Italy: Foundation Week

The San Paolo Company

The San Paolo Company, founded January 25, 1563, as a cooperative society, is today one of Europe’s major private foundations. It focuses on public interest and utility projects. It works to develop civil society, the local economy and culture. It supports scientific research; economic development and justice programs; education; the arts; the conservation and valuation of cultural activities and goods; health care; and the assistance of persons with disabilities. The income generated from the assets it accumulated over several centuries goes towards the foundations programs and goals. The company has arranged for these funds to be passed on to future generations. The company originated in Torino and works mostly in Piedmont and Liguria. However, the company is also very present on a national, European and international level and it often collaborates with other large foundations.   

The Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation

In 2009 the foundation Monte dei Paschi  di Siena (MPS)distributed €180 million and financed 100,000 project directly or through third parties. It did so through calls for special tenders in January and calls for ordinary tenders throughout the year. Over 84 percent of all available funds were distributed throughout the Siena territory. The foundation also made important contributions to the Tuscany region, to the rest of Italy (particularly in the Southern Regions) and to international cooperation projects. It continues to engage predominantly with projects oriented around local development. It recently renewed its support for several assisted housing projects. Working with local municipalities it has created housing grants in the form of rent subsidies of four Euros per meter squared or by creating funds for rent integration programs. The foundation has particularly focused on projects with resources greater than €40 million. Through its two main organizations Biofund and the Vernice Progetti Culturali (Vernice Cultural Project) the MPS Foundation gave direct support to biomedical research and cultural heritage projects.      

The Rome Foundation

The Rome Foundation is the largest Italian ex-banking association foundation. It began as Monte Pieta di Roma, a financial institution dating back to 1539 which was later taken over and incorporated by the Savings Bank of Rome in 1937. Today it is a modern foundation and engages in five different sectors, health care, scientific research, education, art and culture and assistance to persons with disabilities. It is made up of several different sub-foundations. The Rome hospital for ALS Alzheimer Foundation assists terminally ill ALS and Alzheimer patients. The Rome-Mediterranean Foundation fosters economic, cultural and social development in the Mediterranean region. The Rome-Museum Foundation hosts a variety of temporary exhibits. The Rome-Third-Sector Foundation assists persons with disabilities. Other relief initiatives include the Symphonic Orchestra of Rome, the World Social Summit and the poetry celebration Ritratti di Poesia.    

CittàItalia

“Together we can keep art alive,” is the motto of the CittàItalia Foundation, created in 2003 by a collection of art organizations, bank foundations and the Mecenate 90 association. Its mission is to raise funds for the acquisition, conservation and development of Italy’s historic-art heritage. One of its main events is the Giornate dell’arte (a day of art), a national charity drive in collaboration with RAI and UNESCO to raise funds. In 2004 the foundation created a media project called Omaggio all’arte (Homage to the Arts). Since 2006 notable artists have done their part to help out the foundation by donating pieces of Art which are then auctioned off to raise funds for the foundation. In June, 2009, CittàItalia launched a special edition of the initiative l’arte per l’amore dell’arte (Art for the Love of Art). The funds raised from this event went to the recovery and restoration of two paintings damaged in the Abruzzo, Italy, earthquake. September 20, 2009, the foundation produced L’Italia è bella (Italy is Beautiful) a television program that aired on RAI 1 and that was viewed by approximately 2 million viewers. Moreover, the foundation has taken on several art restoration projects, including a reproduction of Leonardo Da Vinci’s master piece, The Last Super.       

Savings Bank of Padova and Rovigo Foundation (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo)

The Savings Bank of Padova and Rovigo Foundation is active in the regions of Padova and Rovigo. It focuses its support on projects that enhance education, health care service, art and cultural activities, scientific and technological research and services for people facing disadvantages.It is a grant making foundation. Each year it accepts calls for tenure from organizations across the region. When selecting proposals the foundation adheres to the principles of transparency, equity and impartiality. Part of the proposal criteria is the incorporation of a triple bottom line into an organization’s mission. The foundation often supports projects that take the form of public-private partnerships that are socialy, economically and environmentally sustainable.   

Savings Bank of the Lombard Province Foundation (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio delle Province Lombarde)

The Savings Bank of the Lombard Province Foundation, also known as Cariplo Foundation, is directly affiliated with the Savings Bank of the Lombard Province (Cassa di Risparmio delle Province Lombarde), founded in Milan June 12, 1823. Today this foundation represents one of the most important organizations dedicated to philanthropy in Italy. It is committed to promoting projects run by non profit entities that support the environment, the arts, health care provision and scientific research.

The Sigma Tau Foundation

The Sigma Tau Foundation was founded in 1986 to promote scientific development and to safeguard research through seminars, conferences and round table discussions. Silvia Cavazza is the Foundation’s President. Spoletoscienza is an initiative founded in 1988. It looks at language contamination and mentors promising scientists and culture experts. The foundation also runs training projects for doctors, such as the Lezioni sulla medicina della complessità and the Lezioni sul metabolism. Both run out of Milan and date back to 1999. The Foundation also runs a permanent forum on the ethics and science. This forum is viewed as a main player in the Italian debate around the social consequences of the research. Another project the foundation funds is Science on Stage, science themed theatre. The project is run in partnership with Milan’s Piccolo Teatro and with the Fondazione Musica per Roma. Finaly, the foundation supports different science themed radio programs on Radio24 and the Carnitina web site lanched in 2010.   

UNIDEA

Unidea- UniCredit Foundation was founded in 2003 by Unicredit Group. Its President is Maurizio Carrara, a long running actor in the non profit and international cooperation sector. UNIDEA engages in 22 countries worldwide. The foundation is committed to supporting the social economy and works to foster relationships between the non profit and private sector.   Its main focuses are social business, migration and international development.  In 2009 a partnership agreement was signed with the Grameen Bank, founded by the Nobel Prize winner Muhammed Yunus. In 2010 it will launch a joint microcredit initiative in Italy. In 2008 the foundation’s program Migration raised awareness about issues surrounding migrants and immigration. The foundation actively seeks support from UniCredit employees.   

ENEL Cuore (ENEL Heart)

In 2003 ENEL S.P.A founded ENEL Cuore a foundation dedicated to helping people struggling with hardship, disease and poverty. I operates in Italy and abroad and it gives structural and infrastructural support to projects focused on social and health care provision, education and sports and recreation. Despite the economic crisis, the non profit organisation continues to pledge about six million Euros to its projects per year. Over the past two years the organization increased financial support to projects in southern Italy by 160 percent. Also, it tripled its support in countries like Russia and Mexico.  Enel Cuore cooperates with other entities, such as Save the Children, with which it has built eight community centres to support disadvantaged youth in Romania. With the Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian State Railways) the foundation launched Un cuore in stazione a project started to help marginalised communities present in railway stations. Casa dolce casa is a project carried out with the Umana.mente Foundation. Finally, it operates residence projects for mothers and children over coming difficulties.

Vodafone Italia Foundation

Vodafone Italia Foundation is an independent organisation, dedicated to projects in the field of social and solidarity services. It especially helps people going through hardship. The foundation was created in 2002 and its objective is to promote the third sector and to provide Italian non profit with structural support. The foundation doesn’t carry out its own social projects. Instead, it works to support non profit entities economically and through capacity building projects. As Franco Bomprezzi, an expert on non profits, wrote, “big enterprises can do more than just donate money. They can also share their competences, methods, experiences. Foundations should not try to take over the work of the institutions they are supporting. Foundations are meant to work as a partner. Foundations can contribute to the growth of an organization and can provide guidance.” The foundation works in urban outskirts. It engages with youth groups, the elderly and immigrant groups. The foundation finances projects that promote justice, urban renewal and projects that prevent youth crime. The foundation looks to support multi stakeholder projects and tries to involve several different local organisations at a time. The foundation also involves Vodafone Italia’s clients and employees in its activities.

Telecom Italia Foundation

Telecom Italia Foundation was founded December 24, 2008, as part of Telecom Italia Group’s social responsibility strategy.Its mission is to promote the right to education, to knowledge and to culture.  In March, 2010, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of University and Research and the Italian Association for Dyslexia.This memorandum will put into motion two projects. The first will set up a programme to help identify people with dyslexia and the second will help train teachers to better manage students with the illness.1.5 million Euros over three years will go towards the programme.In 2010 six work integration projects for disadvantaged persons will take off. The foundation will contribute 1.1 million Euros.The foundation is also launching a one million euros project to rebuild the provincial library of L’Aquila, the capital city of the region devastated by last year earthquake.  Joaquim Navarro-Valls is the foundation’s President.