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| Scharlau Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scharlau Foundation |
| Formation | 1978 |
| Type | Private philanthropic foundation |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Maria Scharlau |
| Region served | International |
Scharlau Foundation The Scharlau Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1978 in Geneva, Switzerland, focused on funding cultural, scientific, and humanitarian initiatives. It supports projects worldwide through grants, fellowships, and institutional partnerships, operating alongside organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Gates Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. The foundation has collaborated with universities, museums, and international bodies including UNESCO, World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross, European Commission, and Council of Europe.
Founded by philanthropist Maria Scharlau in 1978, the foundation emerged amid a period of expanding transnational philanthropy represented by institutions like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Robert Bosch Stiftung. In the 1980s it funded exhibitions with partners such as the Louvre, British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and Tate Modern. During the 1990s the foundation expanded into public health collaborations with World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and Wellcome Trust. In the 2000s it launched academic programs linked to Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Sorbonne University. The foundation’s timeline intersects with global events, including responses to the Balkan Wars, the Rwandan genocide, the Haiti earthquake (2010), and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The foundation’s stated mission emphasizes support for cultural heritage, scientific research, and humanitarian relief, aligning programmatically with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Getty Foundation, European Research Council, Max Planck Society, and Institut Pasteur. Activities include grantmaking to museums like the Prado Museum, archival support for libraries like the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and research funding at centers such as the Salk Institute, Broad Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Weizmann Institute of Science. It also engages in policy dialogue with think tanks like the Brookings Institution, Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Council on Foreign Relations, and RAND Corporation.
Programs administered by the foundation have included fellowships for scholars at institutions such as Columbia University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, and University of Chicago. Grants support projects in archaeology with partners like the British School at Athens, conservation projects with ICOMOS, and digital humanities initiatives linked to Europeana, Digital Public Library of America, Humanities Commons, and Oxford Internet Institute. Scientific grants have funded research at CERN, NASA, European Southern Observatory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and European Space Agency. The foundation’s emergency relief grants have gone to International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, CARE International, Oxfam, and Doctors Without Borders.
The foundation is governed by a board of trustees with advisory committees that have included figures from academia, arts, and diplomacy associated with United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, European Union, and African Union. Executive leadership has worked with philanthropic networks such as Philanthropy Roundtable, Council on Foundations, European Foundation Centre, and Global Philanthropy Forum. Operational departments coordinate program officers who liaise with partners including National Endowment for the Arts, National Science Foundation, British Academy, Académie des Sciences, and Academia Europaea.
Endowment assets are invested in diversified portfolios managed alongside financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, UBS, Credit Suisse, and Barclays. The foundation has co-funded initiatives with corporate partners including Siemens, Google, Microsoft, Apple Inc., and BP and has matched grants from foundations such as the Skoll Foundation, Oak Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Atlantic Philanthropies. Major partnerships have involved cultural institutions like the Royal Opera House, Berlin Philharmonic, and Carnegie Hall as well as academic consortia including Ivy League, Russell Group, and Group of Eight (Australian universities).
Independent evaluations have measured outcomes using metrics employed by agencies like OECD, UNDP, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and European Investment Bank. Impactful projects have included conservation of sites listed by UNESCO World Heritage Centre, public health campaigns modeled on GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance initiatives, and academic fellowships producing publications in journals such as Nature, Science, The Lancet, Cell, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The foundation’s alumni network includes award recipients of Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Pulitzer Prize, Turner Prize, and Templeton Prize.
Critiques have mirrored debates around large private foundations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation concerning transparency, influence, and investment practices scrutinized by commentators in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and The Economist. Controversial grant decisions drew commentary from advocacy groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Transparency International, and Campaign for Accountability. Financial controversies have been compared to cases involving Enron and Parmalat in media analyses, while governance disputes echoed discussions around conflicts highlighted in hearings before bodies like the European Parliament and United States Congress.
Category:Foundations based in Switzerland Category:Philanthropic organizations