All Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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.

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 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.

We have offices in Europe, India, Brazil, Hong Kong and Bangladesh.  The organisation is global in nature, as is the Finance and Capital Market Transformation programme. Our work in the built environment will focus mainly on Europe initially, while fashion focuses on the most relevant producing countries.

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

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.

Laudes is an independent foundation and will work to influence all industry. It does aim, however, to inspire COFRA as much as others and its work will complement other initiatives within the COFRA Group. The idea is to engage with the COFRA and the individual businesses (including C&A) as thought partners, sharing ideas and approaches that can inspire change and challenge the daily norms. Additionally, we hope to learn from their insights and expertise.

Laudes Foundation combines its philanthropic purpose with the scale and reach of industry to transform the global economic system and the way it defines value. Partnering with innovators, academics, policymakers, NGOs, workers and citizen movements to challenge and enable business owners and decision-makers in the industry, including investors and shareholders to transition to new economic models.

Depending on the complexity and size of the proposed initiative, this process can take a few weeks or several months. Find out how the process works.

In general, we do not accept unsolicited grant proposals. If you have an initiative that fits out mission, please contact us and we will put you in touch with one of our programme managers who will walk you through the process.

Applicants will need to submit:

Proposal Light (maximum 4 pages) for funding requests below EUR 100k

or

Full proposal (maximum 14 pages including rubrics framework for monitoring, evaluation and learning, in accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Minimum Requirements plus annexes) for funding requests of EUR 100k and more. The annexes include an activity-based budget and programme timeline / Gantt chart.

Please, find both proposal templates and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Minimum Requirements here.

Before submitting documentation contact your programme manager.

To make the process as simple as possible, please only submit information after speaking to a programme manager and then only what is requested in the proposal light or full proposal.

Please, find both proposal templates here.

We only work with registered groups and organisations at this time.

We don't make donations to individual fundraising activities, but we wish you the best of luck with your campaign.

Depending on the grant budget, approval will be done by either the Head of Programme, Director, CEO or the Laudes Foundation Investment Committee.

We'll create a legally binding contract between your organisation and Laudes Foundation. This will include intended results, targets, milestones or reporting deliverables, and a payment schedule.

Please, find the contract template here.

All of our partnerships must align with our Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Minimum Requirements and Laudes Foundation rubrics. This helps both you and the foundation better understand if your initiative is achieving its intended results and put corrective measures in place if necessary.

Before approval of the proposal, our programme managers will work with you to co-develop a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. This includes: 

1. Expected results (outcomes such as early and later changes), evidence of change and the contribution of the proposal to the change;
2. Details on how results will be measured, reported and evaluated throughout the grant lifecycle in alignment with our Partner reporting Guidelines. This will be agreed upon in the grant agreement.

Our M&E policy will help you understand expectations for measuring and evaluating results. It outlines the foundation's approach to monitoring and evaluation, and it indicates the norms and standards we use. The policy is meant to foster mutual accountability and learning.

Existing partners, who are currently receiving a programmatic or core support grant, can apply for up to EUR 15,000 from our Emergency Fund. The fund is set up to support partners in need of short-term financial support due to imminent threats to their safety. To apply, partners should fill in the application form and discuss it in direct conversation with their programme manager. Emergencies caused by natural disasters are not eligible to receive funds.

Yes and no. We no longer use logframes, replaced by the rubrics framework in proposals. The theory of change, which is not (and won’t be) mandatory, may be used if deemed useful. Please refer to the M&E Minimum Requirements. 

The Effective Philanthropy team continues to support partners designing fit-for-purpose measurement and learning frameworks.