Pierre Sellal’s message for the new year

In 2024, let’s aim high for philanthropy!

In a world and society that are disrupted, damaged, dismayed, philanthropy cannot cure everything ... but it is more relevant and necessary than ever.

A society where the legitimate search for personal development sometimes tends towards heightened individualism. Philanthropy represents an antidote against giving up or being indifferent to collective challenges, and it exemplifies the ability and wish to bring a personal contribution to the common good.

Inspired by looking for close-knit communities and caring for others, it is a bulwark against a spreading shift in behaviors and isolation.

Motivated by the urge to take action and the will to carry it out, it expresses resistance to fatalism and an attitude of resignation, in very concrete terms.

The beginning of the year sees the Fondation de France reinforced in its raison d’être and vision. Encouraging the development of a philanthropic spirit in a large part of our society, inventing, suggesting, and supporting the most relevant project projects, serving the causes that inspire them, ensuring the greatest effectiveness possible for these initiatives and their results all represent its mission.

Philanthropy is indeed able to enlist the assets and models that make it extremely precious, if not irreplaceable:

• a taste for innovation with impact, which often leads to combating inertia and resisting the zeitgeist. Philanthropy has the freedom to invent, trailblaze, experiment, and pave the way for unique ventures;
• determination and perseverance, which aims to grow lastingly and targets transformational results, by resisting all too prevalent short-termism;
• Proactivity and flexibility, which addresses emergencies where necessary.

The objective of Fondation de France is to encourage and support the urge to act, as expressed by philanthropy in the best possible way. It does so by benefiting from the full force of its teams’ expertise, volunteer involvement and participation in its programs from loyal founders and donors. In the coming years, it intends to further develop its support and guidance tools at all levels (legal, financial, theme-based, etc.). The complexity and interconnection of most of the causes which the Fondation de France and its donor-advised funds seek to serve will call on all its skills. They include networking, complementarity, partnerships, cross-cutting approaches – all determining factors for increased effectiveness. Fondation de France will make sure to provide the very best use for resources, which

comes from the generosity of donors, to guarantee the best outcomes for joint projects, with the most reliable methods available for measuring impact.

Philanthropy may well be a state of mind and a virtue, but it is also a calling. It involves know-how and skills that constantly need to aim for the highest professional quality. In that regard too, we are accountable to donors and sponsors. Which is why Fondation de France intends to be a pioneer in its methods, with the ability to innovate, produce data and facilitate knowledge sharing. Our roadmap for this year will be one of resolve, ambition and achievements.

I wish you all the very best for 2024.