Pierre Sellal, président de la Fondation de France2023 was marked, perhaps more than ever before, by unprecedented environmental and political challenges around the world. The former included repeated natural disasters and the ever more costly and tangible effects of climate change, while the latter ranged from the breakdown of civil dialogue and the escalation of warmongering and violent conflict.
Fondation de France and its donor-advised funds address emerging risks, damages, and injuries in order to rebuild and empower heavily impacted communities. By securing crucial funding, it provides emergency aid, prioritizing the most vulnerable victims and facilitating the transition to new environmental realities.
However, repairing is only one aspect of philanthropy. To go beyond quick fixes, philanthropy seeks to actively shape and change the future. It aims not only to prepare for environmental and societal changes, but to innovate, anticipate, design, and build. This is very much the case at Fondation de France, where funding research remains one of its primary goals. Building a better future also means investing in younger generations through initiatives focused on transferring skills and knowledge, providing training, and facilitating access to the labor market. By supporting these initiatives and working actively to create lasting solutions, Fondation de France and its donor-advised funds don’t just hope for a brighter future, they know it is achievable.
Experimentation, fine-tuning, and embracing trial and error are vital for addressing pressing challenges and longstanding issues. These approaches instill confidence in each project, driven by a clear vision that inspires real change not only in public policy, but also shapes our collective actions and perspectives.
The diversity of work carried out within the Fondation de France ecosystem demonstrates why we continue to place our trust in philanthropy as an unparalleled vehicle for positive change. Yet, while we accomplished so much in 2023, we know we can still achieve more. This motivation underscores our belief that together, we can make even greater strides toward our shared goals for a better, more inclusive future.
