Foundation Week

May 31, 2010, marks the opening of Foundation Week, a weeklong conference hosted by the European Foundation Centre (EFC) at the Brussels Meeting Centre, Belgium.

The event is comprised of a series of debates and exhibitions about foundation for foundations, funders, EU institutions, other civil society actors and the general public.

The EFC is an international non profit whose aim is to encourage exchange between European foundations and European institutions.

In celebration Vita, Vita Europe’s parent magazine, has profiled some of the key Italian foundations that will be present at the event.   

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.