Creation of Les Jardins de Gaïa Endowment Fund

Our experience in the field, working with different communities, in different environments, has helped us realise how fragile the balance is between mankind and nature all over the world and how much it needs our support.

Faced with the uncertainty that this imbalance creates, we had two options: to do nothing or to forge a path towards a positive future through strong commitments to common values. It was from this premise that the Jardins de Gaïa Endowment Fund was born.

The creation of this fund is about putting the emphasis on a shared future and continuing the commitments set out by our company since 1994 in pioneering choices, such as being 100% organic, supporting biodynamics, fair trade, and the numerous projects run by charities that are close to our hearts in their philosophy and approach, through the range of Militant Teas & Rooibos… We believe it is our duty and a matter of responsibility towards future generations to commit to the collective good beyond our core business.

Sponsored by investigative journalist Marie-Monique Robin and singer and activist Tiken Jah Fakoly, and supported by equally committed private individuals and corporate patrons, the Endowment Fund is the way we have chosen to respond to Gandhi’s urge to:

« Be the change you wish to see in the world ».

What is the Endowment Fund for?

To answer this question, we first need to define the areas of action supported by the Endowment Fund at a local, national or international level:

• conserving the environment
• social cohesion
• cultural diversity
• education that is accessible to all

How does it operate?

The Endowment Fund supports public interest projects within these areas

• If they are run by a non-profit organisation, we refer to them as funded projects
• If they are identified directly by the Fund, run by partners, supported financially but also with skills, we refer to them as supported projects

Finally, each year, the Endowment Fund makes an appeal for national projects on a theme related to its areas of action. The next appeal for projects will be made in 2021. Sign up for the newsletter to be be kept informed.

The Fund is independent of its founding company so can bring together both individuals and companies and provide both financial and other types of support. The projects are examined and selected by the board of directors, which meets once a quarter to decide how to distribute funding.

Are you a charity with a project that falls into one of of our Endowment Fund’s areas of action? Click here

Two examples of the Endowment Fund in action

The first funded project was the development of an ecological village in northern Mauritania in the village of Maaden. This project is part of a participatory initiative by the village community supported by experts from Pierre Rabhi’s network and local partners. Click here to read more.

The first supported project « Tea saves the chimps » aims to save the chimpanzees of Kibale Park in Uganda, where the great ape population has decreased by 70% in 50 years. It supports the work of the charity Projet pour la Conservation des Grands Singes (PCGS Great Apes Conservation Project) led by primatologist Sabrina Krief. Click here to read more.

Your commitment is the key to making these projects happen

Whether you are a business or an individual, it is your commitment that allows the Endowment Fund to exist and take action on a daily basis towards building a world that is more respectful of nature and more socially just.

If you are an individual, you can « make a donation« . You will then get regular updates on the progress of the project you have contributed towards.

If you are a company, you can demonstrate your commitment and show what matters to you in terms of sustainable development and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) by joining our collective of corporate sponsors.

Sponsorship is a simple way of taking things to a new level by going above and beyond economic performance, and incorporating making a social and environmental impact into your business. The Endowment Fund is one of the ways of establishing a link between corporate sponsors and the projects supported by charities or NGOs.

Your involvement is also one of the ways of building and developing your company’s CSR strategy and sending a message that shows the Endowment Fund will grow alongside you, within a regulated framework of sponsorship.

Several meetings are planned each year where corporate sponsors can come together to share ideas and discuss moving forward in a genuine synergy of common values.

Do you share the values and feel an affinity for the projects that the Jardins de Gaïa Endowment Fund seeks to uphold and support? Spread the word and please get in touch with Pierre Leroux for more information.

Thank you for your support!

📷 Photo credit 🐒: @jmkrief