A better everyday life

Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people.

The IKEA Foundation is a strategic philanthropy that focuses its grant making efforts on tackling poverty and climate change. We see these as the two biggest threats to the future of children living in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world.

Together with more than 140 partners, we work to improve family incomes and protect the planet. Recognising the inequalities that underpin poverty on the one hand and climate change on the other hand, we aim to transform systems and build evidence of what works. Founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1982, the IKEA Foundation initially focused on design and architecture. In 2009, we expanded our mandate that resulted in our current mission to enable families to create a better future for themselves and their children, and fight and cope with climate change.

Since then, we have paid out more than €2 billion to our partners and now grant approximately €200 million each year. In 2021 our board of directors decided to make an additional €1 billion available over the next five years to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The IKEA Foundation works in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world where the needs are the greatest. We work with partners across Africa and Asia, in communities affected by climate change and poverty. We also support global climate action programmes, focusing on high-emitting countries and regions including the EU, India, Brazil and Indonesia, where we believe we can have the biggest impact.

What was Ingvar’s vision for the Foundation?

Ingvar Kamprad’s vision for the IKEA Foundation was very clear. He wanted to create opportunities for vulnerable families and children to create a brighter future for themselves on a healthy planet.

Ingvar grew up in a poor farming community in the south of Sweden. So, when he created IKEA in the 1940s, he wanted the retail business to provide a better life for the many people. You can find out more about Ingvar’s story here.

In the same way, when Ingvar expanded the focus of the IKEA Foundation in 2009, he wanted to help children and families in vulnerable communities create sustainable livelihoods. This means being able to gain the right skills to become an entrepreneur like him or find a job that provides a decent family income.

Ingvar also understood that the Earth has finite resources. If we want children in the future to live on a healthy planet, we need to take care of the environment now.