10 Foundations Join Forces to Help Start-Ups, Non-Profits in Greece

The Points of Support Program launch event at Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece. Credit: Thalia Galanopoulou/Hellenic Initiative Canada

The Hellenic Initiative Canada joined nine foundations in Greece to support innovative small-scale initiatives by start-ups and non-profit organizations.

The grants would be awarded to organizations whose initiatives can have a significant social impact for the benefit of society, the environment, and vulnerable groups.

The “Points of Support Program” has provided 119 small grants to start-up, non-profit organizations in Greece delivering initiatives benefiting over 40,000 people across Greece since its launch in 2015.

To ensure the continued success and sustainability of participating organizations that receive grants of 5,000 euros each, the Program provides training, access to professionals, mentoring, networking opportunities and other capacity-building tools to ensure long-term growth.

The 10 foundations that are collaborating in the 6th cycle of the Points of Support Program are:

The Hellenic Initiative Canada, Ioannis S. Latsis Charitable Foundation, TIMA Charitable Foundation, Bodossaki Foundation, Captain Vassilis & Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation, A. G. Leventis Foundation, Athanasios K. Laskaridis Foundation, Costas M. Lemos Foundation, KIKPE Social and Cultural Foundation, and the Athena I. Martinou Foundation.

The Bodossaki Foundation acts as the Program coordinator and the provider of capacity-building, through its Social Dynamo Program.

The new program will support 39 start-ups and non-profits in Greece

The new cycle of the Points of Support Program will support 39 organizations operating in areas that deliver: food aid; support and social integration for people with disabilities; support for seniors; healthcare for children and other vulnerable groups; and initiatives in environmental protection.

The Hellenic Initiative Canada will support three organizations to deliver initiatives to combat poverty by providing food aid to those in need in Greece.

Tula Alexopoulos, Chair of THI Canada’s Grants Committee, expressed support for the Points of Support Program, noting that “The Hellenic Initiative Canada is proud to partner with 9 foundations in Greece to empower non-profit organizations to benefit Greek society”.

Bodossaki Foundation celebrated the successful launch of the program with an event held at the Benaki Museum in Athens on Tuesday, March 14th. The launch event was attended by representatives of the ten foundations participating in the program and a diverse group of stakeholders.

The event also featured an important discussion on the urgent need for innovative and collaborative approaches to address the financial, societal and environmental challenges that Greece is currently facing.

Following the successful launch event of the program, the Bodossaki Foundation and the nine organizations participating are looking forward to receiving applications from organizations that are passionate about creating positive change with a lasting impact in Greece.

More information about the 6th cycle of the Points of Support Program can be found here.

THI Canada and the Bodossaki Foundation

THI Canada was founded in 2016, with the objective of raising funds in Canada to support vulnerable groups in Greece.

With the help and generosity of Greek Canadians and philhellenes, THI Canada partners with reputable and trusted organizations in Greece to fund programs that provide food and other necessities of life to those in need, to provide healthcare and medical services, and to advance education through scholarships and other forms of financial assistance to students to attend vocational schools, colleges and universities in Canada and Greece.

THI Canada is a member of THI Worldwide, a global movement of the Greek diaspora founded in 2012 to invest in the future of Greece through crisis relief and economic development.

The Bodossaki Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1972 with the aim of continuing the philanthropic work of its founder, Prodromos Bodossakis-Athanasiadis, in Greek society. Its vision is for a society of equal opportunities, with possibilities and prospects for all.

To achieve its vision, the Bodossaki Foundation finances, designs, and implements actions and programs related to its four strategic pillars: promoting education, upgrading health, protecting the environment, and empowering civil society. Since its establishment, it has provided more than €450 million to achieve its goals.