The Goethe Institut is a
worldwide effort to improve knowledge of
German culture, it has branches in many major cities throughout the world, and especially in
Europe. It is named after the famous
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
They offer courses in
German from
introduction to German classes to highly advanced levels. The Institute themselves are staffed (from my experience of them) by
native Germans, who have an excellent knowledge of the local language. There is also an extensive
library, which can be accessed via post if the
Institut is too far to go in person.
The Institut also helps to encourage the learning of German is
schools, by providing them with
promotional material on the subject, and will lend teaching resources from the library. The
London Institut in
South Kensington even has a Cinema, so German groups can book a day there, and watch resources. When I was studying the
propaganda of
Nazi Germany, I went there to see
Triumph des Willens. Throughout my course the Institut was willing to send me books, and there was never a problem if I wished to renew a book I had borrowed.
The annual budget of the Goethe Institut is approximately € 278 million ($340 million US). Some of this is generated from revenue from membership of the local Institute, but much is provided by the German state. The President of the Institut is Prof. Dr. Jutta Limbach and the General Secretary Dr. habil. Andreas Schlüter. It is also responsible for funding
Radio Goethe in San Fransisco.
In short, the Goethe Institut is the best possible resource for German culture short of being in Germany.
Budget and names of President and General Secretary taken from www.goethe.de which is available in German and English