Development Co‑operation Profiles: Laudes Foundation
Table of contents
The Laudes Foundation is a philanthropic foundation based in Switzerland, launched in 2020 as part of (yet independent from) the Brenninkmeijer family enterprise.
This foundation aims to advance the industry and business transition to a green, fair and inclusive economy. Its work tackles climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and social inequality.
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Laudes Foundation provided USD 42.9 million for development in 2023 through grantmaking activities. Compared to 2022, this amount represents an increase of 51.8% in real terms. Grants represented 100% of the Laudes Foundation’s gross disbursements.
In 2023, the Laudes Foundation channelled its bilateral development finance mainly through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (USD 26.4 million) and universities, research institutes or think-tanks (USD 9.9 million).
In 2023, Laudes Foundation provided USD 500 000 to the multilateral system, representing 1.1% of its total development finance.
See the section on Geographic and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
In 2023, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 26.4 million of the Laudes Foundation’s gross bilateral finance, of which 25.7% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, a minor share (9.7%) was allocated to CSOs as core support, while 51.8% was earmarked to specific projects or programmes. From 2022 to 2023, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs decreased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 64.7% to 61.5%.
Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2023, Laudes Foundation’s development finance was primarily focused on Asia (excluding the Middle East) and America. USD 7 million was allocated to Asia (excluding the Middle East) and USD 5.5 million to America, accounting respectively for 16.3% and 12.9% of gross bilateral development finance. A sum of USD 29.4 million (68.6%) was unspecified by region in 2023, mainly including multi-regional programmes, core support and research grants.
In 2023, 29.7% of gross development finance went to the top 10 recipients, most notably Brazil, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Least developed countries (LDCs) received USD 3.6 million (8.4%) of Laudes Foundation’s gross disbursements in 2023. Laudes Foundation allocated the highest share (13.2%) of its bilateral development finance to upper middle-income countries in 2023, followed by least developed countries (8.4%), noting that USD 30.2 million (70.3%) was unallocated by income group.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility reached USD 5.9 million in 2023, representing 13.8% of Laudes Foundation’s bilateral development finance.
Learn more about the OECD States of Fragility platform.
In 2023, Laudes Foundation’s largest allocations went to social infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 55.1% of bilateral commitments (USD 23.7 million). Bilateral contributions allocated to multi-sector and other macro sectors amounted to USD 4.4 and 6.2 respectively, with a strong focus on general environmental protection. Bilateral contributions to production sectors totalled USD 6 million.
In 2023, Laudes Foundation committed the largest shares of its contributions to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Support to SDG 5 (gender equality) amounted to USD 0.4 million. Contributions to SDG 13 (climate action) totalled USD 24.3 million.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Official website: https://www.laudesfoundation.org
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
© OECD 2025
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Attribution – you must cite the work.
Translations – you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text: In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and the translation, only the text of original work should be considered valid.
Adaptations – you must cite the original work and add the following text: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.
Third-party material – the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and for any claims of infringement.
You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.
Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shall be Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one.
