Since the investors represent economic interests and the management units are to operate with non-profit alignment, the legal form of the “CoKG” (i.e. Limited Liability Company & Limited Silent Partnership) is suitable

Even though the construction of the Frankfurt Bridges in the first 100 years is an infrastructure project with high social and cultural standards as well as a clear prioritization of sustainability, no public funding is planned: This would, on the one hand, entail the obligation to issue a public tender in accordance with European tendering law, which could slow down the project and make its implementation more expensive; on the other hand, it would be a burden on taxpayers, which would make the Frankfurt Bridges a political issue, with politicians at city, state and federal level obliged to represent the interests of their electorate in setting priorities and designing the Frankfurt Bridges accordingly, i.e. usually against the interests of voters of other parties - which could also cause project implementation to stagnate. Therefore, all investors come from the private sector.  

But especially when investors are from the private sector, it is particularly important to ensure that the management during planning, construction and operation is committed to the social and environmental goals that the project primarily has. Therefore, every operating entity responsible for implementing the project should have a non-profit legal form.  

The interests of investors are even protected in the Frankfurt Bridges by the fact that, or precisely because, non-profit management prevails in the planning, construction and operation of the Frankfurt Bridges, for the following reasons 

1. Their planning is particularly long-term and therefore quality-oriented 
2. They can be built on high acceptance among the population, which massively accelerates project implementation 
3. A particularly attractive design is ensured, which initially benefits the beneficiaries of the first 85 years of operation, i.e. the general public and tourism, but subsequently also benefits investors, because attractively designed goods achieve a higher value or greater demand than poorly designed goods - even after 100 years (as can be seen in magnificent buildings from the 19th century or pre-war buildings from the 20th century, which are still among the most sought-after properties in the world today, or in vintage cars, which - if well preserved - are often exorbitantly expensive). 

The non-profit Ltd companies can be linked to the Limited Liability Company & Limited Silent Partnership via an (also non-profit) uniting parent company, in which a non-profit 100% sister company of them acts as a general partner in the LLC&LSP

A non-profit foundation is the 100% parent company of all three non-profit Ltd companies: the Planning Company according to HOAI, the Construction Company and the Operating Company. It also has a 100% stake in a Ltd company, which is a general partner and takes on the role of “personally liable partner” of a Limited Liability Company & Limited Silent Partnership, into which the investors contribute money. This subsidiary of the non-profit foundation, acting as a general partner, is consequently not tax-privileged in Germany.   

A non-profit foundation must pursue its non-profit purpose selflessly, directly and exclusively. The exclusivity feature becomes a problem in the case of a direct shareholding in a LLC&LSP, since non-profit activity in the form of a shareholding is usually excluded in Germany. However, this is not harmful if the non-profit foundation’s subsidiary, the personally liable partner (also called general partner) has asset management for the mother foundation as its task and business content; this does not endanger the non-profit status of the mother company.   

The participation of a non-profit foundation in a corporation is usually assigned to this tax-free asset management. This only does not apply if the non-profit foundation actually exercises a decisive influence on the day-to-day management of the corporation (unless this corporation is itself tax-privileged or solely manages assets). A decisive influence on the day-to-day management is therefore not assumed if the foundation merely exercises its statutory shareholder rights and obligations.  

The shareholders' agreements must reflect this accordingly, as there is no active intervention in day-to-day business, as the shareholders' meeting of a Ltd. only has real influence on day-to-day business if it assumes original management rights. However, if the shareholders' meeting draws up a catalogue of legal transactions for the implementation of which the management requires the approval of either the shareholders' meeting itself or another body, the persollay liable partner Ltd (liable with its assets, only, though) can ensure that only exceptional measures are subject to the approval requirement and not those of the day-to-day management.   

In this case, the task of the foundation subsidiary/personally liable partner/general partner is limited to the awarding of contracts to the non-profit sister companies (also daughters of the mother foundation)  that implement the Frankfurt Brides on behalf of the the LLC&LSP 

The general partner is a Ltd company with only 2 people, as it has only one function: awarding contracts for the planning, construction and operation of the Frankfurt Bridges to its non-profit Ltd sister companies, which vary in size depending on the project phase. The Ltd company acting as general partner may not itself be a non-profit company, as it must act in the economic interests of the limited silent partners and this would counteract its non-profit status.