Funding transformational initiatives

Our grants fund partners to work collaboratively on brave initiatives that can contribute to systemic industry change.

We aim to work closely with our partners across the lifecycle of a grant. By strengthening relationships with them, we can better understand how to support their work, build the field and create an enabling environment.

India

India is the world’s second largest producer of cotton and first in organic cotton. Here, Laudes Foundation operates on two fronts. On farming practices we work with partners to ensure that farmers’ livelihoods are viable, crops are regenerative, and land is restored. And on production practices we work to tackle the systemic issues behind the forced and child labour that is often associated with cotton production. As in all regions, gender, equity and inclusion plays a major role in all our work in India.

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Bangladesh

As one of the world's largest garment exporters, Bangladesh has been both an example of progress and a hotspot for poor working conditions. Here, Laudes Foundation is working with partners to improve working conditions of factory workers and strengthen local communities, focusing particularly on empowering women and girls.

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Brazil

EvLaudes Foundation is tackling the crisis of climate change and inequality in Brazil through its partnerships with IDH and Labora: Decent Work Fund.

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Europe

Europe is an important hub for the built environment and the global work in the new economy and fashion. In the built environment, Laudes Foundation is working with its partners to help create healthy, inspiring and carbon neutral spaces. In fashion and the new economy, Laudes Foundation is working with its partners to foster the transition to new business models, encouraging innovation, collaboration and original thinking.

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Mexico

Until the end of 2023, Laudes Foundation will continue to manage grants that were made by C&A Foundation to improve working conditions, eradicate forced and child labour and to strengthen the communities where the factories (or maquilas) are located. A major focus of this work concerns the empowerment of women workers.

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Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers of cotton. Its current organic cotton production is small but its potential is large. Here, Laudes Foundation is working with partners to ensure regenerative farming practices are generative viable livelihoods for farmers.

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Turkey

The garment industry is core to the Turkish economy. With the influx of Syrian refugees, the risk of exploitation and poor working conditions is high. Here, Laudes Foundation is working with partners to protect and empower Syrian refugees working in the apparel industry - especially women - to prevent abuses in the workplace.

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Tanzania

Africa’s budding apparel industry and its growing cotton production have made Tanzania - currently the largest producer of organic cotton on the continent - a country with enormous potential. Here, Laudes Foundation is working with its partners to develop resilient farming by supporting farmer training and certification.

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Indonesia

Indonesia is ranked amongst the top ten largest garment-producing countries and faces many issues with poor working conditions, especially for women workers. Here, Laudes Foundation is working with its partners to reduce non-compliance with labour laws and to empower women to negotiate for better working conditions.

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What we fund

Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE foundation)

€ 99,000

7 months

Ongoing

Covid-19 Emergency Fund support for Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE foundation).

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Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)

€ 75,000

5 months

Completed

Covid-19 Emergency Fund support for BLAST

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Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS)

€ 117,000

5 months

Ongoing

Covid-19 Emergency Fund support to BCWS.

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Bangladesh Apparel Exchange Ltd

€ 25,000

2 months

Completed

Sponsorship of Bangladesh Fashionology Summit 2020: Third Edition.

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Intellecap Advisory Services Ltd

€ 15,000

1 month

Completed

Support to extend inclusive business models.

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Better Cotton Initiative

€ 100,000

3 months

Completed

Covid-19 Emergency Fund for BCI's support of IPs

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Utrecht University

€ 499,000

4 years

Ongoing

Assess the impact of circular strategies on gender equality, job quality and sustainable livelihood of workers in the fashion value chain.

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BSR

€ 350,000

18 months

Ongoing

A Systemic approach to realising positive impact for job opportunities and quality in circular fashion.

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European Venture Philanthropy Association

€ 380,000

5 years

Ongoing

Support for the Corporate Social Investors initiative.

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Associação Franciscana De Solidariedade - Sefras

€ 405,000

2 years

Ongoing

The Network to Promote Decent Work is a collective project to combat forced labour in various sectors, including the fashion industry in the city of São Paulo, promoted by a network of civil society organizations, and partners of public entities.

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Reporter Brasil

€ 210,000

2 years

Ongoing

Prevention of child and slave labour through the improvement of care provided by public education and social assistance networks to immigrants.

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Redeh - Human Development Network

€ 300,000

2 years

Completed

Monitoring visits to Nova Friburgo, meetings and other activities that are essential to consolidate the Women Worker Network.

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Instituto Ecoar Para A Cidadania

€ 26,000

3 months

Completed

Planning of the project "Initiating Trafficking Junts" which supports female migrant heads of families.

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Solidarity Center

€ 263,000

19 months

Ongoing

Raise awareness and train Brazilian garment sector union leaders and workers to better engage in advocacy, social dialogue and legal defence efforts to combat diverse forms of gender-based violence (GBV) and to eliminate workplace discrimination against LGBTQ garment workers.

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Redeh - Human Development Network

€ 300,000

2 years

Ongoing

Supporting five thematic working groups within a network of seamstresses (The Women Workers of Friburgo Network), capable of local advocacy to uphold labour rights of apparel workers in the region.

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Fashion Revolution Brasil

€ 800,000

3 years

Ongoing

Core support for the strengthening of Fashion Revolution Brasil, which will ensure the movement's main initiatives for the next three years (2020-2022), including: three editions of the FTI, among others.

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Instituto Ecoar Para A Cidadania

€ 37

4 months

Completed

A multi stakeholder initiative that focuses on building a new business model for empowering migrant workers, especially women, living in São Paulo.

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Instituto Ecoar Para A Cidadania

€ 83,000

1 year

Ongoing

Develop a methodology that is capable of empowering seamstresses who live and work in vulnerable situations in order to enable them to enter the sustainable fashion market.

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Fibra Design Sustentável ME

€ 34

2 months

Completed

Festival to foster the development of new sustainable economic models in Latin America.

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FGV - DIREITO SP

€ 59,000

7 months

Ongoing

Building a model of due diligence in human rights together with a group of brands, so that companies in the Brazilian fashion industry can prevent, evaluate, measure, control and remediate situations of forced labour in their supply chains.

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FASE

€ 967,000

4 years

Ongoing

Strengthen women’s rights organisations and groups so they are able to implement initiatives and jointly advocate for the rights of informal apparel workers in three Brazilian states.

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FASE - Federação de Órgãos para Assistência Social e Educacional (MT)

€ 86,000

21 months

Completed

Support women's rights grassroots organisations to conduct a survey with informal female apparel workers in Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, expand their knowledge on their the apparel supply chain, and organise themselves to collectively undertake action that may result in better working conditions.

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Alain Schraner- Modefica

€ 102,000

11 months

Ongoing

Fibres for Textiles: A Systemic Perspective to Sustainable Paths For Circular Fashion.

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Shimmy Technologies, Inc.

€ 365,000

2 years

Ongoing

Upskilling garment workers in Bangladesh in advance of automation.

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Becoming a partner

Our grant application process

In general, we do not accept unsolicited proposals. If you have an initiative that is in alignment with our theory of change, please fill out our contact form. Our team reviews all grant requests regularly and if there's a fit with the work of the foundation, we will be in touch.

Once you have spoken with a team member you will be asked to prepare a summary of your initiative. This gives us a good initial understanding of how your initiative fits with our strategy. If we decide there is a good fit, you’ll be invited to submit either a proposal light (for funding requests below EUR 100k) or a full proposal (for all requests of EUR 100k and more).

Every proposal we receive is sent to one of our programme managers. It's their job to begin the due diligence process and they'll look at whether your initiative and our programme objectives complement each other, while considering your organisation's capacity to deliver. Our partner assessment process also includes a risk assessment and background screening for new partners.

We have different approval processes depending on the grant amount requested:

Applications for funding below EUR 500k are approved by Laudes Foundation’s management team and for proposals between EUR 250- 500k, we also consult two external experts.
All funding requests for EUR 500k or more require the approval of our Investment Committee, which meets four times a year.

Once your proposal light or proposal is approved, we'll create a legally binding contract between your organisation and Laudes Foundation. This will include intended results, evaluative criteria and evidence, reporting deliverables, and a payment schedule.

We appreciate that applying for grants takes a lot of time and energy, and we aim to make our process as constructive and efficient as possible.

Proposal Light

If you're applying for a grant of less than EUR 100,000, you need to fill out a proposal light.

Please don't submit a proposal light until you have contacted us.

Proposal

If you are applying for a grant of more than EUR 100,000, then - after speaking to a programme manager - you will need to submit a proposal with a detailed description of your initiative.

The document includes an activity-based budget (please, find an optional budget template to download below), a Gantt chart and rubrics framework. In our rubrics section, we describe the specific interventions within the system we focus on to maximise our contribution. Rubrics are an important tool to help us measure and learn with our partners, as we collectively seek to contribute positive changes within a complex and changing economic system.

We would encourage you to discuss this part of the proposal template with the programme manager before beginning your submission.

The programme manager will provide feedback on your first draft of the proposal, including input from the Effective Philanthropy team on the rubrics framework.

View the Laudes Foundation rubrics here.

Templates & documents

Templates to download:

Proposal light

Full proposal

Contract

Optional budget template

Requirements and guidelines:

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Minimum Requirements

Partner Reporting Guidelines

Answers to most questions

What is Laudes Foundation responding to?

Laudes Foundation was created to respond to the convergence of two global crises - inequality and climate breakdown - whose solutions require new levels of bravery and ambition globally. The global economic system’s relentless pursuit of growth and returns have brought the world to a tipping point. Humanity must change course. And we have the means to do so

What is the relationship between Laudes Foundation and C&A Foundation?

As C&A Foundation celebrated its 5th anniversary of making fashion a force for good, the team took the opportunity to evaluate its work and the changes in the industry and in the world over the past years. They realised that fashion’s issues were much bigger than the industry alone. The issues are systemic. So, they took a bold decision to launch Laudes Foundation to build on the industry-changing work of C&A Foundation in the fashion industry, but also take this approach and apply it to new industries – starting with the built environment. And importantly, to begin working to influence capital so that investments encourage good business practices. Thus, C&A Foundation’s work became the fashion programme of Laudes Foundation and the brand was retired.

How does Laudes Foundation work across its programmes?

We have two industry verticals: Fashion and the Built Environment. And we have one cross-cutting programme, Finance and Capital Market Transformation, that works across our industry verticals. This area will work with financial actors as well as with the industry actors to foster a shift in the global financial system. It will also influence investments in fashion and the built environment, to explore how finance can be used to encourage or foster innovation and good business practice.

What does the name mean?

Laudes (pronounced Lah-oo-des) Laudes is derived from the Latin word for 'praise’. It alludes to the Canticle of the Sun (Laudes Creaturarum), a song that celebrates all of creation as one family, and refers to the 2015 papal encyclical, Laudato si': On Care for Our Common Home. The encyclical presents the current interconnected social and environmental crises as the result of the pursuit of limitless growth. It calls us all to enter into debate, seek new ways of understanding progress, and invites the world of business to play a unique role. Touching on the shared Catholic heritage of the Brenninkmeijer family entrepreneurs, Laudes reveals both inspiration and purpose: to move towards the vision set out in Laudato si'. At the same time, Laudes is an invitation to draw our own inspirations and traditions, believe that change is possible, and join together to build a just and regenerative economy.

In what geographies does Laudes Foundation work in?

The organisation is global in nature, with offices in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, India, Brazil, Hong Kong and Bangladesh. Our Finance and Capital Markets Transformation programme operates globally, while our work in the Built Environment focuses on Europe and the UK, and Fashion works within the most relevant apparel producing countries in South and South-East Asia and Brazil.

Is Laudes Foundation a Catholic organisation?

Laudes Foundation is not a Catholic organisation. The name is a reflection of the heritage and inspiration of the Brenninkmeijer family.

All Frequently Asked Questions

Funding transformational initiatives

India

Bangladesh

Brazil

Europe

Mexico

Pakistan

Turkey

Tanzania

Indonesia

What we fund

Solidar Suisse

IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative

ISEAL Alliance

China Labour Bulletin (CLB)

Repórter Brasil Organização De Comunicação E Projetos Sociais

European Coalition for Corporate Justice

Nazdeek, INC

International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR)

Frank Bold Society

Fashion Roundtable Organisation Ltd

Networks Matter

Blockforce

Sherpa

Peers for the planet

Finance Watch

Sunrise Project

Swiss Philanthropy Foundation

Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute

Carbon Tracker Initiative Limited

Influence Map

Icebreaker One Ltd

Circle Economy UA

Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

The Ex'tax Project Foundation

The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change

The Royal Institute of International Affairs Chatham House

Follow This

Reclaim Finance

Climate Strategies

Open Apparel Registry

Global Fund for Women

International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

Breakthrough

World Green Building Council

European Environmental Citizens' Organisation for Standardisation (ECOS)

The Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE)

Ramboll Denmark

Green Finance Institute Ltd

Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC)

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)

Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) - Game Changers Fund

The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge

Climate-KIC

Timber Accelerator Hub

Bauhaus der Erde

World Resources Institute

World Resources Institute

Trade Union Rights Centre

Rede de Desenvolvimento Humano (Redeh)

Pesticide Action Network, UK

Partners in Change

Institute for Sustainable Communities

Institute for Future-Fit Economies

European Climate Foundation

Diaconia

Council on Economic Policies

Follow This

Social Accountability International, Inc.

Jan Sahas

IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative

Aga Khan Foundation

Freedom Fund

Rutgers Law School, Center for Corporate Law and Governance

Waste and Resources Action Plan

Ocean Wise Conservation Association

Healthy Building Network

Fauna & Flora International

Centre for Responsible Business