“Trust merits excellence”, by Pierre Sellal
Pierre Sellal, president of Fondation de FranceEvery upheaval that strikes our society, our environment, or an area of the world reveals or accentuates vulnerability, fragility and inequality. We have collectively felt these impacts during the two years of the health crisis, which has not yet been completely resolved. In the spring of 2022, the return of armed conflict on the European continent is cruel for the populations who are its victims and devastating for economies. It imposes a new set of emergencies, and a revised equilibrium between objectives and priorities for collective action.
This panoply of issues directly concerns philanthropy and has mobilized Fondation de France over the past months. The challenge has been to respond as appropriately as possible to these urgent appeals, devising and implementing necessary emergency actions while at the same time maintaining ongoing programs, especially educational and social projects, where long-term activities are essential to effective support.
If Fondation de France has been able to accomplish this dual mission, it is thanks to the generosity of its donors and the commitment of its founders, who have expressed their support with extraordinary force and magnitude. In fact, in 2021, the amount of funds received from donations and bequests reached an unprecedented level. Forty-six new foundations are now under the aegis of Fondation de France, remarkable in the diversity of their founders, the scope and range of their causes, and the amount of funds committed to their support.
It is the intensity of this display of trust, as much as the acuteness of the needs imposed by the state of our world and our society, that drive Fondation de France. More than ever, it must effectively and fully fulfil its role as an advocate for the public interest. This annual report explains and clarifies the steps taken to adapt and renew the implementation of its social missions, when the need arises. Naturally, these efforts will continue and deepen over the coming months. At the same time, Fondation de France will pursue actions that target a stronger presence on an international level, as well as our ongoing effort to strengthen our commitment to our founders and the organizations that we support. Commitments that all of the teams at Fondation de France take to heart, along with the belief that trust merits excellence.