Hej!
Every year, I have the privilege of reflecting on what we and our partners have achieved together—but 2019 is particularly special. This year we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of expanding our charter so we could support projects that directly benefited children and families.
You see, our founder—Ingvar Kamprad—established the IKEA Foundation in 1982 with the idea of supporting innovative architecture and interior design. In 2000, the IKEA business began funding projects in India to fight the root causes of child labour. And in 2005, the IKEA business set up the IKEA Social Initiative to fund projects for children around the world.
But Ingvar was a visionary in both his business and philanthropy. He wanted far more families to enjoy a better everyday life, and he knew that a foundation was the best way to make that vision a reality. So in 2009 he applied to the Dutch government to expand the IKEA Foundation’s charter beyond design, and the IKEA Foundation as we know it today was born.
Since then, we have worked with many partners, who have all made an incredible contribution on the journey towards realising Ingvar’s vision. We would like to thank them all for their dedication to creating a better life for families.
After a decade of learning, growing and exploring, we are now embarking on a new strategic direction that will help us address the two biggest threats to children’s futures: poverty and climate change.
As you read through this selection of 10 reasons to celebrate, we hope you enjoy reflecting on how some of our partners’ achievements in the past decade have led us to make two new commitments to families.
Most of all, we hope you are as excited as we are about all the possibilities that lie ahead.
Per Heggenes
IKEA Foundation CEO