The European Foundation Centre (EFC) is a Brussels-based non-profit membership association of foundations and corporate funders,[1] which is dedicated to advancing the public good in Europe and beyond through cooperation with an array of partners. The EFC was established in 1989 by seven European Foundations and today serves over 230 members including community and independent foundations as well as corporate funders, plus more than 60 associated organisations. Ninety percent of the EFC’s members are spread across Europe. The others are based in Asia, North and South America.
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The EFC groups its activities under four main objectives:
The EFC is the foundation sector’s principal representative body with the European Union institutions. The Centre advocates better legal and tax conditions to allow foundations to operate effectively throughout Europe. Its main focus at present is to see a European Foundation Statute become law, which would do much to overcome the barriers which impede foundations’ cross-border work. The Statute would have the effect of unleashing foundations’ potential economic impact on public-good activities.
The EFC promotes the work of foundations, principally that of its members. The Centre's flagship magazine, Effect, and other tools highlight foundation stories and successes, and provide analysis of developments in the sector. The EFC documents and analyses its members’ work. It also collaborates with research institutes to provide a footprint of the sector.
The EFC aims to set standards and build the professional capacity in the sector through benchmarking and training events held for staff at every level in the sector. Each year, the EFC gathers some 600 delegates at our annual conference, which is the largest held event for foundations active in Europe. The Centre also holds a forum focusing on grant-makers involved in central and eastern Europe. The ethos of the Centre’s capacity-building and benchmarking work is exemplified by our Principles of Good Practice.
The EFC believes partnership is vital to the success of European independent funders, both individually and as a sector. The EFC establishes mutually beneficial partnerships with other philanthropic institutions, including 18 national associations of donors. The EFC also acts as an enabler for members and others working both in Europe and globally on similar issues (e.g. disabilities, migration, environment), by giving them a platform to identify common issues on which to collaborate and in partnership with governments, multilateral organisations, and universities. One example is the European Forum on Philanthropy and Research Funding, led by EFC with the European Commission’s support, plus individual funders, and involving European universities and other key research stakeholders.
The EFC works closely with WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support) [1], which is a global network of some 100 grantmaker associations and support organisations.
The EFC participates in the European Foundation Project.