Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation 

OVERVIEW: The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation is based in Rome and supports initiatives for humanitarian aid, environmental conservation, animal welfare, human rights, health and disease research. 

IP TAKE: Italy and Africa appear to be geographic priorities of this Rome-based funder, but organizations in 80 different countries have received grants over the years. Grantmaking at the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation has been on pause since 2020. According to the foundation’s site, it is “currently reshaping our organization and grant making operations.” Grantseekers should check back periodically for updates or reach out Peretti’s contact page.

PROFILE: The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation was founded by Elsa Peretti in 2000 and is based in Rome. Peretti, a famous model and jewelry designer, named the foundation for her father, Nando Peretti, who was an Italian businessman and founder of Anomina Petroli Italiana, an oil company. The foundation names charity, education, conservation, medical research, construction, the arts, health, human rights and COVID-19 as focus areas for its grantmaking. Since its inception, the foundation has supported nearly 500 projects with over €30 million. Grantmaking is global in scope, but about half of all grants remain in Italy. The foundation paused its programs in 2020 to focus on emergency grantmaking for COVID-19 response and has not resumed grantmaking, as it is in the process of “reshaping” the organization.

Grants for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid

The Peretti Foundation’s past disaster and humanitarian aid grantmaking was responsive. Its most recent grants supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. In Rome, the foundation has given to Interstos, which supplied protective gear and other anti-COVID measures to homeless people. In Sicily, the foundation gave to the Fondazione di Comunità Val di Noto, which provided tablets for online learning to children of disadvantaged families. And in India, the Peretti supported the Fondazione Albero della Vita, which distributed food, supplies and protective equipment to vulnerable people in West Bengal. 

Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice

The Peretti Foundation does not name specific goals for its conservation funding, but has supported several organizations in this area. One grantee partner, the Rainforest Trust, supports various organizations involved in fighting fires in the rain forests of the Amazon. Another grantee, the Peruvian organization Madre de Dios, works to conserve the biodiversity and critical habitats of the Rio Tambopata, Puerto Maldonado and the Manu National Park. In Italy, the foundation has supported the Associazione Posidonia, which creates and implements conservation education programs for disabled children. 

Grants for Animal Welfare and Wildlife 

A significant portion of Peretti funding has gone to organizations working to protect domestic and wild animals. Grants for domestic animal welfare include the Italian organization L’Arcobaleno sul Felcetone, which used funding to pilot an ethical slaughtering program. Wildlife conservation grants have gone to Fauna and Flora International, the Wildlife Justice Commission, Birdlife International and a program to preserve the Italian falcon population at the University of Palermo. 

Grants for Global Security and Human Rights 

Human rights funding represents a smaller portion of the Peretti Foundation’s work. Past grants have gone to No Peace Without Justice, which supported the investigation of human rights violations and war crimes resulting from recent conflicts in South Sudan. Other human rights grantees include Human Rights Watch and the Italian organization Associazione Babinisenzasbarre Onlus, which advocates for the rights of children whose parents are serving prison sentences in Italy. 

Grants for Global Health 

Peretti’s past health funding focused on domestic initiatives in Italy and organizations operating in the nations of Africa. Italian grantees include the Associazione Cittadine del Mondo, which provides health assistance to asylum seekers in Italy, and the San Giovanni Battista Hospital in Rome. African grantees include Operation Smile, which provides free surgeries to correct facial deformities including cleft palate in Madagascar, and South Africa’s Breede River Hospice. 

Grants for Disease Research 

The Peretti Foundation has supported research on the effectiveness of treatments for various diseases, prioritizing projects at universities and research institutions in Italy. Grantees included the University of Sapienza, the Associazione Nazionale Genitori Soggetti Autistici, the Fondazione Policlinico Tor VErgata and Fondazione Isal, which used funding to study predisposing factors of fibromyalgia. 

Important Grant Details:

From its inception until it paused its grantmaking in 2020, the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation gave away about €50 million to over 1,000 grantees in 80 countries. Italy and Africa appear to be geographic areas of interest. Grantees represent a range of large global organizations and smaller grassroots operations. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s projects page. 

The Peretti paused grantmaking in 2020 in order to focus on its response to the COVID-19 crisis. It has not resumed grantmaking, as it is currently reorganizing, and it is unclear when it might do so. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via its contact page. 

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: