Carola Carazzone, secretary general of Assifero, the national association of Italian grantmaking foundations, assesses the recent developements occurring within Italian philanthropy sector, and how social enterprises and social investments are improving communities.
A lot has been written about the model of community foundation promoted by Fondazione Cariplo and some other enlightened foundations of banking origin. Important in themselves, these groups have also become a catalyst for the further development of community foundations in the country.
They write, ‘Established in 2010, the Fondazione della Comunità di Messina invested its €500,000 baseline endowment in a renewable energy photovoltaic system in order to produce an environmental and social impact, as well as a financial return to fund social projects.’ Continue reading