Chanel Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Chanel Foundation, the philanthropic arm of its glamorous fashion house, supports organizations improving the lives of girls and women living in least-developed countries.
IP TAKE: Chanel is an approachable corporate funder that often provides multi-year support to its grantees. Grant seekers should check Chanel’s excellent site often as it announces occasional open call dates. Don’t hesitate to network with a Chanel employee to get an in here and potentially have your work supported.
PROFILE: The Chanel Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the high-end fashion house Chanel. Since 2011, the foundation has sought to channel the rebellious and resilient spirit of its namesake, Coco Chanel, in order to “support gender equality and the advancement of women and adolescent girls as agents of change in society.”
Chanel conducts all of its grantmaking through a gender lens focused on women across all areas. The foundation recently pared back its funding areas to focus on Safety and Inclusion, and Economic autonomy and Leadership, pausing some of its previous areas of support including Health & Social Protection, Education & Training, and Climate & Environment.
Grants for Women, Girls and Economic Development
Chanel prioritizes support for women and their economic development through several initiatives, including Economic autonomy and Leadership, which seeks to promote women’s “access to employment or entrepreneurship in order to achieve financial independence and reduce discrimination.” This program works to address “systemic and recurring obstacles to female entrepreneurship in many countries, […] including difficulties in accessing funding, balancing work and family and building self-confidence.” Past grantees include ONU Femmes, Care France, and Atelier Moino 91. To learn more about Chanel Foundation grantees, explore its Partners Supported page.
Grants for Higher Education
While it is not currently listed as an active funding area, the foundation has invested in women’s education through its Education and Training program. This initiative provides “access to education and vocational training,” which it perceives as “essential conditions for employment and sustainable improvement of the economic and social situation of women.” Past grantees in this space include the Womanity Foundation, Rede Asta, and Plan International France. To learn more about Chanel Foundation grantees, explore its Partners Supported page.
Grants for Global Development, Refugees and Immigrants
The foundation’s Economic autonomy and Leadership program works to ensure girls’ access to financial education remains a priority, “as education and vocational training for women are critical mechanisms for reducing poverty.” While this is a small portion of its funding in this area, Chanel makes grants for humanitarian relief and refugees through its Safety and Inclusion funding area, including WAHA International to support its work providing primary medical care to Syrian refugees arriving on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Samos, Chios and Kos.
Past grantees include Americans for Immigrant Justice and Fonkoze, which works toward gender equity in business in Haiti. To learn more about Chanel Foundation grantees, explore its Partners Supported page.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Chanel’s Culture and Sport program is currently paused and not an active funding area; however, it seeks to promote women’s “access to sports and cultural activities as a means for personal expression, the development of social skills and professional integration.” The Women in the Arts initiative is currently paused as well, but it traditionally works to increase the visibility of women in arts and culture. Past grantees in this space include Street League, Sport Dans La Ville, and A.W.A.R.E. To learn more about Chanel Foundation grantees, explore its Partners Supported page.
Grants for Public Health
The Chanel Foundation makes grants to ensure “access to health care and social protection,” which it views “as a prerequisite for independence.” These grants prioritize programs that improve women’s social protection, address preventable causes related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and help to reduce early marriage and pregnancy. Past grantees include Healthy Steps, UNICEF, and Marie Stopes International. To learn more about Chanel Foundation grantees, explore its Partners Supported page.
Important Grantmaking Details:
With offices in both Paris and New York, the Chanel foundation conducts business in French, Spanish, and English. As a result, its website has a built-in translator at the top of the first landing page.
The foundation awards grants four times per year and supported projects typically last for two to three years. It accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry and proposals during its open call for proposals periods. Grant seekers should check Chanel’s excellent site often as it announces occasional open call dates.
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