Enterprise Foundations and Responsible Business Ownership SIG

The ELI Enterprise Foundations and Responsible Business Ownership SIG is proposed for establishment in 2025 and will be chaired by Steen Thomsen, Anne Sanders and Mark Ørberg. The SIG will focus on enterprise foundations as a distinctive governance and ownership model, addressing the legal and practical questions that arise in this rapidly developing field.

The SIG’s work will explore key issues such as the integration of enterprise foundations into national legal frameworks, the promotion of the model in jurisdictions where it is less known, and the practical steps involved in establishing such foundations. It will also examine governance structures, the role of founding families, best practices for engaged and responsible ownership, and the design of model charters and rules of procedure. Further topics include hybrid ownership structures - such as combinations of foundation and family ownership - and broader implications for charitable foundations, family businesses and other long‑term ownership forms.

To support ongoing knowledge exchange, the SIG plans to organise a virtual seminar series and an annual workshop, providing a platform for continuous dialogue and professional development. The SIG has received generous support from the HMO Foundation, an Italian enterprise foundation. Where appropriate, it will collaborate with organisations such as Philea (the European philanthropy organisation), STONE (the Steward Ownership Network) and other relevant stakeholders.

The SIG aims to foster expert discussion, policy development and comparative legal analysis, bringing together practitioners, academics and policymakers to advance understanding of enterprise foundations and responsible business ownership within Europe.

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