years. "Buchstart" involves collaborating with a large number of local partners in public authorities, associations and initiatives. The project's key distributors are Hamburg's pediatricians, who hand out the "Buchstart" bags with picture books, tips on reading, and ideas to encourage parents to read when children complete their U6 health examination. This way, 95 percent of all 12 month olds in Hamburg are reached -well over 15,000 children each year.

Since 2007, Gruner + Jahr has also promoted the nationwide early childhood language and literacy project "Lesestart - die Lese-Initiative für Deutschland" (reading initiative for Germany). This campaign by the reading foundation will be launched in the summer of 2008.

In addition to activities at the business level, numerous cultural and social initiatives and projects are hosted by individual G+J titles. These commitments usually stem from long-standing associations, and are initiated and seen through by the editorial teams. Here, too, there is a clear focus on projects for children and teenagers, or the promotion of new talent.

G+J employees in Hamburg also feel responsible for the socially disadvantaged people in their city. Since 1978, they have organized an annual Christmas bazaar and donated its considerable proceeds to charitable institutions in Hamburg.

Being an international publishing house with products that contribute to opinion-making and public discussions, Gruner + Jahr realizes that it has a socio-political responsibility that goes beyond entrepreneurial goals. This includes the promotion of cultural affairs as an essential element of Gruner + Jahr’s self-conception. In view of the importance of photography for G+J magazines, G+J places great emphasis on sponsoring reportage photography and supporting new photographic talent. Gruner + Jahr sponsors photography and culture in many ways. Its own cultural activities, especially in Hamburg, are an important contribution to location promotion. National and international projects, events and exhibitions turn the publishing house into a place where active communication and exchange of ideas take place. The press building at Baumwall is more than just a workplace for more than 2,000 employees. It is also a place for exhibitions and is an important and much visited part of Hamburg’s cultural life.