Laudes Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Laudes Foundation is one of several philanthropic organizations established by Brenninkmeijer Family, which owns the global retail clothing chain C&A. This foundation supports women and girls, human rights, global development, work and economic opportunity and conservation, with a strong focus on the garment industry.
IP TAKE: The Laudes Foundation was established in 2020, but it is not an entirely new grantmaker, having taken up the work of its predecessor, the C&A Foundation. Laudes’s grantmaking is largely focused on the global fashion industry and supports worker’s rights, the elimination of exploitative practices, the promotion of sustainable industry and broadened use of organically grown cotton. Its grantees include global labor and human rights organizations, national and regional labor interests and think tanks engaged in economic policy development.
Early grantmaking suggests that this funder’s average grant size is about €250,000. It’s not accessible, but appears to be approachable. The foundation invites organizations working in its areas of interest to reach out to one of its eight global offices. It posts the names and profiles of its grantmaking team on its website.
PROFILE: Established in 2020, the Laudes Foundation is a component of the Brenninkmeijer family’s enterprises. The Brenninkmeijers are best known as the owners of the C&A chain of clothing stores, which are headquartered in both Germany and the Netherlands but operate over 1500 retail stores throughout Europe and in China, Mexico and Brazil. Through its holding company, COFRA Holdings AG, the family also owns several financial, investment and real estate companies and at least four other philanthropic organizations in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The Laudes Foundation expands upon the work of its philanthropic predecessor, the C&A Foundation, and supports “brave action that harnesses industry’s power for good.” Early grantmaking has focused on women and girls, human rights, global development, work and economic opportunity and environmental conservation. Reflecting the foundation’s roots in the apparel industry, a significant portion of funding supports organizations working to improve conditions for garment workers and to improve the use of sustainable methods and materials in the manufacture of clothing around the world.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Laudes Foundation names gender justice as an area of grantmaking focus but does not outline specific goals for its giving in this area. The foundation has provided ongoing support to the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center, which advocates for the safety and improved working conditions for women garment workers around the world. Based in the U.S., the Solidarity Center has collaborated with labor unions and workers’ groups around the world. The Laudes Foundation has also supported the Brazilian Women Network, which supports initiatives for racial and gender justice, as well as sustainable development in Brazilian industry, and the Global Fund for Women, one of the largest women’s organizations in the world.
Grants for Global Security and Human Rights
Laudes’s recent human rights grants have focused on child labor, the rights of garment workers and human trafficking. In Brazil, the foundation has given to Reporter Brazil, which aims to prevent the exploitation of children and other workers by improving regional education and social services systems, and FGV-Direito, which helps fashion companies implement due diligence programs that prevent exploitative practices at the manufacturing level. In Cambodia, the foundation has provided ongoing support to the Issara Institute, which advances “ethical recruitment and labor management for Cambodian migrant workers in the apparel industry.” Other human rights grantees include Turkey’s Refugee Support Center, the International Labor Rights Forum and Solidar Suisse, a human rights organization that has used funding to support vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 crisis.
Grants for Global Development
Recent funding for global development has focused on the global economic policy that promotes equity and sustainable development. One grantee, the Doughnut Economics Lab, is a U.K.-based organization that develops policies that would, if adopted, provide food, housing, healthcare and political voice, for all people. Another development grantee, Switzerland’s Council on Economic Policies, promotes “policy solutions that strengthen individual opportunity, social cohesion and environmental stability.”
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity
The Laudes Foundation’s grantmaking for work and economic opportunity overlaps significantly with its grantmaking for women and human rights, focusing mainly on the rights and working conditions of garment industry workers. A grantee in Bangladesh, Shimmy Technologies, helps workers improve their skills and advance their careers, “in advance of automation.” Another grantee, Brazil’s FASE, helps “informal garment workers” find secure employment and better pay in several of Brazil’s industrial centers.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
Laudes’s environmental grantmaking also focuses on the apparel industry. The foundation has made grants for the development of sustainable business models and manufacturing infrastructure and to promote the development of sustainable cotton from farm to factory. Laudes recently supported a conference in Mexico hosted by Fibra Design Sustentavel, where participants explored ideas and possibilities for sustainable economic models for the textile industry. Another grantee, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, engages organic cotton farmers in sustainable agricultural programs and promotes the use of organic cotton in the European fashion industry. The foundation has also provided ongoing capacity building support for Stichting Organic Cotton Accelerator, which also supports the development of organic cotton farming and production.
Important Grant Details:
The Laudes Foundation’s early grantmaking suggests that its average grant size is about €250,000. Grantmaking appears to prioritize organizations whose work relates to the garment industry and areas of the world where textiles and clothing are produced and manufactured. For additional information about past and current grantees, see the foundation’s grants page.
The Laudes Foundation does not generally accept applications for funding, but invites organizations with ideas related to their grantmaking schemes to contact one of the foundation’s eight global offices with their project ideas. The foundation also posts the names and brief profiles of its global grantmaking team on its site.
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