Foundation portrait: Kone Foundation in Helsinki
In our "Have you heard of them?" series of articles, we take a closer look at various foundations - including some from abroad. In the new portrait, we take a closer look at the Finnish Kone Foundation and show how fundraisers, artists and researchers in Switzerland access the Kone Foundation's bulging coffers.
Many people in Switzerland are familiar with Schindler elevators. The Finnish global group Kone is also involved in the global elevator business. In its more than 110-year history, Kone has developed from a small machine factory in Helsinki into a global group in the elevator and escalator industry. In addition to Switzerland and Finland, the company is active in over 60 countries. According to its own figures, the group generated an annual turnover of 11 billion euros in 2023.
Kone Foundation is an "independent entity" that is reluctant to provide information
Important to understand: The "Kone Foundation" is an independent organization that is organizationally separate from the global Kone Group. Marc-Oliver Schach is Communications Manager at Kone and responsible for the DACH region. When asked, he clarifies: "The Kone Foundation is an independent unit." Although manager Schach forwarded the portrait author's questions directly to the foundation in Helsinki, the foundation declined to answer questions about the foundation's current assets and the number and amount of grants awarded to applicants in Switzerland. The foundation was also unwilling to provide the latest annual report. Repeated unsuccessful inquiries by e-mail and telephone show this: The Finnish foundation does not appear to be particularly interested in additional publicity. The Foundation's secretariat in Helsinki cannot be reached by telephone either, despite repeated attempts. Nevertheless, applicants can find a lot of useful information on the foundation's detailed website in English. In German, the Finnish foundation provides at least a brief portrait.
Kone Foundation wants to "make the world a better place"
One thing is clear: the Kone Foundation wants to "make the world a better place by creating the conditions for free and polyphonic science and art". It promotes research in the humanities, social and environmental sciences as well as artistic research. Specifically, the foundation supports "artistic works in all artistic disciplines as well as interdisciplinary works that combine art and research". The foundation also supports the "popularization of science" with scholarships. The foundation attaches great importance to "interdisciplinarity and the bringing together of unexpected perspectives".
No direct support for organizations in Switzerland
Important to know: Scholarships are open to both Finnish and foreign applicants. However, the projects to be funded must have a connection to Finland. The Kone Foundation also supports non-profit organizations. However, they must also have a connection to Finland. For non-profit organizations in Switzerland, this means that they cannot be supported directly by the Kone Foundation unless they have a direct connection to Finland or work in a relevant network or consortium that meets this condition. Good to know: The application round for Kone Foundation funds takes place every year from September 1 to September 15.
International residency also for foreign artists and researchers
The Kone Foundation has also been running the former "Saari Residence" estate since 2008. This is an international residency for artists and researchers in Mynämäki, Finland. The estate is located 30 kilometers from the city of Turku. The residence regularly hosts exhibitions with international appeal. The residency is open to foreign as well as Finnish professional artists, writers, poets, translators, composers, curators, critics and artist groups from various fields. Important to know: All grant applications for residencies must be submitted via the online grant service between March 1 and March 27 of each year. The foundation strongly recommends studying all guidelines in detail before applying. Successful applicants can expect to receive scholarships from 2700 euros per month.
Examples of sponsored persons with Swiss roots
- The artist and art researcher Gloria Lauterbach received a doctoral scholarship worth around 53,000 euros from the Kone Foundation in 2018. Her doctoral thesis was also co-financed by the Finnish Jenny & Antti Wihuri Foundation.
- The Swiss-Haitian artist and art researcher Sasha Huber lives in Helsinki and comes from Zurich. She worked at the Saari Residence in September and October 2019.
Further information on previous foundation awards can be found in a comprehensive awards database.
Conclusion: Researchers and people from the arts and culture scene with a clear connection to Finland have a chance of receiving funding. And an application can be worthwhile: In 2023 alone, the foundation said it awarded grants, prizes and donations totaling over 55 million euros.