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Explore milestones in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s (SNF) more than quarter century of grantmaking.

SNF’s mission is broad by design, and the grants we’ve made since 1996 reflect this breadth. Grant projects have taken place on six continents—and in the seas between. They have spanned young and old, remote villages to big cities, alpha to omega (literally, in Greek language tools). They have ranged in size from a few thousand euros to a billion-dollar-plus initiative, but we know that dollar value and human value are two different things entirely. The thousands of grants SNF has made reflect the diversity of the people they serve but are all united by a common goal: empowering humanity. Explore a sampling in the timeline below.

2004

October

Fighting disparities in health care access, South Africa 

Medical Education for South African Blacks has directly increased the number of South African health care providers serving the country, helping improve access to care, and SNF supports scholarships for ten medical students.

July

Quality education for all, Thailand 

Established in 1887 to provide higher education to Buddhist monks, novices and laypeople, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University offers a quality public education, including to students who cannot afford other universities. SNF supports the construction of a new library and fulfillment of other operational needs to serve the university community.

January

Learning how to “opa!,” United States

SNF supports the World Music Institute in organizing the Annual Festival of Greek Music, which takes place over three nights in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Boston and serves to both present and document traditional and contemporary Greek music.

2003

October

Greek classics on stage, United States

SNF supports the Pearl Theatre’s production of The Persians by Aeschylus as part of the organization’s work producing repertory strongly rooted in the Greek classics.

October

Preserving the Greek-Orthodox heritage outside Greece, Tanzania

Through a grant to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and Africa, SNF supports church construction and renovation. 

October

Arts that says “Get well soon,” France

Through its painting projects, Fondation Paint a Smile humanizes the hospital environment, and SNF supports the organization in creating murals in Hospital L'Archet's Pediatric Emergency Service in Nice.

July

Resources for the study of Ancient Greek, United Kingdom

A grant supports the University of Cambridge in a project aiming to develop a dictionary and offer print and online resources to promote the study of Ancient Greek language.

January

Royal stables into galleries, Greece

With a grant to the National Gallery - Alexandros Soutzos Museum, SNF supports the conversion of two buildings of the former Royal Stables at an Army Park in Goudi into exhibition venues for the National Glyptotheque. 

2002

October

Women’s rights are human rights, Afghanistan

SNF supports the Afghan Women’s Fund as part of the Global Fund for Women’s work aiding women’s human rights organizations around the world in addressing critical issues such as economic independence, girls’ access to education, and violence against women.

October

Using arts to help struggling students, United States 

Kalliope is a performing arts simulation technology used by Classroom Inc that is designed to help struggling students in the eighth, ninth, and tenth grades develop the skills essential to success in school and the workplace. SNF supports development of the program.

July

Diving deeper into underwater archaeology, Egypt

With support from SNF, the Hellenic Institute of Ancient & Mediaeval Alexandrian Studies conducts underwater archaeological research on a shipwreck discovered in 2001.

April

Wild adventures, United Kingdom

SNF supports young people from the Greek community in participating in Outward Bound UK, which helps 16- to 24-year-olds develop the confidence to thrive through the acquisition of wilderness skills.

January

A game library for children with disabilities, Armenia

Mission Enfance receives SNF’s support for renovating the village school in Zorakan, as well as for creating and operating a games library for children with disabilities in Armenia.

2001

July

Fighting the socioeconomic consequences of HIV/AIDS, South Africa

A grant supports Project Goelama from the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, which aims to build a system of community support at ten pilot sites in Africa to respond to the growing social and economic needs of children whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS.

April

On a mission to help protect cultural heritage, Greece

SNF helps support the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage in restoring St. Kyriaki, a historic church on the island of Aegina.

January

Safeguarding lives from natural disasters, Greece

With a grant to the Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection, SNF supports the purchase of a specialized helicopter to search for and extinguish fires, execute rescue operations, and serve as an aerial ambulance, aiding the fire service's work protecting the lives from fires and other natural disasters. This is among the first grants in a long partnership with the Hellenic Fire Corps.

January

Planting the seed of learning, Greece

The American Farm School is a nonprofit educational institution located in Thessaloniki founded to serve agrarian populations in Greece and Southeast Europe, and SNF supports the construction and outfitting of a new secondary school dormitory at the school.

2000

November

Enhancing access to international affairs insights, United States

SNF supports the supports the Center for International and Strategic Studies Global Connections website, which provides high school and college students with an accessible entry point into the wide range of insights that CSIS offers on topics related to international affairs and globalization.

June

The National Gallery at 100, Greece

Signaling the start of a deep partnership with the National Gallery of Greece, SNF supports its efforts to reexhibit its permanent collection and publish a centenary volume.

1999

November

UNESCO heritage preservation, Switzerland

A grant supports work to ensure the preservation of the Kloster St. Johann in Müstair, a 1,200-year-old abbey and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

November

A hub for Hellenic culture, Greece

A grant supports the construction of the International Center of Hellenic Culture and Vocational Training at the University of Ioannina, an autonomous guest house that aims to promote language learning and cultural awareness.

November

An invitation to learn, Greece

Capital improvements supported by a grant help Ionian Village expand its work welcoming young adults to explore Greece and to learn about Greek culture, history, and Orthodoxy.

November

Talks on Hellenism, United States

A grant supports the lecture series organized by the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute on Hellenism and Orthodoxy.

October

Disaster management, Greece

Construction of the Hellenic Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection’s first disaster management special unit center, which will be inaugurated in 2002, is supported by a grant.

July

HIV/AIDS services, Togo

A grant to Médecins aux Pieds Nus supports the procurement of medical equipment for a center near Lome, Togo, providing information and services related to HIV and AIDS, including treatment.  

April

Rarified art education open to more, United Kingdom

Well over a hundred SNF Scholars will benefit from a world-class art history education at The Courtauld Institute of Art in London over the next quarter-century, starting with six this year.

1998

October

Emergency shelter for kids, Greece

A 20-plus year partnership beginning in 1998 helps support the work of SOS Children's Villages Greece in providing safe emergency accommodation to children who cannot live with their families.

August

Firefighting preparedness, Greece

15 new fire engines help the Hellenic Fire Corps, a longtime partner hereafter, address the country’s serious fire risks.

April

Microlending, United States

A grant to ACCION New York supports increasing its microlending capacity to help small enterprises, many owned by women and people of color, move from subsistence to self-sufficiency.

1997

December

Making sure patients have a place to stay, Greece

Grants to build guesthouses at University Hospitals in Ioannina, Heraklion, and Alexandroupoli help ensure that patients and their families have somewhere to stay when traveling for care.

November

Treatment for children with disabilities, Greece

The Hellenic Society for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Disabled Children adds a new floor to its facilities, expanding its capacity, with support from SNF.

November

Preparing MoMA to enter the 21st century, United States

SNF’s support to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, honored with the naming of a gallery, heralds a focus on opening up access in the arts that will remain a key part of SNF’s work.

November

Cerebral palsy support and advocacy, Greece

A yearslong partnership encompassing major support for Cerebral Palsy Greece’s work helping people with the disease thrive, including construction of its new premises, begins.

November

Spreading medical knowledge, France

An SNF grant helps CIDMEF create medical libraries in lower-income countries, reflecting SNF’s approach of increasing access to quality care by sharing expertise across borders.

November

Preserving print, Greece

Over a span of several years, SNF supports the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive Society in preserving 19th- and 20th-century archival material and publishing related works.

November

Hepatology equipment, United Kingdom

Presaging efforts get health providers what they need to provide excellent care, SNF supports the procurement of medical equipment for the Institute of Hepatology at University College London

1996

June

Our very first grant, Switzerland

A grant supports the community at the Greek Orthodox church in Lausanne.

April

SNF is established

Our founder, Stavros S. Niarchos (1909-1996), bequeaths the vision and the resources for making a lasting positive impact on the world.