Oak Foundation
Contents
Mission Statement
Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged.
Leadership
Accessed May 2015: [1]
Oak Foundation is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees that includes Kristian Parker, Chair; Caroline Turner, Vice Chair; Natalie Shipton, Vice Chair; Christopher Parker, Jette Parker and Alan Parker. An Advisory Panel also supports the Foundation’s work on a range of grant-making issues. Current members are Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson (President of Oak Foundation), Gary Goodman (Secretary to Oak Foundation), William Norris and Julie Sandorf.
History and Governance
The resources of Oak Foundation originated from an interest in the Duty Free Shoppers business which Alan Parker helped to build. Today, the Foundation comprises a group of philanthropic organisations based in various countries around the world.
Oak Foundation was formally established in 1983. Early grants were made in Denmark to organisations supporting single mothers and torture victims (1983) and in Zimbabwe to groups supporting vulnerable children and families, primarily at a community level (1984). Grants continued to be made annually in several countries until a new phase for Oak Foundation began in the early 1990s, when annual grant-making began to increase and staff were hired to run substantive programmes.
The first two programmes to get underway were Environment and Child Abuse, followed by four other programmes – Housing and Homelessness, International Human Rights, Issues Affecting Women and Learning Differences. There is also a Special Interest Programme, which funds medical research and other efforts identified by the Trustees that do not fall into the other programme areas, and two national programmes in Denmark and Zimbabwe. Five of Oak’s programmes also fund initiatives in India, and in 2013, Oak Foundation joined this work under the banner of the Joint India Programme, which has been featured as a separate programme in this year’s report for the first time.
Since its establishment, Oak Foundation has made over 3,000 grants to not-for-profit organisations across the globe. Oak has its main administrative office in Geneva, Switzerland and a presence in eight other countries: Belize, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, the UK, the US and Zimbabwe.
Oak Foundation is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees which includes: Kristian Parker, Chair; Caroline Turner, Vice Chair; Natalie Shipton, Vice Chair; Jette Parker and Alan Parker. An Advisory Panel also supports the Foundation’s work on a range of grant-making issues. Current members are Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson (President of Oak Foundation), Gary Goodman (Secretary of Oak Foundation), William Norris and Julie Sandorf. Funding decisions are made by the Board of Trustees, either individually or as a group. While the Board of Trustees meets twice annually, grants are considered on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year.
More Information
Oak Foundation's website ([1]) contains contact information, detailed information on its grant-making and programmes. It also containts information on how to submit a letter of enquiry to the Foundation.
Resources and articles
Related Sourcewatch
References
- ↑ Leadership, Oak Foundation, accessed May 14, 2015.
