The ABLV Charitable Foundation is a charitable foundation whose operating goal is to encourage the responsibility of business and society as a whole towards fellow citizens and the environment.

The ABLV Charitable Foundation was established by ABLV Bank shareholders Ernests Bernis and Olegs Fils with a view of implementing into practice their own core values and encouraging the social and environmental responsibility of businesses. The Foundation operates as the key partner of ABLV Bank in the charity area, supporting creative people and outstanding organizations that invest their efforts and knowledge to achieve goals of importance to society as a whole — to form an affluent, united, and safe society. Since its establishment, the Foundation has focused its attention on contemporary art, the wellbeing of children and adolescents, education and the development of civic society, and is a co-founder of the nascent Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art.

Currently, ABLV Charitable Foundation operates in 5 fields: “Children and Families,” “Contemporary Art,” “Education,” “Urban Environment,” and “Philanthropists Projects.”

Over the past years, the Foundation has supported 350 charitable and cultural projects, donating almost EUR 5 million to them, including:

• Projects in support of “Children and Families”: EUR 1,426,539;
• Projects in support of “Contemporary Art”: EUR 852,741;
• Projects in support of “Education”: EUR 422,642;
• Projects in support of “Urban Environment”: EUR 1,420,334;
• Projects in support of “Philanthropists Projects”: EUR 134,984;
• Projects in support of other initiatives: EUR 613,051.

We are grateful to every one of our donors and cooperation partners for the resources and energy they have invested during the years we have worked together to make Latvia a better place in which to grow and develop, learn and be inspired, create and improve.

Educational Projects with Cultural Content

Everyone has the opportunity to actively engage in the creation of culture.

Programme Objective: The objective of the “Education” operating field programme “Educational Projects with Cultural Content” is to facilitate public understanding of contemporary art, its contents, and form.

With the assistance of the programme, we wish to encourage understanding among pre-school, kindergarten, and school-age children about the museum as an exciting and stimulating environment for development. We also wish to build the capacity for cultural participation in the attainment of general education, promoting the attainment of quality art education, as well as promoting a new concept of future-oriented museum works. We further wish to support the development and creation of educational games, as well as the organization of discussions, guest lectures, seminars, and practical activities for students, sector specialists, and all interested members of the general public. Special emphasis is placed on school-age children, toddlers, their parents, and the simple passer-by. The programme is also geared towards students, teachers, museum educators, games creators, and organizers of guest lectures.

Programme Target Audience: Applications for support from the Foundation can be made by any society, foundation, municipality, municipal institution, or municipal agency whose activity is not-for-profit, as well as by a governmental body or governmental agency registered in Latvia whose activity is not-for-profit. Commercial enterprises cannot apply for support.

Attracting Funds: Donations for this programme are attracted throughout the year, specifying that the donation is intended for the Educational Projects with Cultural Content programme in the payment objective. Information about the work done under the auspices of this programme is available to the public in the programme’s “Educational Projects with Cultural Content” section of the Foundation’s homepage. Reports are updated once quarterly.

In light of the fact that the Foundation has been awarded the status of a public benefit organization, residents of the Republic of Latvia who make donations to this programme are entitled to receive tax relief.

Support for the Formation of the LMCA Collection

The Foundation supports the establishment of the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art, helping to form its collection and facilitating public accessibility and appreciation of contemporary art.

Programme Objective: Under the auspices of the “Support for the Formation of the LMCA Collection” programme, the Foundation administers and supports the acquisition of works for the collection of the nascent Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art (LMCA). A logical continuation of this collaboration is the establishment of the Foundation of the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art (FLMCA) and the memorandum of intent signed between the newly-established foundation and the LR Ministry of Culture regarding the construction of the museum. It is planned that the new museum will open its doors to visitors in 2021.

Programme Target Audience: As part of the work forming the contemporary art collection, much consideration has been given to the visitors of the nascent museum, with the aim of addressing all sections and age groups of the public. It is also important that the museum’s collection testifies to a versatile and professionally appraised reflection and documentation of the contemporary art scene, which not only serves as a platform for the creative activities of today but also as an investment for the benefit of society in the future.

Funding: This programme is financed by ABLV Bank, on the basis of the mutual agreement between ABLV Bank and the ABLV Charitable Foundation. A report on the work done is updated once every quarter and is not published on the Foundation’s homepage.

Operating Directions: This programme operates in several directions:

• Provides support for the formation of the LMCA collection, carrying out administrative work related to the acquisition of works for the collection;
• Provides support for the work of the International Committee of Experts of the LMCA, which decides on the inclusion of works of art in the future LMCA collection;
• Facilitates public access to the planned collection of the nascent LMCA, including by making recommendations regarding lending works from the nascent museum’s collection for exhibitions organized by other institutions.