Laudes Foundation, based in Amsterdam, operates as a grantmaking organisation focused on systemic change across industries. Established in 2020 by the Brenninkmeijer family—European business owners with six generations of entrepreneurial and philanthropic history—the foundation evolved from the C&A Foundation to address dual crises: climate breakdown and deepening inequality.
The organisation distributes approximately 63.3 million euros annually across more than 600 partnerships spanning 56 countries. It channels resources into four primary industries identified as having outsized environmental and social impact: fashion, the built environment, food systems, and finance. Rather than traditional grant-making, Laudes employs strategic approaches including advocacy acceleration, research scaling, alliance cultivation, and narrative amplification to reshape economic systems.
Built by Nature exemplifies this approach. Launched in 2021, this multimillion-euro fund supports the timber and biobased building transformation across Europe, securing 5.75 million euros in commitments alongside 6.42 million euros in co-funding from partners including the IKEA Foundation.
The foundation's strategy emphasises longer-term partnerships and core support funding, enabling organisations to deploy resources flexibly. Beyond grants, it provides capacity-building assistance through its Learning Fund and collaborations with Non-Profit Builder, helping partners develop organisational capabilities.
Laudes positions itself as independent and non-partisan, operating within a broader network of family philanthropic entities. Its approach reflects conviction that industry and business, when appropriately incentivised, can function as forces for positive systemic change rather than obstacles to sustainability.