THE MERCATOR FUND GLOBAL CHALLENGES  




The Mercator Fund is a project
of the Network of European Foundations - NEF




The Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy in Europe was established by The Mercator Fund to reward an individual, organisation, foundation or project which has conceived and implemented an outstanding and innovative philanthropic programme in Europe.

It is anticipated that the project will have a high impact result and will express a strong belief in the role of Europe and European values in philanthropy. The Prize Ceremony is to take place every year at the European Foundation Centre’s General Assembly. About Raymond Georis
Spanish Philanthropist Awarded 2008 Raymond Georis Prize

Diego ISTANBUL – A prize honouring outstanding contributions to European philanthropy was awarded on Saturday to Mr. Diego Hidalgo Schnur, founder of the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE), as well as many other organisations committed to development, democracy and human rights around the world. The award was made in the presence of over 600 members of the European Foundation Community.

The 2008 Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy was presented at the 19thh Annual General Assembly of the European Foundation Centre. The Prize was launched four years ago by the Network of European Foundations’ Mercator Fund, and aims to reward innovative high-impact European initiatives that illustrate European leadership on global and social issues.

“Throughout his long and illustrious career, Diego Hidalgo has dedicated himself to helping others,” said Mr. Raymond Georis, the Prize’s namesake and a member of the Selection Committee, which was chaired by Mr. Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and President of the Madariaga European Foundation. The Selection Committee also comprised Mr. Gerry Salole, Chief Executive of the European Foundation Centre, and Ms. Norine MacDonald QC, President of the Mercator Fund.

“His immense personal generosity and exceptional vision have enabled him to realise his social entrepreneurial skills to achieve enormous success with countless projects and initiatives,” said Ms. MacDonald. “Mr. Hidalgo’s life has been largely occupied with the pursuit to improve the future of the most marginalised, and his efforts to improve humanitarian action and development have made a huge impact, not only across Europe but also the rest of the world.”

The award aims to underline the important role that the European philanthropic community plays in promoting peace, security and development. The Prize’s goal is to annually recognise the innovative work of successive generations which have followed in the footsteps of Mr. Georis. The Mercator Fund’s main objective is to deal with matters related to Europe’s role in global social issues.

“The main aim of the Prize is to reward individuals or organisations that really make a difference to people’s lives,” said Ms. MacDonald. “This year’s jury felt that Mr Hidalgo’s unique ability to convert dreams and idealistic hopes into concrete results that have a positive impact on the lives of so many epitomised the very spirit of the Prize.”

Ms Norine MacDonald QC's speech at the Award Ceremony of the 2008 Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy in Europe


For further information
Mr Julian Mattocks
The Mercator Fund
Email:
Tel: +33 1 49 96 63 70

2007 Recipient

Mr Ray Murphy, senior adviser with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
The Raymond Georis Prize honouring outstanding contributions to philanthropy was awarded this weekend to the late Mr Ray Murphy, senior adviser with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, who passed away two months ago. The award was made in the presence of over 500 members of the European Foundation Community for Mr Murphy’s legacy to the importance of civil society. His wife, Caitriona O’Driscoll was in Madrid to receive the Prize on his behalf.
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2006 Recipient

Ms Kristina Persson, Founder of the Swedish Stiftelsen Frejas fund
A prize honouring outstanding contributions to philanthropy was awarded to Ms Kristina Persson, Founder of the Swedish Stiftelsen Frejas fond, for the fund’s project Global Challenge. The award was made in the presence of 500 members of the European Foundation Community for Ms Persson’s contribution to a better understanding of one of today’s most important issues – globalisation.
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2005 Recipient

Mr Aly Mawji, Resident Representative in Afghanistan for the Aga Khan Development Network
This year’s winner was chosen for his leading philanthropic work that has contributed to the long-term development of Afghanistan and a strengthening of its communities.

The award was made in the presence of 500 members of the European Foundation Community for the contribution of the Network to peace and security in Afghanistan. More



2004 Recipient

Ms. Avila Kilmurray, Director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
Last year’s winner was chosen for her leading philanthropic work towards peace and social solidarity both in her own country, Northern Ireland, and in the Balkans, with the YouthBank project. More




About Raymond Georis

  • A man of vision and intuition
    Raymond Georis was born in 1930 in Kumtich, Belgium. He studied Philosophy, and followed this with a Doctorate in Law at the University of Louvain and graduated in 1957 from the College of Europe in Bruges with a diploma in Economics and Political Science. Mr Georis served as the Secretary General of the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam from 1973 to 1995. He was until March 2008 the Managing Director of the Madariaga European Foundation and has been Chair of the board of Universal Education Foundation since 2006. He was the founding Managing Director of the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation, founding Chairman of the European Foundation Centre in Brussels (1989-1991) and Chairman of the Hague Club of European Foundations (1983-1985).

    Raymond Georis is a man of vision and intuition and is widely recognized as the “father” of the European Foundation community. By establishing partnerships with the European Commission and between foundations, and by fostering a union of European foundations, Raymond Georis has embodied philanthropic innovation in Europe. The Prize aims to recognize Mr. Georis’ remarkable contribution to the foundation sector in Europe and to stimulate an interest in, and knowledge of, innovative philanthropic work in Europe.

    Raymond Georis is the Chair of the Board of Universal Education Foundation.
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