After only ten years of existence, the Fondation de Luxembourg has already played a major role in the development of philanthropy in the Grand Duchy. On the occasion of this anniversary, we look back at the main stages of the foundation.

 

 

A philanthropic adventure that began in 2008

Founded at the end of 2008, the Fondation de Luxembourg has pursued the same objective for ten years: to promote private philanthropy in the Grand Duchy, through support for European philanthropists in the creation and management of their foundations. Thanks to an initial endowment of €5 million from the Luxembourg government and the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grand Duchess Charlotte, the Fondation de Luxembourg has stimulated philanthropic commitment, while contributing to the country's attractiveness to donors seeking a stable and transparent framework. The foundation's actions are divided into five themes: poverty alleviation and social cohesion, health and research, culture and diversity, universal education, biodiversity and climate change.

 

"All participate, in their preferred fields towards a more harmonious and humane society."

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More than €35 million distributed

In addition to the creation of 80 foundations, half of them by Luxembourg donors, the Fondation de Luxembourg can boast of having distributed €35 million in projects of general interest. Its President, Henri Grethen, is delighted with this success: "Few would have bet that in 10 years, the Fondation de Luxembourg would succeed in bringing together and convincing so many donors and actors in the philanthropic sector". Funding for research into Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, support for social inclusion projects such as the creation of social grocery stores, participation in the work of the Fondation Espoir, an organisation fighting genital mutilation of Ethiopian women  are all large-scale projects carried out over the past ten years and selected by the foundations housed under the auspices of the Fondation de Luxembourg.

 

Staying on course for the next decade

Beyond the amounts committed, Tonika Hirdman, Executive Director of the Fondation de Luxembourg, is pleased with the plurality of donations: "The diversity of the projects supported reflects the founders' concerns. All participate, in their preferred fields towards a more harmonious and humane society. Far from being satisfied with these initial results, the Fondation de Luxembourg aims to multiply tenfold the impact of its activities for the coming years, in particular by capitalizing on the allocations already made. To achieve this, three main lines of action define the next decade: maintaining the number of new foundations, demonstrating the major impact of the projects supported and anticipating future developments in the world of philanthropy.