Network of European Foundations (NEF) is a collective of left-of-center European grantmaking foundations. Its primary function is to grant funds pooled by foundations in its network, and partners with other non-governmental organizations and associations across Europe. ^{1 2}

NEF partners with various left-of-center organizations including the Open Society Foundations, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and King Baudouin Foundation. ³

Background

Network of European Foundations, also known as the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation, grants funds pooled by foundations in its network and partners with other non-governmental organizations and associations across Europe. ^{4 5}

The organization’s structure is split into a general assembly, which approves the collaborative projects hosted by NEF; a secretariat or “back-office team” who work on collaborative projects; and a steering committee, which represents the foundations supplying the pooled funding. ⁶

NEF’s projects are split into three categories: democracy, which supports NEF’s European Fund for the Balkans, European AI Fund, and Civitates; social inclusion, which supports the Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe, European Program for Integration and Migration, TransForm, and FETA; and international development, which supports the Jafowa and PEHRC programs. ⁷

Funders

Network of European Foundations receives funding from its foundation members as well as from outside organizations. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (CSM) is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation that funds organizations and communities in four strategic subject areas: local issues related to Flint, Michigan; civil society; education; and the environment. According to its grant database, the foundation has provided NEF with 32 grants worth a total of $4,882,065 between January 1, 2000, and 2022. ^{8 9}

King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) is an international grantmaking foundation based in Brussels, Belgium that provides funding to left-of-center organizations and foundations. KBF has given NEF nine grants worth a total of €1,445,000 (approximately $1,426,359) from 2020 to 2022. ¹⁰

Atlantic Philanthropies, primarily based in Bermuda, was a collection of principally overseas organizations that provided funding to left-of-center organizations. The organization closed its doors in October 2020. Atlantic Philanthropies provided NEF with five grants worth a total of $2,536,954 between 2005 and 2014. ^{11 12}

Oak Foundation (and its U.S. affiliate Oak Foundation USA) is a left-leaning environmentalist grant maker that has funded climate-change-related litigation and environmentalist advocacy groups in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. The Oak Foundation granted a total of $1,978,022 to NEF on January 1, 2020. ¹³

Luminate is a left-of-center grantmaking organization founded in 2018 by Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam Omidyar, founders of the Omidyar Network Fund and its sister organization the Omidyar Network. Luminate granted a total of $1,250,000 in 2020 across two grants. ¹⁴

Open Society Foundations (OSF; formally Open Society Institute) is a private grantmaking foundation created and funded by billionaire financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros. OSF provided NEF with ten grants worth a total of $2,134,500 from 2016 until 2020. ¹⁵

Tides Network is a left-of-center nonprofit founded in 2005 as part of a collection of grantmaking and fiscal-sponsorship nonprofits collectively known as the Tides Nexus. The Tides website lists NEF as a grantee. ^{16 17}

Membership

Network of European Foundations has multiple left-of-center member organizations including the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Philanthropy Europe Association, and the Adessium Foundation, a Dutch grant making organization founded by commodities trader Gerard van Vliet that provides grants to left-leaning organizations across the world. ^{18 19}

1. “About Us.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/about-us/.
2. “Network of European Foundations.” Better Care Network. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/organizations-working-on-childrens-care/network-of-european-foundations.
3. “About Us.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/about-us/.
4. “Network of European Foundations.” Better Care Network. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/organizations-working-on-childrens-care/network-of-european-foundations.
5. “About Us.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/about-us/.
6. “About Us.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/about-us/.
7. “Our Collaborative Projects.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/our-collaboratives/.
8. “What We Do.” Mott Foundation. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.mott.org/work/.
9. “Grants Database – NEF.” Mott Foundation. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.mott.org/grants/?query=NEF&pg=1.
10. “Grants Database – NEF.” King Baudouin Foundation. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://kbs-frb.be/en/search?searchTerm=network%20of%20european%20foundations.
11. Our Story.” Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/our-story.
12. “Grant Database – NEF.” Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/grantees/network-of-european-foundations.
13. “Grant Database.” Oak Foundation. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://oakfnd.org/grants/.
14. “Grant Database – NEF.” Luminate. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://luminategroup.com/investee/nef.
15. “Grant Database – NEF.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=network+of+European+foundations.
16. “Tides Network 2018 990 Form (PDF).” InfluenceWatch. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2020/04/Tides-Network-2018-Form-990.pdf.
17. “Grantees.” Tides Network. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.tides.org/project/grantee/network-of-european-foundations/.
18. “Interview: Adessium Foundation.” Alliance magazine. October 31, 2017. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.alliancemagazine.org/interview/interview-adessium-foundation/.
19. “About Us.” Accessed November 2, 2022. https://www.nef-europe.org/about-us/.