elea Foundation and Julius Baer have entered a strategic long-term partnership as of 1 January 2015.

elea Foundation is pleased to welcome Julius Baer Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of Switzerland’s leading private banking group, as a new member of its exclusive elea Philanthropic Investors’ Circle. The cooperation is based on joint efforts to reduce poverty by supporting entrepreneurial projects and social enterprises that establish and expand jobs and services benefiting people who live on a daily income of less than 2 USD in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It aims to achieve sustainable, measurable social impact by creating opportunities for disadvantaged people so that they can live an independent, self-determined life.

The cooperation comes into effect during the anniversary year of Julius Baer. While the bank celebrates its 125th year in 2015, the Julius Baer Foundation commemorates the 50th anniversary of its establishment. In this context, it has been actively looking for a partner in the field of entrepreneurially driven poverty alleviation. The framework of the collaboration foresees that besides and beyond a financial contribution, Julius Baer specialists will contribute their professional expertise to selected projects. Boris F. J. Collardi, CEO of Julius Baer and Chairman of the Julius Baer Foundation: “Care, Passion and Excellence guide the activities of Julius Baer. The collaboration with elea Foundation aiming to improve the livelihoods of many people living in absolute poverty aligns with our values and allows us to leverage our means and talents in the best possible manner.”

The Julius Baer Foundation represents the philanthropic engagement of Julius Baer, Switzerland’s leading private banking group. It supports financially charitable organizations and projects of public interest in Switzerland and all over the world. Founded in 1965, the foundation celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2015. The foundation’s engagement primarily focuses on helping children and young adults. Its vision is to give everybody the same chances in life, mitigating the gap in health and education that poverty creates among the youth. The goal is to accompany youths and young adults in their development to becoming self-responsible adults. In addition, the foundation supports cultural, scientific and other social projects.

elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization, a philanthropic impact investor, exists to fight absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means, capitalizing on the benefits and opportunities of globalization. It supports social enterprises and entrepreneurial projects with a focus on global value chains, new technologies, and professional skill building benefiting people in countries with an average per capita income of less than 2 USD per day. The foundation builds and maintains bridges between socially engaged entrepreneurs and philanthropic investors. Beyond a financial investment, elea Foundation supports its partner organizations on their way of becoming financially self-sustainable, by offering coaching and advice on key strategic issues, and by providing access to the elea network.

For more information, please contact Ms. Martina Venturini, General Manager, Julius Baer Foundation, or Mr. Andreas R. Kirchschläger, CEO, elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization.

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