Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
UK Branch
About Us
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a charitable foundation established in Portugal in 1956 with cultural, educational, social and scientific interests. The Foundation’s Headquarters are in Lisbon with offices in London (the UK Branch) and Paris. Its founder, Calouste Gulbenkian, was an Armenian born in Turkey who worked in Britain and became a British citizen, lived in France and settled in Portugal. He was multicultural and multilingual and spent his career bringing people from different cultures and nationalities together.
Our Purpose and Approach
The purpose of the UK Branch is to help enrich and connect the experiences of people in the UK and Ireland and secure lasting and beneficial change in their lives. We have a special interest in supporting those who are most disadvantaged.
As a small branch we can be nimble but cannot provide large-scale continuous funding. As part of one of the largest European foundations we are well positioned to address transnational issues and can act as an ‘exchange’ for ideas.
Innovative
We value new ideas. We are particularly interested in approaches that are adventurous and inspiring.
International
We value an international exchange of ideas and experience that will benefit people in the UK and Ireland.
Independent yet Involving
We value our independence from government and other statutory agencies. We also value the benefits of working in partnership with other organisations which share our aims.
Innovation Fund
Guidelines are given here on how to apply for our new and only funding stream.
Current Partnerships and Initiatives
Our current activities are set out here
Gulbenkian Publications (PDF downloads)
2010 Strategy Leaflet
Strategic Plan 2009
Annual Review 2009/10
A Short History of the UK Branch and its Work
50th Anniversary Publication
Experience and Experiment: The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation 1956–2006
by Robert Hewison and John Holden
Please Note
The UK Branch of the Foundation deals only with grant applications from organisations in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and only with projects which benefit people in these countries. We cannot help with the following enquiries which should be addressed to the appropriate department at the Foundation’s Headquarters in Lisbon:
Support for Armenian projects and scholarships for Armenian students
Armenian Communities Department
Scholarships for Portuguese nationals
Education Department
Photographs of works in the Foundation’s collections and permission to reproduce them
info@gulbenkian.pt
