Spring – Summer 2014 - Stavros Niarchos Foundation

NEWS & GRANTS / SPRING - SUMMER / 2014
www.S NF.o rg
Friends of the Child, Athens, Greece
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Contents
I
6 I THIRD SNF Annual International conference on Philanthropy
8 I RECHARGING THE YOUTH
14 I INITIATIVE aGaiNSt thE criSiS
20 I NEW SNF identity AND WEBSITE
22 I EVENTS
26 I Awards
28 I GloBal allocatioN oF GraNtS
32 I EducatioN
38 I hEalth & mEdiciNE
46 I artS & culturE
54 I Social wElFarE
60 I StavroS NiarchoS FouNdatioN cultural cENtEr – VisitorS Center
62 I JOURNEY TO THE SNFCC
64 I StavroS NiarchoS FouNdatioN cultural cENtEr – aN updatE
70 I thE SNFouNdatioN
72 I StaFF
74 I StavroS S. NiarchoS
4 mESSaGE From thE Board oF dirEctorS
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Message
From the Board of directors
When, in October of 2013, we announced a major
initiative – Recharging the Youth – to help address
youth unemployment in Greece, which had reached
a crisis of 60 percent in the midst of the severe economic downturn, we made it clear THAT A CHALLENGE
AS DAUNTING AS THIS ONE COULD NOT BE ADDRESSED BY
THE FOUNDATION ALONE NOR COULD THE CHALLENGE BE
MET EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE COMMITMENT OF FUNDS.
In launching the initiative, we posed a number of
critical questions to ourselves. Could the foundation put together effective programs to meet
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the challenges raised by such a persistent and complex problem? A previous initiative of €100 million ($130
million) by the Foundation sought to help those hit
the hardest by the severe socioeconomic crisis in
Greece, and it was designed primarily as a short-term
relief effort. Could the foundation redirect its
approach and adjust to take a long -term, profound challenge that if not addressed, will have
severe consequences?
The international conference on youth unemployment, that took place
in New York on April 3 and 4 served both as a forum for constructive
dialogue, and for creating and evaluating possible solutions, as well as
for evaluating specific analytically grounded initiatives to create practical pilot programs in Greece. The presentations and the discussions
that followed explored efforts to address the problem of youth unemployment around the world, focusing on the effectiveness of internships, apprenticeships, skills development and training and retraining
programs. More than anything else, however, the proceedings of the
conference highlighted the inherent difficulties of effective responses
on a large scale. To us, as a foundation, the conference confirmed
our initial conviction that the scale of the challenge requires a collaborative and strategic approach that brings together the non-profit
(philanthropic organizations and NGOs), the public (government)
and the private sectors. Our approach has to be recalibrated to fully
embrace the notion of a welfare society as an effective youth employment strategy.
Recent efforts by philanthropic organizations – The Rockefeller Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, JP Morgan Global Philanthropy, and The MasterCard Foundation, to name just a few - to address
the global issue of youth unemployment on a scale that has a significant impact, have focused on the critical role of the private sector. It
is employers that create jobs and provide employment opportunities
for young people on a large scale. The collaboration with potential
employers is the only effective pathway towards creating meaningful
employment opportunities for young people on a large scale.
As a philanthropic organization, we seek and find our role in the space
between the private and the public sectors. Our aim is to create
and successfully implement programs and innovative initiatives on a
smaller scale, which then may be implemented on a much larger scale
by the public and private sectors respectively. Our pilot initiatives
in the areas of research and technology, agriculture, and tourism, include mapping the labor landscape to identify the employment needs
and the skills required to satisfy such needs nationally and locally,
and according to each sector. The research will allow us to identify
all the necessary steps and programs that are essential for providing
young people with the training and education to meet employment
opportunities and demands. Both the private and the public sectors
will need to align themselves with this effort and commit to creating
employment opportunities for young people. It is a big challenge, and
we invite everyone to join us in addressing it.
The Directors
5
THIRD SNF Annual
International Conference
on Philanthropy
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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, in collaboration with the European Foundation Centre (EFC),
organizes the SNF Annual International Conference on Philanthropy. Established in 2012, the
annual conference attempts to examine the
changing role and increased importance of
philanthropy in the current global context.
Through a series of interactive workshops and
panel discussions, participants from all over the
world gather in Athens to discuss such issues
as the impact of the ongoing crisis on the role
of European and international philanthropic
foundations, the role of a social welfare society, ethics in philanthropy, and the role of arts
and culture in the social and economic life of
local communities.
The Third SNF Annual International Conference on Philanthropy is
scheduled to take place in Athens, June 26-27, 2014.
The first day of the conference will be dedicated to the Recharging
the Youth initiative, which the SNF announced in October 2013. At
that time, the Foundation committed €100 million, in addition to its
tactical grant-making activities, in order to help create new opportunities for Greece’s younger generation, which is severely impacted by
the country’s alarmingly high unemployment rate. This conference
comes on the heels of another one, entitled Recharging the Youth:
An International Conference on the Global Youth Unemployment
Crisis and the Need for Collective Action. It took place in New York,
April 3-4, 2014, and brought together leading labor economists, as
well as experts in the areas of agriculture, entrepreneurship, and culture/tourism, for the purpose of proposing new analytically grounded
initiatives to address youth unemployment. The goal was to bring to
the table ideas unconstrained by supposed political limitations, and to
The inaugural conference focused on the crucial role of philanthropic
use the conference and sustained follow-up to create practical pilot
foundations in times of crisis, while the second conference brought
programs in Greece. These pilot programs can be used as proof of
philanthropic action to the forefront, examining its place within a
concept, and then implemented on a larger scale both there and in
contemporary social welfare society.
other economies that are facing high youth unemployment.
Past participants have included George Soros (founder of the Open
During the first day of the Third Annual International Conference on
Society Foundations), Anders Aslund (Swedish economist and senior
Philanthropy, the aim is to examine some of the ideas and notions
fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics), William
discussed in New York, and to build upon initiatives that combat youth
Antholis (Managing Director of the Brookings Institution), Rosanne
unemployment and that can be practically implemented on a global
Haggerty (President, Community Solutions) and many more.
scale.
The second day of the conference will focus on issues related to
“Philanthropy and Ethics” and “Arts and Culture: Creative Assets and
their Social and Economic Importance.”
The conference will also address a number of ethical issues, such as
the ethics of volunteerism and of corporate philanthropy. In addition,
it will examine the integral role of arts and culture in the social and
economic life of communities, focusing, among other things, on the
civic importance of cultural centers like the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
Panel discussion / photo by Marilena Katsini
Andreas Dracopoulos and George Soros / photo by Marilena Katsini
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RECHARGING THE YOUTH
On April 3-4, 2014, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
(www.SNF.org), in collaboration with the
Peterson Institute for International Economics,
convened an international conference in New
York City, as part of its Recharging the Youth
initiative. The focus of the conference was global
youth unemployment and the pressing need for
collective action on this issue.
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The conference was the first step after the Foundation’s announcement
in October 2013 that it would commit €100 million – above and beyond
its regular grantmaking activities – in order to create new employment
opportunities for Greece’s younger generations, whose unemployment
rates are severely affected by the ongoing economic crisis.
The conference served as an international forum and a space for
productive dialogue, through which over 40 participants discussed
and analyzed initiatives and programs that can lead to development
and provide employment opportunities on a global scale. Members of
the international academic community, policy makers, representatives
of Greek and international research foundations, NGOs, government
officials, and business people had the opportunity to exchange views
and experiences. Their ultimate goal was to develop proposals for
active collaboration between the public, private, and philanthropy
sector, with the specific aim of addressing the global issue of youth
unemployment.
The two-day conference included a total of 8 themed units and approximately 40 speeches. The keynote speaker on the first day of the
conference was Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, who focused on exports as the most effective way
to exit the crisis and create new jobs, highlighted both the challenges
and the opportunities that emerge as a result of rapid technological advances and innovations, and he emphasized the importance of
education and expertise in the youth employment market.
The speeches on the first day provided necessary historical background on the emergence and growth of youth unemployment in
Greece and the rest of Europe, as well as globally. The speakers
provided an in-depth analysis of the issue and its inherent connection to the state of the economy, entrepreneurship and competitiveness, technological development, demographic changes, and the
position of education and culture in society. Particular emphasis was
placed on the effectiveness of work experience, apprenticeship, skills
development, and retraining programs, as well as on the need for the
participation of private initiative and businesses in these programs.
The view that private initiative alone is not sufficient to address such
high unemployment rates and that extensive state intervention, for
the express purpose of creating thousands of jobs, is required was
debated at length, as was the question of how social entrepreneurship and support for new businesses could help address the issue of
youth unemployment on a global level. Specific proposals for action
in areas such as tourism, where there are opportunities for creating
new jobs by approaching particular markets (e.g., China), were also
extensively discussed.
The second and final day of the conference opened with a speech
by Μike Lazaridis, Managing Partner of Quantum Valley Investments,
founder of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, co-founder
of BlackBerry, who focused on the evolution of technology, from the
invention of the transistor to the present day, and its importance in
the creation of millions of jobs. He pointed out that technological
innovation has reached an impasse, and that quantum physics could
open the door to a new era of technological innovation, which will
lead to job creation. Other participants discussed programs that have
already been implemented globally to address youth unemployment.
The presenters evaluated their results so far and examined the potential for adapting them to the unique conditions prevailing in Greece.
The speakers were also invited to present new, innovative pilot
programs that could promote the development potential of Greece in
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Recharging the Youth Conference, New York City, April 3-4, 2014 / photos by Alexandros Lambrovassilis
the areas of research and technology, education, agriculture, tourism
and culture and that could actively contribute to combating youth
unemployment in the country.
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The Co-President of the Board of Directors of the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation, Mr. Andreas Dracopoulos, said: “In October 2013, when
we announced this new initiative, we stressed that the purpose of the
conference was not only to identify and investigate programs aimed
at providing new opportunities with the potential to create new
jobs, but also to develop a new model, a forum for discussion, and a
dialogue on effective ways of addressing the issue on a global scale.
The conference provided a group of distinguished speakers with the
opportunity to present their views and proposals on the issue at hand,
and it led to numerous constructive discussions and debates, as well
as to sound, practicable proposals for action, which will be carefully
evaluated by the Foundation. In that respect, it was an important first
step in the right direction. At this stage, I would like to emphasize
a very important point: We made it clear, right from the start that
changing the current situation cannot be achieved by the commitment of funds alone, however significant they may be. The creation
of new opportunities requires innovation and the collaboration and
convergence of different sectors including public, private, and philanthropy. The Foundation is no deus ex machina, and it cannot tackle
a problem of such magnitude on its own. Our role, the role of every
philanthropic organization, must be sought in the space between the
private and the public sector. Our aim is to create and successfully
implement programs and innovative initiatives on a smaller scale,
which may then be implemented on a much larger scale by the public
and private sector.”
This conference is only the beginning of a long process of identifying
and evaluating programs to support the younger generation, a
process that will continue during the course of the Third Annual
International Stavros Niarchos Foundation Conference on
Philanthropy, which will take place in Athens, June 26-27, 2014.
Although the purpose of the conference was to identify and investigate programs aimed at providing new opportunities and with the
potential of creating new jobs, the Foundation has already approved a
number of grants to support programs that come under its Recharging
the Youth initiative.
RECENT GRANTS:
I
American College of Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the establishment of the SNF Scholars Program
I
Endeavor Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the research and compilation of a report on Youth
Unemployment in Greece
I
French Institute of Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports scholarships for outstanding graduate and
post-graduate students to pursue their studies in France
Industrial and Business Education
and Training Institute Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the implementation of training programs for youth
employment in selected professions
I
The Johns Hopkins University Washington, DC, USA
The grant supports scholarships for students from Greece at the
School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
I Chapel Hill, NC, USA
The grant supports the Azoria Project excavations
The Azoria Project
Johns Hopkins SAIS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH
CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
The grant supports operating expenses for the Azoria Project, the
excavation of an archaic Greek city (seventh to fifth century, B.C.E.) on
the island of Crete.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the nation’s first
public university and one of the world’s leading research institutions.
A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities,
UNC-Chapel Hill is regularly ranked as providing the best value for
academic quality in American public higher education.
Washington, DC, USA
The grant supports fellowships and internships for students from
Greece who qualify on merit and financial need, to attend SAIS in
Washington, DC, and Bologna for the two-year master’s degree
program.
Based in Washington, DC, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University is a leading
graduate school devoted to the study of international relations. Its
campus in Bologna, Italy, the SAIS Bologna Center, is the leading
American graduate school for international affairs in Europe.
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Industrial and Business Education and Training Institute
French Institute of Greece
INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
INSTITUTE
French Institute of Greece
Athens
The grant supports a training program that targets 1,000 unemployed
people. The program will be implemented in the cities of Athens,
Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, and Alexandroupoli. The program aims to
increase the employability of people 25 to 40 years old by offering
training skills.
The Industrial and Business Education and Training Institute (IVEPE)
is a nonprofit organization, established in 1980, and constitutes the
educational arm of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV). Its
goal is the training of both unemployed individuals and employed
professionals, who require further training to improve their qualifications and competitiveness in the job market.
Athens
The grant supports the scholarship program of the French Institute,
titled “VRIka.” The program, established in 2004, awards scholarships
to students who have exhibited a distinguished academic record,
both in high school and in their undergraduate studies.
The French Institute of Greece was established in Athens in 1907
and constitutes the cultural and educational arm of the French
Embassy in Greece.
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INITIATIVE
AGAInst the cRIsIs
Two years of grants and initiatives by the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation to help ease the adverse
effects of the economic crisis in Greece.
In January 2012, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced a
three-year, €100 million ($130 million) initiative, in addition to its
tactical grant-making activities, in order to help alleviate the adverse
effects of the socioeconomic crisis in Greece.
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Two years later, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has committed
grants which account for approximately 80% of the program’s total
budget. The Foundation has made grants totaling €78 million ($101
million), to 181 non-profit organizations throughout Greece, in order to
reinforce their socially oriented work. In this way, the Foundation supports the efforts of citizens in dealing with the increasing challenges
and difficulties posed by the crisis.
Aimed towards alleviating the adverse effects of the economic crisis
in Greece, this initiative is fully aligned with the Foundation’s core
mission of implementing grants and initiatives capable of creating
positive social impact and bringing about substantial improvements
in citizens’ quality of life. The essence of the initiative lies in its dual
purpose: through the supported programs it seeks, on the one hand,
to provide immediate relief to citizens who are faced with urgent
problems and, on the other hand, to create all the necessary conditions to ensure long-term results.
In the context of the initiative, and keeping in mind its dual purpose,
the supported programs reinforce the areas of health and social welfare, taking into account the citizens’ need for immediate support, but
also the areas of education and culture, creating a solid foundation for
the future.
The Foundation has actively supported the implementation of 210
programs, offering substantial aid to the most vulnerable citizens while,
at the same time, producing multiple benefits for society at large.
In more detail, the following actions have taken place under the
Foundation’s initiative during the past two years:
• Social Welfare: The Foundation has committed 147 grants, totaling
€62 million ($80 million)
• Health & Medicine: The Foundation has committed 25 grants,
totaling €7 million ($10 million)
• Education: The Foundation has supported 26 programs, with grants
totaling €7 million ($10 million)
• Arts & Culture: The Foundation has committed €1.7 million
($2.2 million) in grants, which have contributed to the implementation
of 12 programs.
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the SNF’s board of directors
stated: “It is our deep-rooted belief that no citizens should lose their
dignity and hope, especially now, and our sincere desire to help create a better tomorrow that mobilized the Stavros Niarchos Foundation two years ago to undertake this initiative and to provide, within
its capabilities, support to those who have been severely affected by
the crisis. The ultimate goal of the Foundation is not only to support
the Greek society, but to also aid in the creation of a welfare society,
where cooperation, solidarity, and social cohesion will inspire and
guide all citizens and creative agencies of our country.”
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Elepap, Athens, Greece / photo by Studio Panoulis
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Hellenic Society for Disabled Children (ELEPAP)
Hellenic Ornithological Society
Hellenic Society for
Disabled Children (ELEPAP)
Hellenic
Ornithological Society
The grant supports the Early Education and Therapeutic Intervention Program.
The grant supports the design and implementation of a program promoting free spaces and public parks, while simultaneously educating
children about their significance. The grant also places emphasis on
reaching underprivileged urban areas and children who face financial
difficulties and rarely have opportunities to interact with nature.
AThens
The Hellenic Society for Disabled Children (ELEPAP) was established in 1937 in Athens. It provides holistic, multi-disciplinary and
innovative intervention programs to 1,600 children annually, with developmental motor disorders, including cerebral palsy, neuromuscular
diseases, and motor disorders due to genetic syndromes or traumatic
brain injury.
AThens
The Hellenic Ornithological Society was founded in 1982 and is the
only Greek not-for-profit organization exclusively concerned with
the protection of wild birds and their habitats. The organization’s
objectives include studying and protecting birds and their habitats
in Greece, promoting the organization’s goals to the European Union
and informing the public. The Hellenic Ornithological Society is a
partner of BirdLife International, the largest world organization
concerned with the protection of birds and their habitats.
Friends of the Child
Jenny Karezi Foundation
Friends of the Child
Jenny Karezi Foundation
The grant supports the provision of subsidies to cover rent costs of
underprivileged families as part of the association’s family-support
program.
The grant supports general operating expenses.
Athens
Friends of the Child was established in Athens in 1987 and provides
assistance to over 450 families annually. Its priorities are families,
particularly single-mother families, whose children face health and
nutrition issues as a direct result of poverty. The association runs
several programs, including food aid, medical care, personal hygiene,
and infant care, as well as a variety of educational and recreational
programs.
Athens
The Jenny Karezi Foundation is a non-profit organization providing
cancer pain relief and palliative care, founded in 1992, in memory of
the Greek actress, Jenny Karezi. Its mission is to provide relief for
patients with cancer and other chronic diseases, through medical and
psychological support.
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RECENT GRANTS:
I
Amymoni Athens, Greece
The grant supports the operation and expansion of the Early
Intervention Program
Hellenic Society for Disabled Children (ELEPAP)
Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the Early Educational and Therapeutic
Intervention Program
Hellenic Foundation for European
and Foreign Policy Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the second year of operation of the
Observatory for the Crisis
I
Hellenic Ornithological Society Athens, Greece
The grant supports the implementation of a program promoting
free spaces and public parks and educating children about
their significance
I
Friends of the Child Athens, Greece
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The grant supports the Family Care Program
I
Jenny Karezi Foundation Athens, Greece
The grant supports general operating expenses
Kosmeteio Foundation “House of Constantinopolitans” Iraklio, Greece
I
The grant supports maintenance works at the “House of
Constantinopolitans”
Parish Church of St. Andreas in Patisia
Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the purchase and conversion of a space into a
cultural center
I
Thessaloniki Olympic Museum Thessaloniki, Greece
The grant supports an educational program related to the Olympic
Games targeting underprivileged schools
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NEW SNF IDENTITY
AND WEBSITE
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Redesigning an established institutional logo
By reversing the Foundation’s initials and housing them in holding
represents, in most cases, a coming-of-age for
blocks, while still maintaining part of the original middle wave, the
an organization, and is a complex challenge for
core elements and inherited qualities of the existing logo are retained.
the designer undertaking such a project. At such
The traditional variety of blues is also preserved, with the addition of
a moment, the institution realizes how vital a
a cool gray for type. Another innovation is a bilingual core logo, sig-
new graphic language is for the transmission of
naling the strong international character the Foundation has acquired,
a fully developed identity to the general public.
while remaining deeply rooted in the Greek philanthropic tradition.
The request to develop an alternative logo that builds upon the
Viktor Koen, Designer
Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s existing brand recognition, institutional
culture, and tradition came during conversations about the new SNF
website and its initial design stages. The timing also proved opportune because the Foundation’s work, legacy, and giving philosophy
were being studied in depth. It soon became clear that turning the
old stand-alone logo into a consistently identifiable system, in tune
with SNF’s target audience and branding goals, could be accomplished only by transforming the existing components into a configuration that would be contemporary in function and aesthetics.
Because the need to design a new way to communicate coincided
with a turning point in the importance and scope of the Foundation’s
initiatives, the project signified a realignment of the Foundation’s image with its graphic identity. The multiplicity of SNF partnerships and
project collaborations dictated the need for a strong, and fixed yet
modular and agile identity that could be combined easily and work effectively across design disciplines in print and web. At the same time, it
would also have to function as a signature, reading well in any size.
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Applications and development process of the new SNF identity and website
events
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight
Lecture Series at the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind
Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University
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On March 19, 2014, Catherine Lord, Ph.D., presented the inaugural
lecture in the Series, on Autism: Human Social Behavior and Communication, at the Miller Theater at Columbia University. Dr. Lord
is a clinical psychologist whose influential work has helped shape
worldwide standards for diagnosing autism. Her long-term studies of
children with autism are providing new insights into the course of the
disorder and establishing an evidence base for effective treatments.
The speaker is Professor of Psychology and founding Director of the
Center for Autism and the Developing Brain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons in collaboration with New York
Collaborates for Autism.
The speaker focused, among other things, on the significant progress
over recent years in diagnosing the disorder, which has led in an
extensive increase in the number of people affected by it. She also
emphasized that despite evident progress in identification, the neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder remain a mystery, and that
behavior still remains the only credible way to define the disorder.
Neuroscientists can lead to major advances in this area.
The lecture series is one of two SNF initiatives in collaboration with
The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, to enhance understanding of the biology of the mind
and the complexity of human behavior.
The first initiative is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight
Lecture Series. The series will offer four lectures per year, featuring
Columbia University scientists and will be open to the public. The
lectures aim to address issues of broader societal importance in a
manner that informs and engages the community.
The second initiative is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation TeacherScholar Program, run by Kelley Remole, Ph.D., Director of Neuroscience Outreach for the Zuckerman Institute. The program aims to
provide selected high-school science teachers in New York City with
an opportunity to strengthen their science communication skills while
developing lesson plans for their classrooms. The Teacher-Scholars
are chosen through a competitive application process of essays and
interviews, and will use the Brain Insight Lectures as case studies in
scientific inquiry. By attending the public lectures, as well as TeacherScholar seminars, they will gain familiarity with the lecture’s subject
matter and workshop lesson ideas to bring back to their science
classrooms. The lessons that are created as part of the Teacher-Scholar program will integrate the lecture content with national science
teaching standards (the Next Generation Science Standards).
Both of these initiatives are part of the extensive public programs of
the Education Center to be located at the new Jerome L. Greene
Science Center.
Greek Surgeons at New York’s Hospital
for Special Surgery
This April, fourteen orthopaedic surgeons from Greece participated
in a four-day seminar program at New York City’s Hospital for Special
Surgery (HSS) focused on the latest advances in hip and shoulder
surgery, as well as the latest techniques in sports medicine.
For the first two days, the group from Greece observed live surgery,
worked in the cadaver lab to practice techniques, and also took part
in lectures and case discussions. In the final two days of the program,
the Greek cohort joined about one hundred other surgeons at Hospital for Special Surgery’s Current Concepts in Sports Medicine course,
where lectures, discussions and workshops focused on common
issues and injuries orthopaedic surgeons treat in athletes.
Dr. Catherine Lord, The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University
photo: Michael Dames
Surgeons and SNF representatives at Hospital for Special Surgery
Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy for the Republic of Indonesia
and Andreas Dracopoulos, Co- President of the SNF / Peterson Institute for International Economics
photo: Kaveh Sardari
Celebration of the partnership between SNF and Yale School of Art / photo: Tony Fiorini
23
Executives and staff from the SNF joined the surgeons for lunch on
day 1 of the program, during which some patient cases were discussed and feedback was shared on the benefits of the program for
practicing surgeons in Greece.
The program helps participants, all of whom are practicing surgeons
in hospitals throughout Greece, make and maintain connections with
each other and with expert surgeons at HSS, who can provide guidance in rare or difficult cases. In addition, participants are expected
to transfer their newly gained knowledge to their colleagues in
Greece.
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This is the seventh such seminar program at HSS for Greek orthopaedic surgeons supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, through
which about fifteen participants per year further their education in
surgical techniques. Alongside support for this program, the SNF
also provided support for year-long fellowships. These fellowships
provide stellar candidates with rigorous training in orthopaedic surgery and clinical care, research, and medical academia. Fellows gain
the full experience of fellowship training at HSS – evaluating patients,
conducting research, publishing articles, and attending conferences.
The Hospital for Special Surgery, founded in 1863, is the oldest
orthopaedic hospital in the US and a world leader in musculoskeletal
medicine.
Fourteenth Annual
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lecture
The Fourteenth Annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lecture at the
Peterson Institute for International Economics took place on April
29, in Washington. This year’s speaker, Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister
of Tourism and Creative Economy for the Republic of Indonesia,
spoke on the subject of Driving Sustainable Economic Growth: Trade
and Innovation in the Emerging Markets, focusing on how emerging
economies like Indonesia can progress to sustainable growth through
the implementation of serious and necessary structural reforms,
as well as the importance of “regional and multilateral frameworks
that shape national policies and structural reforms.” In his opening
remarks, the Foundation’s Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos, com-
mented, among other things, on how the Minister’s title represents
an innovative way for a country to deal with culture and tourism as
important assets, and also provides Greece with a great example of
new 21st century ways to utilize creatively and effectively the country’s
rich culture and history that goes back thousands of years.
The annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lecture Series at the
Peterson Institute was established in 2001. Since its inception, the
Series has provided an annual forum for a major presentation on
economic theory and policy making on a global level, focusing on a
subject of central and topical concern to the US and international
policy communities. Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the
Federal Reserve Board, delivered the Series’ inaugural lecture in
2001. The list of subsequent speakers includes Ernesto Zedillo, former
president of Mexico, in 2003; Lawrence H. Summers, former director of the White House National Economic Council, in 2004; Long
Yongtu, former vice minister of China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Cooperation, in 2005; Mario Monti, former Prime Minister
of Italy, in 2006; Heizo Takenaka, former minister for economic policy
of Japan, in 2007; Petr Aven, former president of Alfa Bank, in 2008;
Nandan M. Nilekani, former co-chairman of the Board of Directors,
Infosys Technologies, LTD, in 2009; Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch
Professor of History, Harvard University, in 2010; John Lipsky, former
first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, in
2011; Jean-Claude Trichet, former president of the European Central
Bank, in 2012; Fred Bergsten, in May 2013; and Antonis Samaras, Prime
Minister of Greece, in October 2013.
Yale University recognizes SNF’s grant
to Yale School of Art
Yale University recognized the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s recent
grant to the Yale School of Art, as well as the Foundation’s significant
overall commitment to the University over the years, during a ceremony held on May 1st. The Dean of the Yale School of Art, Robert Storr,
praised both the Foundation’s Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos,
for his visionary leadership in supporting the Yale School of Art and
arts in general, and the Foundation for its recent efforts to provide
support against the crisis in Greece. Andreas Dracopoulos, in his com-
ments, referred to the long-standing relationship between the two
organizations, and to the importance of creative assets, and praised
Dean Robert Storr’s leadership and character.
The Foundation’s contribution of $5,000,000 to the Yale School of
Art was announced in February 2014. The gift creates a permanent,
unrestricted endowment at Yale that will support core priorities of the
Yale School of Art, while naming in perpetuity the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation Deanship. The endowment will help to advance the
school’s leadership and presence in the global fine arts community.
SNF’s gift of unrestricted endowment will allow the dean to direct
funds to key areas such as financial aid, faculty support, teaching,
visiting artists, and exhibitions. By naming the deanship, the gift will
further help the school attract a succession of world-class artists to fill
its leadership post.
A second gift of $900,000 will supplement three existing endowments for the school, created by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in
2010, to establish an artist’s residency, scholarships for international
students, and a dean’s resource fund.
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With these grants, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s contributions to
Yale total nearly $14 million. In 2007, the Foundation helped establish
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Hellenic Studies at Yale
University. It has also supported the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale College scholarships, the Peabody Museum of Natural
History, and the Child Study Center.
AWARDS
On F ebruary 1 3 , 2 0 1 4 , Vasi l i T samis , t h e Stavr o s
Niarchos Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, accepted on behalf of the Foundation the Archbishop
Iakovos Leadership 100 Award of Excellence. The
Foundation was honored by the Leadership 100 Endowment Fund for its philanthropic work around
the globe.
The ceremony took place during the 23rd annual conference of the
Leadership 100 Endowment Fund.
Leadership 100 was founded in 1984 by Archbishop Iakovos of
Blessed Memory and a group of leading Greek Orthodox laymen. Its
26
mission is to carry on the tradition of advancing Orthodox Faith and
Hellenic Heritage.
The Leadership 100 honors the Stavros Niarchos Foundation / photo by Dimitrios Panagos
27
GLoBAL ALLocAtIon
oF GRAnts
From 1996 until today, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has approved grant commitments of $1,420,000,000
(€1,075,000,000), through 2,676 grants to nonprofit organizations in 110 nations around the world.
Grants per program area:
I
HEALTH & MEDICINE 9%
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ARTs & CULTURE 29%
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33% EDUCATION
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29% SOCIAL WELFARE
I World Map of Grants
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I MAP OF GRANTS IN GREECE
30
GRANTS
PER PROGRAM AREA
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National Hellenic Society, Athens, Greece
EDUCATION
SPRING - S U M M E R 2 0 1 4
At its best, education cultivates ethics and
the development of values, in combination with
the ability for critical thought and community
engagement. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation
supports the goal of access to knowledge and,
through its grants, creates the conditions that
will lay the foundation for a future of equal
opportunities and creative citizens.
Since the beginning of 2014, numerous educational grants have
already been made to organizations in Greece, the United States,
African countries, the United Kingdom, Austria, France, and Turkey,
for a total exceeding €5,000,000. These grants not only support
actions that promote Greek history abroad and preserve the intellectual wealth of Greece, they also provide scholarships, aid educational
environmental programs, enrich the abilities and knowledge of young
people, and offer support to weak students.
Through our grant for the Greenpeace project entitled “The exit from
the crisis is in the environment,” organic animal feed will be produced
domestically and launched into the market, while our support for
an educational program run by the Hellenic Ornithological Society
Academia Engelberg Foundation
Engelberg, Switzerland
I
The grant supports the summer school and the international conference
will give over 750 children in underprivileged areas of Athens and
Thessaloniki the opportunity to learn and embrace the principles of
ecosystem conservation. Both grants demonstrate the Foundation’s
commitment to creating sustainable conditions for the protection of
the environment. Our grants to the Liberty Science Center in the
United States, ZUPdeCO in France, and the Wikimedia Foundation in
the United States, support access-to-knowledge programs for students
through the observation of surgical operations in real time, remedial
teaching for weak students, and improving access to digital sources of
knowledge through mobile telephony, respectively. They all demonstrate the Foundation’s devotion to freely accessible training and
education for young people worldwide.
Our focus on the academic and professional stimulation of young
people aims to provide training, cultivate entrepreneurship, and,
ultimately, fight unemployment. To achieve these goals, the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation supports projects such as the program run by
the Industrial and Business Education and Training Institute (IVEPE)
for the training of young people, aged 25-40. The SNF also provides
aid for the French Institute’s scholarship program for Greek students
in French universities, and Johns Hopkins University’s corresponding
scholarship program in the United States.
I
American College of Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the establishment of the SNF Scholars Program
Ahepa Educational Foundation Washington, DC, USA
American Hellenic Institute Inc
Washington, DC, USA
The grant supports scholarships for the Journey to Greece program
The grant supports the American Hellenic Institute annual gala
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Koç University
American College of Greece
International
GREECE
Koc University
Istanbul, Turkey
The grant supports the creation and operation of a Center for
Late Antique and Byzantine Studies. The proposed Center aims to
establish an international graduate program at the M.A. and Ph.D.
levels. It will also provide a certificate program for undergraduates
in Byzantine Studies, act as a hub for researchers located in different
institutions and countries, and allows students to pursue archaeological
field projects.
Koç University was established in 1993 and is considered to be among
the three top universities in Turkey. The University offers undergraduate,
postgraduate, and Ph.D. programs to 5,500 students. It also implements a notable scholarship program.
american college
of greece
ATHENS
The grant supports the establishment of the SNF Scholars Program.
The scholarships will be directed to DEREE’s Parallel Studies
students, to cover tuition fees for talented students who are already
enrolled in Greek public universities.
The American College of Greece (ACG) was established in 1875
and is the oldest and largest comprehensive American educational
institution in Europe. It is comprised of three entities: Pierce College
(the secondary school), DEREE College (offering undergraduate and
graduate programs in the humanities and sciences), and ALBA Graduate
Business School (offering graduate business programs).
I
Association Ashoka France Paris, France
The grant supports new educational approaches to cultivate the next
generations of change makers
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Bibliotheque Louis-Nucera Nice, France
The grant supports the purchase of accessibility equipment for the
visually impaired
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Camara UK London, UK
The grant supports the establishment of a new, large scale Computer
Refurbishment Centre
Committee for Hispanic Children
and Families, Inc. New York, NY, USA
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The grant supports the implementation of a program promoting free
spaces and public parks and educating children about their significance
Hostos Community College of CUNY
Bronx, NY, USA
I
The grant supports the Hostos Community Heroes pilot program
Imvros & Tenedos Studies Association
Thessaloniki, Greece
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The grant supports the publication of a local chart of the Greek
place names in the island of Imvros
Industrial and Business Education
and Training Institute Athens, Greece
The grant supports Youth Development Programs
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Diakonie Austria Vienna, Austria
The grant supports the International Camp on Communication and
Computers, for people with motor disabilities
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Endeavor Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the research and compilation of a report on youth
unemployment in Greece
1st Experimental Elementary School of
the University of Athens (Maraslio) Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the purchase of robotic technological equipment
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French Institute of Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports scholarships for outstanding graduate and postgraduate students to pursue their studies in France
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Future Library Veria, Greece
The grant supports the implementation of the second phase of the
Journey to the SNFCC program
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Green City Force Brooklyn, NY, USA
The grant supports capacity building of the Clean Energy Corps
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Greenpeace Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the implementation of a program to train farmers
in the cultivation of Greek fodder crops
Hellenic Foundation for European
and Foreign Policy Athens, Greece
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Hellenic Ornithological Society
Athens, Greece
The grant supports the second year of operation of the Observatory
for the Crisis
The grant supports the implementation of training programs for youth
employment in selected professions
Kindergarten of Ampelakia, Salamina
Salamina, Greece
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The grant supports the purchase of air-conditioning units
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KoC University Istanbul, Turkey
35
The grant supports the creation and operation of a Center for Late
Antique and Byzantine Studies
I
Liberty Science Center Jersey City, NJ, USA
The grant supports the delivery of 100 Virtual Live from Surgical
Program connections, a series of programs that use video conferencing
to connect students to hospital surgical suites
Model Pilot Middle School of the Evangelical
School of Smyrni Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the renovation of the Natural Sciences Lab and
the purchase of equipment
Mom (Hellenic Society for the Study
and Protection of the Monk Seal) Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports scientific research and educational programs
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National Hellenic Society Washington, DC, USA
The grant supports scholarships for the Heritage Greece Program
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National Library of Greece Athens, Greece
The grant supports the creation of an inventory of NLG’s
manuscript collection
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New York University New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the exhibition Time and Cosmos in Greco-Roman
Antiquity at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
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Organization Earth Ilion, Greece
The grant supports the employment of one executive staff member
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Playing Athens, Greece
The grant supports the implementation of a program to promote play
for preschool children
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious
Understanding New York, NY, USA
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The grant supports professional-development webinars for teachers
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The Johns Hopkins University Washington, DC, USA
The grant supports scholarships for students from Greece at the
School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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The grant supports the Azoria Project excavations
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The US Charitable Trust London, UK
The grant supports educational activities
Washington Oxi Day Foundation
Washington, DC, USA
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The grant supports general operating expenses
I
Wikimedia Foundation San Francisco, CA, USA
The grant supports Wikipedia Zero
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ZupdeCo Paris, France
The grant supports an after-school tutoring project for underprivileged students
Kenya National Library
A View from our grantees
Book Aid International
Funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Book Aid International
and Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) are working together, from
2013 through 2015, to set up Children’s Corners in 10 libraries in Kenya
and to pilot the use of computer tablets in three selected libraries
(in Meru, Wajir, and Kisumu). The project will provide children with
the opportunity to use technology for reading, as well as educational
games and activities.
For those of us who live in developed countries, the increasing number
of e-readers, handheld computers, and smartphones signifies that the
book in paper form is no longer the only choice when looking to read
or find information. However, despite rapid technological advances in
sub-Saharan Africa, internet access and information and communication technology (ICT) support is mainly restricted to large urban areas,
while vast rural areas are not even connected to power grids.
Books remain indispensable, but are expensive and not easily obtainable locally. The project provides a total of nearly 44,000 children’s
books donated by UK publishers, along with grants for local book purchases, toys, games, and library refurbishment, all supported by the
training of 44 librarians so that children are encouraged to become
confident readers and lifelong learners.
Kenya has, however, witnessed huge progress in communications
technology in recent years, allowing increasing numbers of people
to find news or information or to get the best deals for goods and
services, often by using internet cafés. Publishers there are increasingly producing digital content for a new generation of e-book users.
For KNLS, the introduction of a digital element into their popular
and growing network of Children’s Corners was the logical next step.
Book Aid International is delighted to be working with the KNLS
library staff on this project and to have involved eLimu, a Kenyan
NGO that works with schools and provides computer content for the
duration of the project, including curriculum material, supplementary
reading from local authors, and educational games.
In December 2013, an initial training workshop for staff at Meru Library
gave project librarians and a group of 29 children the opportunity to
learn how the computers work, how to use them to help with homework, and how to play a variety of learning games on them.
“I am very happy, it is my first time to touch a tablet. I will teach my
friends how to use the tablet!”
Sherlene from Meru Primary School, Class 7
“The kids are so sharp. Most of the children were handling the tablets
for the first time and their small hands were a bit shaky… After 30 minutes of training they were comfortable and were navigating through
applications. It was amazing!”
James Kimani, East Africa Regional Representative,
Book Aid International
KNLS librarians involved in the project are creating some wonderful
opportunities for children. Meru Library is setting up more training
and computer clubs. Teachers and head teachers from local schools
will be invited to learn more about using handheld computers. In January 2014, Kisumu Library was one of EIFL’s (Electronic Information
for Libraries) Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) award
winners for creative use of ICT in public libraries for its smartphone,
laptop, and video-conferencing project. This project connects schools
in remote western Kenya and across the border of Uganda through
the mobile-phone network.
Later this year, with the benefit of lessons learned in Meru, staff at
Wajir and Kisumu libraries will be trained and provided with handheld
computers for young library users. By the end of 2015, this pilot project will give Book Aid International and our partner library services
the experience and skills to develop similar projects, as our partners
in other countries become ready.
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MRI Scanner at the Olympic Village Polyclinic, Athens, Greece
heALth & MedIcIne
SPRING - S U M M E R 2 0 1 4
Improving quality of care and expanding access to
care: these are two core principles that have historically driven the SNF’s grant making in health
and medicine, and which feature prominently in
the Spring 2014 cycle of grants in this program
area. Several organizations have been awarded
grants, totaling about €2.5 million. Though different in the issues they are tackling, all of these organizations fulfill their mission through patient
care, research, and education. We believe that
bolstering all three of these elements is fundamental to improving people’s health.
We continue to support innovative models of health care delivery, via
programs at Montefiore and Beth Israel, which use an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to provide holistic, patient-centered care informed by evidence and ethics – both inside the doctor’s office and out
– for every age, and across the continuum of health. Beth Israel Medical
Center’s Department of Integrative Medicine, for example, takes a new
approach to healthcare, combining the best of conventional Western
medicine with the traditional healing arts of complementary and alternative medicine. SNF support there will aid expansion of clinician train-
ing in integrative medicine and assist in the development of an app for
diabetes management, both of which will benefit typically underserved
populations in the U.S. with an integrative approach.
Support for the Hospital for Special Surgery aims to advance knowledge and research in a field of increasing importance to the rapidly
growing aging population: joint replacement and revision surgery.
Support to the State University of New York College of Optometry
will help its University Eye Center expand optometry services to those
who need them the most but may lack the resources to access them.
Our grants in Greece support facilities upgrades at major teaching
hospitals in two of Greece’s largest cities. Capital support at this time
is crucial, as resources for such improvements are scarce. Renovations
and new equipment will improve pediatric, dermatological, and surgical services offered to the public in various regions of the country.
Finally, the SNF continues to be concerned with major global public health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, a disease that has left 35 million
infected – and many more affected – worldwide. Our grant to ACRIA
(AIDS Community Research Initiative of America) strengthens their
work locally, as well as abroad. Like so many of this cycle’s grantees,
ACRIA is an important local actor whose work delivers a significant,
measurable impact on a national and international level.
ACRIA (AIDS Community Research Initiative
of America) New York, NY, USA
Andreas Syggros Hospital of Cutaneous
& Venereal Diseases Athens, Greece
The grant supports general operating expenses
The grant supports the renovation of the Surgery Department
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Montefiore Medical Center
University General Hospital of Thessaloniki A.H.E.P.A.
International
GREECE
Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, NY, USA
The grant supports the expansion of the Healthy Steps Program,
which seamlessly embeds mental health services in the primary care
setting throughout Montefiore’s network of community-based pediatric
clinics in the Bronx.
Montefiore Medical Center is a premier academic medical center,
serving patients across multiple hospitals and community-based sites
located throughout the Bronx and Westchester County. Since its
founding in 1884, it has worked to improve access to care, and to reduce health disparities for patients, addressing the social, economic,
and environmental conditions that undermine health.
UNIVERSITY GENERAL HOSPITAL
OF THESSALONIKI A.H.E.P.A
Thessaloniki
The grant supports the renovation and the purchase of equipment
for the second Pediatric Clinic. The grant will significantly upgrade
the clinic, advancing the quality of services provided to children.
University General Hospital of Thessaloniki A.H.E.P.A was founded
in 1951 with financial support from the American Hellenic Educational
Progressive Association. The hospital’s reputation for excellence as a
tertiary care center draws patients from all parts of Macedonia and
Thrace.
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Beth Israel Medical Center New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the Department of Integrative Medicine’s
fellowship training program for health professionals and the
development of a mobile application for patient education
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Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the Thomas P. Sculco, M.D., Chair in Orthopedic
Surgery at the Center for Revision in Joint Replacement
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Jenny Karezi Foundation Athens, Greece
The grant supports general operating expenses
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Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY, USA
The grant supports the expansion of the Healthy Steps Program
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SUNY College of Optometry New York, NY, USA
The grant supports a community outreach coordinator for the
University Eye Center
University General Hospital of Thessaloniki
A.H.E.P.A Thessaloniki, Greece
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The grant supports the renovation of the Pediatric Clinic
41
MOBILE MEDICAL UNITS
Mobile Medical Units is an initiative undertaken
On the one hand, it offers free comprehensive healthcare services to
by the SNF in collaboration with the Olympic Vil-
all citizens; on the other hand, it contributes to the effort to address
lage Polyclinic. Its aim is to offer free compre-
the ‘healthcare exclusion’ of residents of our country’s border and
hensive healthcare services to residents of islands and remote areas throughout Greece. The
grant is part of the SNF’s initiative to commit €100
million to combat the effects of the socioeco-
essary and highly important, especially during the extended socioeconomic crisis that has, among other things, severely affected the area of
health. The success of all of the Foundation’s grants and programs is
based on and depends upon the organizations and people responsible
nomic crisis, both in Greece and globally, in addi-
for their implementation. They are our partners in the effort to support
tion to the Foundation’s regular grant making.
the common good. On behalf of the Foundation, I would like to warmly
The SNF’s support allowed for the purchase of two Mobile Medical
42
remote regions. Those two features make the Foundation’s grant nec-
Units and an MRI scanner, as well as all the medical equipment necessary to ensure the medical units’ capacity to meet basic needs and
provide access to reliable, comprehensive healthcare services for all.
The Foundation’s grant marks the launch of the National Primary
thank both Dr. Panagiotis Koulouvaris and his colleagues for the design
and implementation of the program; they are the heart and soul of the
effort. The initiative highlights the importance of partnership between
all social actors, and of cooperation and volunteerism in our common
effort for a different and better future.”
Healthcare Education and Healthcare Promotion Program, a five-
The two fully equipped Mobile Medical Units are implementing and
year program aimed at providing comprehensive healthcare and sup-
executing an innovative health program throughout Greece that
port services to residents of border islands and remote areas across
enables residents of the country’s remote areas to receive high quality
Greece, while also offering preventive care and promoting healthcare
medical care from professionals of all specialties, free of charge. In
and wellness on a national level. Over the five years, the program aims
particular, the Mobile Medical Units provide access to the following
to cover the medical and diagnostic needs of approximately 55,000
specialists: gynecologist, dietician, cardiologist, dentist, orthopedist,
citizens of all ages, in 35 islands and border regions across the country.
ophthalmologist, pulmonologist, and otolaryngologist. The Mobile
In charge of the program’s design and implementation is Dr. Panagiotis
Medical Units are also capable of performing special procedures, as
Koulouvaris, Head Lecturer at the University Orthopedic Clinic and
they are equipped with a digital mammography unit, a portable X-ray
Scientific Coordinator of the Olympic Village Polyclinic Orthopedic
machine, and a bone-density scanner. A team of 26 scientists and doc-
Department.
tors accompanies the Mobile Medical Units on their visits.
On the occasion of the Mobile Medical Units’ inauguration in January 2014,
During the program’s first three months, the Mobile Medical Units
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the SNF Board of Directors,
visited the islands of Kastelorizo, Amorgos, and Kasos. While in Kas-
stated: “The National Primary Healthcare Education and Healthcare
telorizo, during a three-day visit, the medical team examined 193 of the
Promotion Program introduces two innovative features to Greece.
230 inhabitants and performed a total of 795 medical exams. These
included 40 mammography screenings, 20 Pap tests, 26 bone-density
scans, and 60 cardiac-ultrasound exams. Two serious cardiology cases
were also diagnosed. All of the island’s children underwent examinations. The team also offered first-aid training to parents, the Coast
Guard, and all soldiers and officers posted on the island. In addition, parents and children were given presentations on the effects
of smoking and obesity; sex education and career counseling were
also provided. In Amorgos, in only five days, the team carried out a
total of 2,067 medical visits and 887 examinations. In particular, they
performed 214 ultrasounds, 171 electrocardiograms, 89 cardiac ultrasounds, 79 mammography screenings, 77 Pap tests, 77 bone-density
scans and 42 HbA1c (diabetes) tests. In addition, they diagnosed 25
cases that required immediate secondary care and now have access
to further tests and treatment though the healthcare services offered
by the Olympic Village Polyclinic.
Following the first two successful missions, the two mobile clinics have
completed their third mission to Kasos. During the five-day visit, the
team examined a total of 648 individuals out of the approximately 900
(72% of total population) while it carried out 1,637 medical visits and
performed 1,048 medical tests. The mission in Kasos was accompanied
by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Karolos Papoulias.
Next stops include the islands of Astypalea, Patmos, Folegandros, and
Sikinos, all within the first year of the program’s launch.
Mobile Medical Units / photo: Marilena Katsini
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Health Leads, USA
A View from our grantees
Health Leads
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation supports the expansion of Health
Leads, a national healthcare organization that helps low-income
patients, with its progress in launching new program sites at clinics
and hospitals across New York City. Because a patient’s health crisis is
often associated with other challenges, like not having enough food,
lack of heat, overdue bills, or even joblessness, Health Leads envisions a healthcare system that can provide not only medical prescriptions, but also solutions for a wide range of basic resource needs for
patients, as a standard part of quality care. Volunteer college-student
Advocates are trained to connect patients with the basic resources
they need in order to be healthy. Health Leads’ vision is also to build
leaders with the conviction and ability to champion quality care for all
patients.
The Advocates work side by side with patients at a Health Leads
Desk in the clinic waiting room, helping the patients access community resources and public benefits. The Advocates also help families
negotiate the fragmented landscape of resources, providing eligibility
criteria, hours of operation, languages spoken, and directions. Often,
Advocates’ assistance is as straightforward, yet crucial, as tracking
down an agency phone number, bridging a language gap, or searching
through housing or job listings to find a match. One client explained:
“Now, every little problem is just a little problem, whereas before,
every little problem was a big problem. With you, things are so easy.”
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s support has been critical in helping Health Leads implement its sixth New York Desk (program site)
at Nassau University Medical Center. Health Leads plans to widen its
reach with the launch of additional New York desks in 2014 and 2015.
The Foundation’s support also helps Health Leads engage new clinical partners and key stakeholders committed to improving healthcare.
By supporting Health Leads’ expansion, the Foundation has helped
increase the impact of our work connecting low-income New Yorkers
to vital resources: health insurance, childcare, employment, GED
classes, job training, and more. Last year Health Leads served more
than 2,200 New York families, representing over 8,700 individuals, an
increase of 41% from the previous year’s results.
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New York Philharmonic / photo by Michael DeVito
artS & culturE
SPRING - S U M M E R 2 0 1 4
The expansion of our reach in the arts and
the promotion of Hellenic history and culture are critical themes addressed by the
Arts & Culture grants, totaling about €5,000,000
( $ 7, 0 0 0, 0 0 0) . To o ffer training to t h e next
generation of art makers, regardless of background or ability, is of utmost priority. Presenting Greece’s cultural heritage worldwide,
connecting artists and audiences around
the world, is increasingly important given the
current realities.
Sustained support for the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in
New York City helps to connect emerging Greek directors – and the
broader Greek community – to some of the best emerging directors
from around the world. This intensive program builds relationships between participants as they hone their craft. Support to the Whitechapel Gallery, a historic public art gallery in East London, will address
the need for educational arts programs for the typically underserved
schools of that district, as well as Greek schools. Pioneering artseducation programs for students in the United States include a digital
initiative at the New York Philharmonic and educational programs at
the Museum of the Moving Image for their forthcoming Jim Henson
I
exhibit. Young Greek students will benefit from the Schoolwave Festival, hosted by The Schooligans. Each summer, thousands of young
people throughout Greece come together to enjoy school bands from
the region. This year the festival will take place in Faliron, close to the
home of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. All of these
innovative projects will demonstrate how the arts can provide social
impact to diverse constituencies around the world.
Promoting Greek culture has been a tenet of the Foundation since its
inception. Upcoming European exhibits at the Musée du Louvre on
Rhodes and the Antikenmuseum Basel on Antikythera will continue
that tradition. A notable grant to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, in Athens, will fund the completion of the reconstruction
of the museum’s new premises. Support to the Ecole Française d’
Athènes will be used for a partnership with the Swiss Archaeological
School in Greece to organize a series of events and a traveling exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the excavations at Philippi.
Founded in 1837, the Athens School of Fine Arts has helped launch
the careers of many successful Greek artists. Support for the new, expanded library space, as well as the creation of an additional multipurpose lecture hall, will improve the school’s offerings and benefit Greek
students for years to come.
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American Federation of Arts New York, NY, USA
Artesens Aix-en-Provence, France
The grant supports the production of a catalogue for an exhibit featuring the influence of ancient Greek art on the training of French artists
The grant supports travel costs for the Greek module of the
exhibition Divina Natura
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Antikenmuseum Basel Basel, Switzerland
Athens School of Fine Arts Athens, Greece
The grant supports the special exhibition Treasures from the Deep –
the Sensation of Antikythera
The grant supports the creation of a lecture hall and the transfer of
the Library to the new building
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Antikythera Mechanism, National Archeological Museum of Athens
National Museum of Contemporary Art
International
GREECE
Antikenmuseum Basel
Basel, Switzerland
The grant supports the special exhibition Treasures from the Deep
– the Sensation of Antikythera. In cooperation with the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens and the “Antikythera Mechanism
Research Project” by Hublot SA, the exhibition highlights the recovery
of the wreck, objects from the ship, its crew, and the passengers, the
reconstruction of the ship’s voyage, and the history of the interdisciplinary study of the Antikythera Mechanism, the earliest-preserved
portable astronomical bronze calculator.
The Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, founded in 1961,
is the only Swiss museum devoted exclusively to the ancient Mediterranean cultures. Its permanent collections consist mainly of Egyptian,
Greek, Italic, Etruscan, and Roman artifacts, dating from the fourth
millennium B.C.E to the sixth century C.E.
NATIONAL MUSEUM
OF CONTEMPORARY ART
ATHENS
The grant supports construction work and the purchase of equipment
required to complete the redesign of the former Fix brewery, which
will become the new Museum premises. This grant will enable the
National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) to enrich its work in
terms of quantity and quality and to create an important cultural hub
in Athens.
The National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) was established
in 1997 and began its operation in 2000. It is supervised by the Ministry
of Culture and Sports.
I
Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) Belgium, Brussels
The grant supports an exhibit of Greek contemporary art in times of crisis
I
Contemporary Greek Art Institute Athens, Greece
The grant supports the salaries of two of the Institute’s employees
I
Creative Group Schooligans Athens, Greece
The grant supports funding for the organization of the 10th Schoolwave
music festival
National Museum of Contemporary Art
Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports construction works and the purchase of equipment
for the new Museum premises
I
New York Philharmonic New York, NY, USA
The grant supports YPC Global, a digital-education initiative
I
Syros International Film Festival Syros, Greece
Ecole FranCaise d’Athenes Athens, Greece
The grant supports the 2014 Syros International Film Festival
The grant supports a cultural program celebrating 100 years since the
first excavations in Philippi
Thessaloniki Olympic Museum Thessaloniki, Greece
I
Federation of Hellenic Societies
of Greater New York, Inc. Astoria, NY, USA
I
The grant supports the 2014 Greek Independence Day Parade in NYC
I
Force Film Foundation New York, NY, USA
The grant supports a transmedia project, titled A Path Appears
I
The grant supports an educational program related to the Olympic
Games, targeting underprivileged schools
I
Thetis Chios, Greece
The grant supports the creation of the Caravan Project Pop-up space
I
The Whitechapel Gallery London, UK
The grant supports the creative visual arts program
Greek American Educational Public Information
System, Inc. Astoria, NY, USA
I
The grant supports general operating expenses
49
I
Greek National Opera Athens, Greece
The grant supports the implementation of the second phase of the
Journey to the SNFCC program
I
KOLEKTIV8 Non Profit Organization Athens, Greece
The grant supports the Depression Era Project
I
Lincoln Center Theater New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the Directors Lab
I
Musee du Louvre Paris, France
The grant supports the exhibition Rhodes, Une Ile Grecque Aux
Portes de l’ Orient
I
Museum of the Moving Image Astoria, NY, USA
The grant supports educational programming for the Jim Henson
exhibit
Musical and Educational Organization
of Greece Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the inaugural concert for the Greek Presidency of
the Council of the European Union, in Brussels, by Armonia Atenea
(Camerata) at BOZAR
The YALE School of ART
On February 12, 2014 Yale University announced
Andreas C. Dracopoulos, the Foundation’s director and co-president,
a contribution of $5 million from the Stavros
said, “Robert Storr’s exceptional artistic insight, leadership abilities,
Niarchos Foundation. The gift creates a permanent, unrestricted endowment at Yale that will
support core priorities of the Yale School of Art,
and character came to our notice during his time at the Museum of
Modern Art, and they have been equally evident in his tenure at Yale.
We are pleased to support his work at the Yale School of Art, as well
as the efforts of future deans who will follow him.”
while naming in perpetuity the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation Deanship. The endowment will help
to advance the school’s leadership and presence
in the global fine arts community.
A second gift of $900,000 will supplement three existing endow50
ments for the school, created by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in
2010, to establish an artist’s residency, scholarships for international
students, and a dean’s resource fund.
With these grants, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s contributions to
Yale total nearly $14 million. In 2007, the Foundation helped establish
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Hellenic Studies at Yale
University. It has also supported the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale College scholarships, the Peabody Museum of Natural
History, and the Child Study Center.
“I am deeply grateful for these latest contributions from the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation,” said Yale President Peter Salovey. “The Foundation has our admiration and respect for its generous support of the
arts worldwide. These gifts to the Yale School of Art will help to support the education of artists and the practice of art for years to come.”
Critical support for art education
The Foundation’s gift of unrestricted endowment will allow the dean
to direct funds to key areas such as financial aid, faculty support,
teaching, visiting artists, and exhibitions. By naming the deanship, the
gift will further help the school attract a succession of world-class artists to fill its leadership post.
“The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is one of our most generous benefactors, and I am both delighted and humbled by these contributions,”
said Dean Storr. “The new endowments provide a permanent source
of flexible funding that will help the school sustain its innovative
teaching and practice at the forefront of art and art education.”
Among the world’s leading international philanthropic organizations,
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation makes grants in four major areas:
arts and culture, education, health and medicine, and social welfare.
Since the commencement of its grant-making activities in 1996, the
Foundation has awarded funds in excess of $1.4 billion to nonprofit
organizations in 110 countries around the globe.
The history and mission of the Yale School of Art
Yale’s artistic tradition can be traced to 1832 and the opening of the
In making its gifts, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation cited the accom-
Trumbull Gallery, the first art museum connected with a college in the
plishments of renowned critic and artist Robert Storr, who has served
United States. A successful exhibition at the gallery in 1858 led to the
as dean of the Yale School of Art since 2006.
establishment of an art school in 1864 and the official opening of the
Yale School of the Fine Arts, the first art school in the country associated with an institution of higher learning, in 1869.
Today, the mission of the Yale School of Art is to provide students
with intellectually informed, hands-on instruction in the practice of
the visual arts within the context of a liberal arts university. The school
is founded on the belief that art is a fundamental force in national and
international culture. Educating both undergraduate and graduate
students, the school offers degrees and majors in graphic design,
painting and printmaking, photography, and sculpture. A full-time
faculty of working artists, along with accomplished visiting artists,
collaborates to create an environment where the unique talents and
Francesco Clemente and Robert Storr in front of Clemente’s Father, 2006-2007 at the Yale School of Art
Francesco Clemente, Clemente, Brazil, Yale / photos by Sandra Burns
perspectives of students can flourish.
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52
Athens State Orchestra
A View from our grantees
Athens State Orchestra
“... But perhaps we’re the ones who learn the most, after all. I personally feel that these concerts redefine our attitude to life. Ever since I
was a young boy playing music, taking my lessons and fighting, there
were moments when I wondered what I was doing it all for. Well, after
the initial concert, I answered that question for the first time. I found
myself by means of reflection.”
Panagiotis Tziotis, musician in the First Violins of the A.S.O.
“A Right to Music” is the name we gave to a social and educational
program that began this year, thanks to the kind support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Its aim is to impart the message that music
is not a luxury intended only for the insiders or the privileged, but a
commodity that everyone can and should have access to.
The program develops through two basic actions. The first takes
place in Athens and entails free educational programs run by the
eight different musical ensembles of the Athens State Orchestra in
special schools, institutions for children, schools in underprivileged
areas, children’s hospitals, juvenile treatment institutions, and therapeutic communities.The second action targets the rural areas of
Greece. Small and flexible groups from the orchestra will travel from
the fall until the summer to 20 towns in order to provide, in addition
to concerts, free seminars to students attending music conservatories
and schools. The most talented among the students will be selected
to receive support from the A.S.O. to continue their studies.
The primary aim of the program is to provide pleasure and meaningful
entertainment. At the same time, the program offers an opportunity
to learn about musical instruments and their uses. In addition, we are
seeking to demystify classical music, which is often seen as elitist and
treated with suspicion. The program’s purely educational component,
which pertains mostly to rural Greece, aims to provide, to the fullest
possible extent, opportunities to talented students who could potentially join tomorrow’s orchestras.
What surprised us from the start was the huge interest expressed
even as we were designing the actions. In view of that, and judging it
essential in these hard times to reach as many of our fellow citizens as
possible, we managed to increase the total number of interventions
within Athens from 48 to 64. It is estimated that by June 2014 more
than 7,000 children, young adults, and people with disabilities will
have taken part in these programs. In the same period, we will have
run seminars in 20 towns, to be attended by over 2,000 music students and to include the participation of more than 60 local organizations. We anticipate that at least 6,000 people will enjoy the concerts
that are to follow the seminars.
Numbers, though useful and necessary, are still not quite capable
of conveying the quality of the emotional, intellectual, and entirely
mutual experience. For our musicians, this program is not just another
job. It’s a series of small conquests. It is, for example, Stelios who has
Down’s syndrome and fell in love with the sound of the clarinet. It’s
the girl who, despite being severely autistic, managed to introduce
her classmates to every single instrument in the orchestra. It’s the girl
with the Russian background on the 18ANO rehabilitation program
who traveled back to her childhood while listening to a tune by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Each concert is a unique experience. But there’s a common denominator: the emotions roused in the professionals by a focused gaze, an
unusual question, or a big, heartfelt hug, which is the best “thank you.”
Ultimately, what motivates us is the belief that an adult can develop
into a conscious listener, and a child into a member of the next
generation of musicians or music lovers. And that’s also our wish: in
a country where musical education leaves a lot to be desired, we are
working toward an auspicious and “equipped” future with even more
talented musicians and, most of all, with many more demanding listeners.
Aliki Fidetzi
Educational Programs Coordinator
Athens State Orchestra
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54
Amymoni, Athens, Greece
Social wElFarE
SPRING - S U M M E R 2 0 1 4
As the financial and fiscal crises across Europe and
the United States continue to take their toll, rising
unemployment – especially among the younger
generation – is fast developing into the most significant challenge of our generation. The effects, both
short-term and long-term, are devastating from a
social-welfare perspective.
Extending the reach of the Recharging the Youth Initiative in
Greece, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation is putting emphasis on the
rehabilitation of the unemployed young generation across Europe.
With grants to Action for Children (United Kingdom) and Fundacion
Exit (Spain), the Foundation aims to support employability and training programs for young people at risk of social exclusion. Its grant
to the International Network of Street Papers directly supports the
employment of homeless persons across Europe. At the same time,
SNF maintains a close collaboration with major European foundations such as Fondazione Cariplo, the JP Morgan Foundation, and
CRT. Along with these foundations, and within the frame of the EC’s
BENISI project (Building a European Network of Incubators for Social
Action for Children
London, UK
I
The program supports the expansion of the employability program
for disadvantaged young people
I
Amymoni Athens, Greece
The grant supports the operation and expansion
of the Early Intervention Program
Innovation), the Foundation will support entrepreneurial endeavors
that target sustainable social impact throughout the world by scaling
up 85 social innovative projects in Europe. Furthermore, our grant
to Bottomless Closet will help with its important work assisting New
York City women to enter the workforce.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation continues to wholeheartedly support important programs that assist vulnerable populations, both
worldwide as well as with its Initiative against the Crisis in Greece.
In line with the latest developments in the care of disabled children,
it supports two vital early intervention projects in Greece, Amymoni
and ELEPAP. Important grants that target populations in poverty
have been given to Broadway Housing Communities for the launch
of an Early Childhood Center, as well as to City Harvest, Friends of
the Child, and the Parish Church of St. Andreas in Patisia.
In response to challenging conditions in the Greek island of Kefalonia
following a series of severe earthquakes in February 2014, the Foundation decided to undertake the complete rebuilding of Lixouri’s
Nursing Home for the Elderly, which houses 45 elderly people and
suffered extensive damage.
I
Augustana Care Eagle, CO, USA
The grant supports the Castle Peak Senior Care Community
capital campaign
I
Bottomless Closet New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the salary of a Development Director
I
Broadway Housing Communities New York, NY, USA
The grant supports the launch of the Sugar Hill Early Childhood Center
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56
Impact Hub Association
Amymoni
International
GREECE
Vienna, Austria
ATHENS
IMPACT HUB ASSOCIATION
The grant supports the scaling up of social innovations in Europe, as
framed by the BENISI project. This European project selects the best
social innovations in Europe with a high potential for scalability. These
innovations address issues related to demography, health and wellbeing, community, ecological sustainability, poverty, and ethics.
Amymoni
The grant supports the operation and expansion of the Early Intervention Program. The program supports, guides, and trains children
up to age seven at home, with the participation of their parents.
Amymoni is a Panhellenic association of parents, guardians, and
friends of visually impaired people with additional special needs. The
Impact Hub Association is a global network that defines itself as part
innovation lab, part business incubator, and part community center.
Its objective is to create a global infrastructure for initiating, enabling,
and scaling up high-impact initiatives. The network of Hubs represents a community of over 7,000 individual members who are taking
entrepreneurial actions that will have a sustainable social impact.
association was founded in 1993. Its aim is to teach the disabled how
to function in their daily lives and to creatively engage them, with
the ultimate goal of preparing them to become self-sufficient to the
degree that their disability will allow.
I
CDP Europe Berlin, Germany
The grant supports the Water Disclosure Program in Europe
I
Charitable Institutions of Lixouri Lixouri, Greece
The grant supports the rebuilding of the Nursing Home for the
Elderly in Kefalonia
I
Children & Future Monaco, Monaco
The grant supports the No Finish Line event to benefit children
I
Children & Future Monaco, Monaco
The grant supports the SNF team runners at the 2013 No Finish Line
event
Holy Church of Saint George of Nikaia
Nikaia, Greece
I
The grant supports the purchase of equipment
I
Impact Hub Association Vienna, Austria
The grant supports the scaling up of social innovations throughout
Europe
Kosmeteio Foundation - “House of
Constantinopolitans “ Iraklio, Greece
I
The grant supports maintenance works at the “House of Constantinopolitans”
I
Les Chats de Stella Vence, France
I
City Harvest New York, NY, USA
The grant supports general operating expenses
I
Disaster Accountability Project Rockville, MD, USA
The grant supports general operating expenses
I
Doctors Without Borders USA New York, NY, USA
The grant supports emergency relief in response to Typhoon Haiyan
in the Philippines
I
FEANTSA Brussels, Belgium
The grant supports the creation of an online training program to
expand the “Housing First” approach to homelessness in Europe
Federation Europeenne des Banques
Alimentaires Bourg-la-Reine, France
I
The grant supports the launch of a website to share best practices
I
The grant supports refurbishment works in the shelter
I
Municipality of Athens Athens, Greece
The grant supports the SYNATHINA Program
New York City Police Foundation
New York, NY, USA
I
The grant supports the Juvenile Robbery Intervention Program
I
Oxfam GB Oxford, UK
57
The grant supports emergency relief in response to Typhoon Haiyan
in the Philippines
Parish Church of St. Andreas in Patisia
Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the purchase and conversion of a space into a
cultural center
I
Friends of the Child Athens, Greece
Save the Children USA Westport, CT, USA
The grant supports the Family Care Program
The grant supports emergency relief in response to Typhoon Haiyan
in the Philippines
I
Fundacion Exit Barcelona, Spain
The grant supports the organization’s employability programs for
youth at risk of social exclusion in Spain
I
FundaciOn ONCE Madrid, Spain
The grant supports a workshop series for people with disabilities in
the framework of the V Biennial of Contemporary Art
Hellenic Society for Disabled Children (ELEPAP)
Athens, Greece
I
The grant supports the Early Educational and Therapeutic
Intervention Program
I
Siel Bleu Strasbourg, France
The grant supports the introduction of the Gym Alzheimer Physical
Activity Program to new specialized institutions across France
I
Sport sans Frontieres Paris, France
The grants supports the diffusion of the Playdagogie Program to
promote social inclusion
I
The INSP Foundation Glasgow, UK
The grant supports the development of the independent online
news service
58
Schedia, Athens, Greece / photo by George Mestousis
A View from our grantees
Schedia
Schedia (life raft) is the only street newspaper in Greece. It is also a
member of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP, www.
street-papers.org).
of trade. It is a process that raises our awareness and motivates us
to take action against poverty and any form of exclusion. It is a social
transaction, through which we all gain.
As is the case with all street papers across the world, Schedia is not
sold at the usual press outlets, such as kiosks, but is sold exclusively
on city streets by registered sellers. The sellers come from vulnerable social groups - such as our homeless, unemployed, and socially
excluded fellow citizens - who are either on the verge of homelessness or live in temporary and inappropriate accommodation, or have
been out of the job market for more than three or four years. Of the
paper’s price, 50% (1.5 euros) goes directly to the sellers themselves.
They are given, in other words, the opportunity to secure — through a
dignified but demanding process — a minimum income to cover their
most basic needs. For some, that might mean a pack of cigarettes or
a coffee, but for others (the overwhelming majority of the people of
Schedia) it may mean their electricity bill, their food for the day, or the
rent on a small apartment. Schedia is both the means and the motive
to rebuild their lives.
An apt description was provided by a reader, Ms. E.G., in a letter that
appeared in the March 2014 issue:
The paper’s value is not merely financial. The way Schedia is distributed represents an entire social process, with multiple benefits for
everyone. It is, in essence, a process of social reintegration, through
which our fellow citizens regain their lost dignity, their sense of selfworth and, ultimately, their faith that they can and will make it. They
no longer feel “invisible” (their own term). Schedia gives them the
opportunity to experience once again the simple and obvious things
that we take for granted; to get up in the morning with a purpose; to
have an office to report to; to make their way to their post at the center of town; to talk to people, interact, make friends; to sell or not sell
one, two, or five papers. They enjoy regaining their sense of belonging. They enjoy knowing that they are living cells of our society. And
their hope for a full return slowly becomes real.
This social process, however, also involves the person buying Schedia,
who thereby supports the person selling it. This is not a classic case
“... In the end, these people [sellers of Schedia] never feared anything.
Not their living nightmares, not the hardships, not living in the here
and now with so much dignity. I would like you to pass on my gratitude, but also my admiration! I wish we could all be a little more like
them. That all of our actions and efforts could come from our hearts.”
Schedia is an act of solidarity. It’s also a relationship of love, hope,
strength, dignity, and unity in a common struggle for a better life.
The Foundation’s support was the launching pad for our effort. Quite
simply, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation made it possible for the
small, dynamic, and dedicated team of Schedia to begin this journey
through the rough waters of Greek reality. The Foundation stood by
the paper and its people from day one, supporting it not just financially, but with advice and a thousand other ways.
The first issue came out on Wednesday, February 27, 2013, on the
streets of Athens. One year later, the monthly print run of Schedia is
16,000 copies (issue 12, February 2014), while the number of our fellow
citizens/registered sellers who take part and are supported through
this operation exceeds 170. The paper is now also available on the
streets of Thessaloniki.
59
60
SNFCC Visitors Center / photos by Yiorgis Yerolymbos and SNFCC Archive
stAVRos nIARchos
FoundAtIon
cuLtuRAL centeR
Th e V isito rs Center
In the months since its inauguration, the SNFCC
Visitors Center (VC) is proud of a successful past,
is l iving a vibrant present an d is lo o k ing
forward to the exciting and promising future
that lies ahead.
Since October 2013, when the Visitors Center opened to the public,
it has received more than 14,000 visits. The visitors have witnessed
the rapid progress of the SNFCC construction from the wide balcony
of the VC that overlooks the construction site, and have observed
in detail, by means of the high-power binoculars, the creation of the
Opera and the Library buildings.
Ongoing SNFCC construction-site tours provide a unique opportunity
for individual visitors to grow familiar with the project from its initiation,
and for groups of university students to experience the construction
site and learn about the implementation of the best environmental and
other site-management practices. The initial run of tours was extended
due to high demand; to date, more than 50 tours have been carried out.
Renzo Piano’s (SNFCC architect) visit to the Visitors Center during one of his working sessions at the SNFCC construction site
was one of the highlights of the past few months. Another was the
performance by Kyklos Ensemble of Nikos Skalkôtas’ The Gnomes,
performed for the first time in public since 1939 and unearthed from
the Benaki Museum archives. The performance was part of the Visitors Center’s series of festive events for the end of 2013, which took
place throughout December and included swing and hard bop jazz
tunes under the guidance of Dimitris Kalatzis, as well as various other
educational holiday programming activities.
The Center’s ongoing regular programing and activities are unique in
the sense that they are designed to reflect the new topography that
is created at the Faliron Delta by the SNFCC. During the 2013-2014
school year, approximately 3,500 schoolchildren from a 137 different
schools will participate in the Center’s daily educational programming. These activities operate in tandem with educational programs
implemented by the GNO, as well as with librarian-training seminars
implemented by the NLG’s collaborator, Future Library.
The engagement area of the Visitors Center has served as a focal
point for meetings with local NGO’s. Such meetings provide the
SNFCC with a deeper understanding of their needs and how they
can be met in the future.
In 2014, the Visitors Center is expanding the scale and scope of its
programming to include visiting curators, special events, partnerships
with existing NGO’s, more activities in partnership with the GNO
and the NLG, expert seminars on technical aspects of the SNFCC
architecture and construction, and a series of activities for visually impaired persons. Last but not least, the Center provides a spectacular
view of one of the most exciting construction sites in Europe.
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62
Journey to the SNFCC
JOURNEY TO THE SNFCC
In November 2013, the SNF announced the launch
of Journey to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Cultural Center (SNFCC), a program which aims
to transport the general public to the future as
it will appear in 2016.
The SNFCC, in collaboration with the Greek National Opera (GNO),
the National Library of Greece (NLG), WWF Hellas and Future
Library began a wonderful journey of creativity, literature, and art in
the neighborhoods of Athens, with the goal of introducing the general
public, and especially the younger generations, to the philosophy of
the SNFCC, as well as to everything that the SNFCC aims to bring
into city life in a few years’ time. This includes open access to arts
and education, opportunities for dialogue, and the restoration of the
city’s relationship with green spaces. Through a variety of such open
cultural and educational actions, the SNFCC hopes to generate a
new kind of social cohesion in the city.
The program so far has included performances of GNO’s productions,
readings by known artists of excerpts from favorite books, workshops
for young people on digital filmmaking, activities to increase public
awareness about green spaces, and debate workshops addressing
youth-related contemporary issues.
The GNO presented Don Giovanni in a “Suitcase Opera” format, a
flexible opera production performed in public spaces by GNO artists, with the accompaniment of a piano. The direction of Alexandros
Efkleidis brought out the complex motives of the opera’s characters
by taking them from their rococo frame and placing them firmly in the
present day.
The film-making workshops employed easy-to-use technology apps to
teach youth how to create a short digital film about their daily
lives while learning the basic principles of scriptwriting, filming and editing.
Citizens were invited to discover, participate, and engage in the green
spaces of their city by recording the current state of such spaces and
discussing the changes that need to take place in them, and by engaging in a series of activities and events for the whole family.
Young people who were interested in discussing the concerns and
challenges of their generation and in learning how to present their
opinions with substantiated arguments, participated in debates organized in municipal libraries.
Well-known artists, actors, and musicians also visited the libraries and
read excerpts from their favorite books, giving audiences the opportunity to explore their personal relationship with literature.
In its first four months, beginning in November 2013, the Journey to
the SNFCC has visited 5 municipalities and held a total of 21 events.
The fellow travelers and faithful companions were the more than
2,600 people, aged 4 to 75, who actively participated in this journey,
giving life to the program and providing hope for the future of the
project.
The program’s positive reception led the SNFCC to extend the
program until September 2014 to 13 additional municipalities around
Attica, further spreading the message of open access for all citizens
to art, education, and environmental culture.
In its second phase the program once more includes performances
of Don Giovanni by the GNO, film workshops, and guided tours of
the SNFCC Visitors Center and the construction site. An educational
program entitled From My Municipality to the SNFCC will be implemented in municipal libraries, whereby a box filled with educational
material will travel across all 13 municipalities, inviting children and
adults to get to know SNFCC through play, and to get a first glimpse
of the services which will be offered by 2016.
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64
The SNFCC construction site / photos by Yiorgis Yerolymbos
stAVRos nIARchos
FoundAtIon
cuLtuRAL centeR
a N up dat E
Following the commencement of construction
in the fall of 2012, the construction schedule of
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
(SNFCC) is progressing smoothly and in accordance with the project’s original time frame.
The archaeological excavations by the Archaeological Service are
On September 28, 2012, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural
The magnitude and importance of this project, as well as its envi-
Center announced that it had selected the Italian-Greek ImpregiloTERNA joint venture to construct the SNFCC. Construction work
at the site began in October 2012, in compliance with strict quality,
time, and financial-planning guidelines. Respect for the neighboring
natural and urban environment is one of the project’s priorities, along
with the highest standards of construction and regard for personal
safety. The first partial contractual deadline was successfully met on
September 29, 2013. The work included the completion of excavation
and foundation work for all buildings (Greek National Opera (GNO),
National Library of Greece (NLG), parking lot, and supporting build-
substantially complete, having brought to light over 1,000 finds
connected to the existence of an ancient burial site (dating from the
eighth to the fifth century B.C.E.). The most important of these artifacts
will be exhibited permanently at the Cultural Center.
ronmental features and innovative construction, have resulted in the
construction site attracting an ever-growing stream of visitors. These
include students from universities and technical colleges in Greece
and abroad, as well as journalists, government representatives, and
many others. In order to satisfy public demand for information on
the project’s development, the SNFCC created the Visitors Center,
implementing the designs of the winners of a National Architectural
Students’ Competition. The Visitors Center is open to the public, and
offers school visits, presentations, programs, and regular guided tours
of the construction site.
ings for the park, as well as the construction of the hill).
In the interests of preparing for the project’s completion and its deliv-
It is expected that the construction team will also meet the second
ery to the Greek state, regular coordination meetings are being held
partial contractual deadline on July 28, 2014. The work includes
completion of the superstructures (concrete and steel) of all buildings.
The fabrication of the ferrocement canopy panels has begun, and
the first trees will be planted in spring 2014. More than 1100 people
work at the site every day, with the number growing daily and soon
expected to reach 1,500.
with the management and staff of the National Library of Greece and
the Greek National Opera, the two organizations that will relocate to
the SNFCC in 2016, as well as representatives of the Greek State.
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66
Theodoros Tzilos
Konstantinos Karambelas
Anastasios Stergiopoulos / photos by Yiorgis Yerolymbos
Panagiotis Milas
Talking to construction workers at the SNFCC
Theodoros Tzilos. I was born in Tripoli of Arcadia, and my family
past, I have worked on the Olympic Metro, the Olympic works, on
comes from Kalliani, in Gortynia. I have a five-year-old child. I have lived
Moreas in Kalamata, and the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline. I’m a fore-
in Athens for 15 years. I began to work when I was eight, at the local
man here; my team numbers 16 people, and we work on the perimeter
repair shop where I used to go after school, and I have since worked
walls of the hill in the park. I came to the SNFCC construction site in
as a builder and a driver. I’ve also worked at a petrol station and other
September 2013. In the beginning I found it really stressful and wanted
places. At the SNFCC construction site, I work as a foreman at the
to leave. I would go home shaking. Now that we’ve seen the data and
Greek National Opera building. My team ranges from 4 to 15 people,
the work is starting to take its course, it’s much better. The difficulty in
depending on the stage the project is in. We started by shuttering and
this project is that there are many details and the appearance of the
then pouring concrete over the foundation piles. After us will come the
concrete requires much precision. Whenever we take the mould off to
aluminum workers, the builders, the painters, etc. We’re currently mak-
reveal the concrete, I get stressed! Also, much of the work takes place
ing the auditorium seats for the opera. The difficulty in this particular
at a great height, and we must be careful. The time I relax during the
project is that we must take it one step at a time because we cannot
day is outside the construction site, after my shift. I would like, when the
predict what will happen next in terms of the construction. In addi-
project is finished, to bring my wife here and wander around the park
tion, the surface of the concrete also needs to be perfect. We’re not
safely. I wouldn’t want the park to turn into Pedion Areos, or have the
just doing formwork, we’re “making furniture” here. For me, the most
same fate as the Olympic buildings, because I would find that upset-
peaceful time is lunchtime, but even then I’m thinking what I need to
ting. The park must be looked after, so that people can enjoy it. When
do next, what needs to be fixed, what we need to work more on, and
the project is complete, I would also like to visit the new library and the
so forth. I hope that the SNFCC will be maintained in good condition
park. It will be the first time I return to see what I made. Before this
for as many years as possible. To be honest, though, I don’t believe that
project, I knew nothing about the SNF. Then I read on the internet and
will happen, just like it didn’t happen with the buildings constructed for
learned about the Foundation’s activities and the SNFCC.
the Olympic Games. I would like everyone to respect even the last nail I
add to the building. I want my children to be able to come and say their
father helped to make this. I know that the SNF makes many grants,
large and small. I’ve heard that it has bought petrol to heat up schools,
or given money for the students’ lunch, if I’m not mistaken. All I have to
say about this project is that it’s a jewel for Greece and Europe, and it
will promote culture and tourism. Greece is now supporting its culture
and its tourism.
Anastasios Stergiopoulos. I’m from Nea Ionia in Volos. I came
to Athens in January 2013, specifically for this project. In the past, I had
worked as a plumber. Here, I work in the areas of cleanliness, safety
measures and, now, at the hill. I have learned cementing, shuttering,
building, and other things that will be useful in the future. What strikes
me is the incredible attention that is paid to safety, our personal protection, cleanliness, and recycling. A lot of work goes into these areas. On
a technical level, I am impressed by the special materials used, their
Konstantinos Karambelas. I was born in Athens and my origins
quality, and their variety. Some of them I’m seeing for the first time and
are from Meligalas in Messinia. I’m married; I have no children. In the
have never come across before. The magnitude of the project is also
67
impressive. I would like to use the park, as a green space, in the future,
bear no resemblance to the National Library (on Panepistimiou Street),
because with the roof of the opera it’ll make a remarkable sight. Also,
which I visited with my wife. I knew about the SNF and the SNFCC be-
I’d like to visit the library because I want to learn many things and I think
fore I started working here. I would like there to be many projects like
I will find them there. I don’t think I’ll visit the National Opera because
this. If only we could have five, or even ten, people like Niarchos. Many
I have different tastes - I listen to folk and contemporary music. I would
people from my hometown would like to come and work here.
like to underline the matter of cleanliness. We Greeks are a little clumsy.
This part of the city was “dirty” and now it’s been cleaned, if I can put it
that way. It would be a shame to make it dirty again. It should be kept
clean like a painting, like a picture. Before coming here, I knew nothing
about the SNF or large firms in general (such as TERNA). Now I have
heard about the Foundation and I know it makes grants for environmental and other projects. When it comes to the SNFCC, I know that
it will house the Greek National Opera and the National Library of
68
Greece, and there will be an artificial canal and a space to exhibit the
most important archaeological finds from the excavations at the site. I
am extremely happy to be working on this project, and to be working
in general, because I was unemployed for a year and it really got me
down. Since coming to Athens, I have found myself again. Working
gives me strength and an appetite for living.
Panagiotis Milas. I came from Karystos in Euboea. I’m married and
I have a child. I came to Athens for this project in February 2013. Before
working here, I worked as a contractor, laying marble, slabs, and doing
stonework. At the construction site, I’m working on the library building.
I’ve been here since the excavations, and the project is an experience
for me. The projects I’ve worked on in the past were not as large or as
complex as this. It’s a lot of work, but I have great colleagues and, by
working together, we solve the problems. I can’t wait to get to the stage
of plasterboards and marble, which I know well; now we’re on concrete.
In the future, I’d like the project to stay in the condition we deliver it. I
have never been to the opera and I would like my first time to be in the
building we are making here. I believe the library being built here will
69
the SNFoundAtIon
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org)
boarD oF DireCtors
is one of the world’s leading international
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President
philanthropic organizations, making grants in
Philip Niarchos, Co-President
the areas of arts and culture, education, health
Spyros Niarchos, Co-President
and medicine, and social welfare. The Foundation
George Agouridis
funds organizations and projects that exhibit
Heini Murer
strong leadership and sound management and
are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and
positive social impact. The Foundation also ac-
70
tively seeks to support projects that facilitate
the formation of public-private partnerships as
an effective means for serving public welfare.
From 1996 until today, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has approved
grant commitments of $1.41 billion / €1.07 billion, through 2,676 grants
to nonprofit organizations in 110 nations around the world
In 2012 and 2013, the Foundation announced two new initiatives of
$130 million (€100 million) each, to help the efforts to address the
crisis in Greece. While the initiative in 2012 aimed to provide immediate relief against the adverse effects of the deepening crisis, the one
in 2013 aims to address the high percentage of youth unemployment,
seeking to create better employment prospects and new opportunities for the young.
The Foundation’s largest single gift ($796 million / €566 million) is the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in Athens,
which is expected to be completed in 2016. The project includes the
new facilities of the National Library of Greece, and of the Greek
National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. The SNFCC
is a testament and a commitment to the country’s future. It is also an
engine of short- to mid-term economic stimulus.
Vassilis Kaskarelis, Senior Advisor
Sir Dennis Weatherstone was the Foundation’s chairman from April
1996, until his passing away in June, 2008; the Board wishes to warmly
thank him for his leadership and guidance.
The Directors also wish to recognize the contributions of the late
Constantine Niarchos.
exeCutive maNaGemeNt
George Agouridis, Chief Legal Counsel
Vassilis Kaskarelis
Christina Lambropoulou, Chief Financial Officer
E. Frederick Petty, Co-Chief Investment Officer
Vasili Tsamis, Chief Operating Officer / Co-Chief Investment Officer
photo from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation archive
71
stAFF
stavros NiarCHos FouNDatioN
atHeNs, GreeCe
sNF usa, iNC.
New York
FsN s.a.m.
moNaCo
Management
Panos Vazaios
Myrto Xanthopoulou,
Program Coordinator,
Social Welfare
Management
Management
public Affairs
Elenia Saloutsi
Vasili Tsamis,
Chief Financial Officer
Lenia Vlavianou,
Co-Chief Public Affairs Officer
Investment team
John Czvekus
E. Frederick Petty
Charis Desinioti
Jeannette Giorsetti
Sandra Tosello
programs
Accounting
George Agouridis,
Chief Legal Counsel
Vassilis Kaskarelis
Christina Lambropoulou,
Chief Financial Officer
Irene Vazeou,
Executive Assistant
Lenia Vlavianou,
Asst. Chief Operating Officer
72
Accounting
Dimitra Chatzivasiliou,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Andreas Dracopoulos
Kathryn Louloudis,
Chief Operating Officer
Fabrice Gisbert,
Investment Officer
Bernard Guilbaud,
Chief Operating Officer
programs
Andrea Berman,
Chief Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator,
Arts and Culture
It
LEGAL
Amalia Delicari
Alexandros Dracopoulos
Bernard Guilbaud,
Co-Chief I.T. Officer
Investment team
Theodore Maravelias,
Department Head
Lina Giotaki
Argero Siklas,
Program Coordinator,
Health & Medicine
office support
George Michalakopoulos
Panagiotis Michas
Giannis Solomakos,
Security & Safety Officer
Stelios Vasilakis,
Senior Program Officer
for Strategy & Initiatives
John Zervakis,
Chief Operating Officer
technical supporT
Christos Katharios
Asimina Koutroumpousi
Kostas Liveris,
Deputy Chief Technical Officer
programs
Eleni Agouridi
Rosalyn Benjamin
Constantina Emmanouil
Lina Giotaki
Lily Milioni
Pavlos Pezaros,
Chief Accountant
George Agouridis,
Chief Legal Counsel
Security & Safety
It/Web development
public Affairs
Amalia Delicari
Nick Gialias
Thanassis Politis
Stelios Vasilakis,
Co-Chief Public Affairs Officer
Ioanna Kiosse,
Website Content Coordinator
Emmanouil Vazaios,
Co-Chief I.T. Officer
It
Anna Maria Kosmoglou
Office Support
Administration support
Eva Polyzogopoulou,
Program Coordinator, Education
Aristi Stathakopoulou
Panayiotis Kranias
Panayiotis Pastrikos
Athanassia Sideri
Constantina Tsakiri
Frank Pepe
Ekaterini Moustakis
office support
David Burgos
George Vega
Fabien Martinez
Stephane Gastaud
Fabrice Gisbert
Denis Salaun
Rachel Seliniotakis
SNFCC
Elly Andriopoulou,
Chief Operating Officer
Panos Papoulias,
Operating Manager
Mily Paschali,
Executive Assistant
Ioannis Trohopoulos,
Managing Director
73
stAVRos s. nIARchos
74
Stavros Spyros Niarchos was born in athens on
July 3, 1909. he studied law at the university of athens and in 1929 began working in his family ’s grain
business. recognizing the substantial freight fees
in importing wheat, Niarchos realized that the
company could save money by owning the ships.
consequently, he bought his first freighter at
the beginning of world war ii.
testament to the importance of private investment and initiative in the
Niarchos served in the Greek Navy during World War II, and he par-
recognized as one of the most innovative and successful businessmen
ticipated in the allied operations in Normandy. While he was serving
of the twentieth century. Stavros Niarchos was awarded, among
in the Greek Navy, the Allied Forces leased his first vessel. The ship
other distinguished service medals, the Commander of the Order of
was destroyed in battle, and Niarchos used the insurance funds as ini-
the Phoenix in 1977, the Royal Order of King George I, and the Royal
tial capital to expand his fleet after the war. The fleet grew significant-
House order of SS George and Constantine.
ly as a result of successful investments in Liberty ships and tankers.
Thus began the emergence of Stavros Niarchos as a significant figure
in the world of international commerce. For many years, he owned the
largest private fleet in the world with more than 80 tankers, as well
as other vessels. In addition, during his era, Stavros Niarchos was the
Greek ship- owner with the largest number of ships made (over 110
ships). He was also one of the businessmen whose activity decisively
influenced the crucial area of oil transportation.
In 1956, Niarchos agreed to build and operate Hellenic Shipyards (the
first instance of such private investment in Greece), which rapidly
became the largest Mediterranean shipyard. From 1968 to 1985, the
Hellenic Shipyards constructed an impressive number of ships, at
a time when most European shipyards were declining. In 1985, the
shipyard was placed under state control. Its establishment, however, is
economic life of the country.
Stavros Niarchos understood the importance of globalization before
the use of the term became prevalent. Although his business operations began in Greece, his accomplishments were notable worldwide.
Renowned for his shipping business, Niarchos’s diversified financial
activities were at the core of global industry from the time he formed
the Niarchos Group in 1939 until his death in April 1996. He was
Niarchos’s legacy continues into the twenty-first century with the
establishment of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Working in Greece
and internationally, the Foundation began its grant-making efforts in
1996. The Foundation derives its mission from Niarchos’s commitment
to Greece and Hellenism, as well as his keen instincts and interests in
support of causes in the fields of education, social welfare, health &
medicine and arts & culture.
By designating a significant part of his estate to establish the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation, Stavros Niarchos created an enduring institution
to enriching the lives of future generations around the world.
photo from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation archive
75
OFFICES
I
stavros NiarCHos FouNDatioN atHeNs GreeCe
86A Vasilissis Sofias Ave.
11528 Athens
Greece
T +210-8778300, F +210-6838304
I
sNF usa, iNC. New York
645 Madison Avenue
Suite 2200
New York, NY 10022
T +212-4867486, F +212-4867475
76
I
FsN s.a.m. moNaCo
George V
14 Avenue de Grande Bretagne
MC 98000 Monaco
T +377-93-157550, F +377-93-157018
info@SNF.org
www.SNF.org
www.facebook.com/SNFoundation
www.youtube.com/user/StavrosNiarchosF