The Fondation de Luxembourg has had another exceptional year in terms of its philanthropic activities with the creation of ten new foundations, bringing the current number of foundations under its aegis to 55. These foundations represent a cumulative pledge of EUR 100 million destined for many different projects of general interest, ranging from the social sector to education, culture and environmental protection. Geographically these projects are distributed between the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, other European countries and emerging countries.

Created by the State and the Oeuvre Nationale de Secours de la Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, the Fondation de Luxembourg currently manages 55 foundations serving the common good. "Over the course of the last few years, the Fondation de Luxembourg has become a true platform of philanthropy and expertise, via which donors from throughout Europe can implement their charitable projects," noted Pierre Gramegna, Chairman of the Board of Fondation de Luxembourg. By the end of 2014, funding for various projects had reached more than EUR 11 million, thus allowing over 100 charitable projects to be run in Luxembourg and throughout the world. Specific examples are programmes to improve the conditions for Syrian refugees, provide support for vulnerable women in Bangladesh and India by training them in entrepreneurial skills and promote sustainable agriculture for young people in Burkina Faso. At a local level, it is worth mentioning the support that has been given to research into rare diseases, conducted by the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, funding for the Red Cross “Epiceries Sociales” or even cultural projects such as the "Michelle scholarships” to give a helping hand to young talents in classical music.

These figures reflect the growing interest in philanthropic activities. Tonika Hirdman, Director General of the Fondation de Luxembourg since its inception said: “Philanthropy has a different face nowadays. We are seeing the emergence of a new generation of philanthropists, who are more aware of social problems. These new philanthropists are determined to be personally involved in the projects they fund, often in collaboration with other stakeholders. By guiding and supporting them, the Fondation de Luxembourg helps them to achieve concrete results in the areas that are dear to them."

During the past year, the Foundation has organised numerous conferences and presentations for wealth managers and has taken part in promotional missions abroad to illustrate the diversity of the financial market, in order to encourage a more human approach. In order to increase knowledge about philanthropy, the Fondation de Luxembourg is pleased to have been nominated as partner to the Luxembourg School of Finance for their recent "Master in Wealth Management" programme, which includes training in philanthropic advisory.

All these efforts have borne fruit; the Fondation de Luxembourg has noticed that the average size of foundations is increasing and that the amount of money given to charitable causes has increased over the course of the last few years. Our ambition, in the future, is to continue to attract philanthropists to Luxembourg by offering them international philanthropic expertise as well as a personalised support service, also including donors from Luxembourg who are looking for a long-term solution.