The EFC Forum for Roma Inclusion aims to make a distinctive contribution to the European Roma agenda and to mobilise the foundation sector to play a catalytic role in the inclusion of Roma in Europe through:

• Sharing and building knowledge, experience and expertise among foundations working on issues of inclusion;
• Providing strategic input to European initiatives looking to reverse the disadvantaged situation of Roma minorities in Europe; and
• Making a concrete contribution to social inclusion and rights agenda of Roma through the design and implementation of joint activities.

Established in Berlin on 18 September 2009, the idea for setting up this forum originated during the Annual Conference of the European Foundation Centre (EFC) in Rome in May 2009 where a group of foundations convened during a session entitled ‘Creating equal opportunities for Roma in European societies’ reached a decision to come together to take this agenda forward in a concrete and proactive way.

The Forum will build on past experience from foundations’ work, including previous work incubated under the auspices of the Network of European Foundations (NEF) such as the cooperation with the World Bank and the Open Society Institute in providing support to the Roma Education Fund and the Weinheim Declaration. The Forum will collaborate and participate in European initiatives, in particular the EU Roma Platform and the EU Roma Summit in Cordoba, and will contribute to the development of the EU common basic principles on Roma inclusion and to the Commission’s pilot project on inclusion of Roma. The development of related activities and events where foundations can have a strategic input is also envisaged.

Steering Committee:
Christian Petry, Freudenberg Foundation, Chair
Dejan Petrovic, Erste Stiftung, Vice-Chair
Selim Iltus, Bernard van Leer Foundation
Martin Salm, Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future“ (EVZ)