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