Since 1996

In late September, Helene became the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Katrina, claiming more than 230 lives across six states, including Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Then, less than two weeks later, Milton, one of the most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the region, passed across Florida, affecting some of the same communities touched by Helene. SNF sought to respond swiftly by partnering with organizations who know the needs on the ground.

Greece’s first and largest university, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), has conferred the title of doctor honoris causa of the Departments of Medicine and Nursing upon SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos and awarded SNF the title of Grand Benefactor of the University of Athens.

Since 2012, SNF has supported the Greek National Opera’s efforts to engage with a broader public, including creating its new home at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens. Further major grants in 2019 and 2024 have helped the GNO reach new audiences, form new international collaborations, and grow from strength to strength while garnering the wide recognition it has long deserved.

Created in 2017 with a founding grant from SNF, ARTWORKS encourages early-career Greek artists in their practice with opportunities for personal and professional development. At its core is the SNF Artist Fellowship Program, which has welcomed several hundred fellows with additional support from SNF.

The SNF Bioethics Academy, which is organized through a partnership between Johns Hopkins University and ETH Zürich and aims to expand awareness of the field in Greece, expands significantly with major additional support from SNF.

Construction on the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta begins. Delivery of the SNF General Hospital of Sparta to the Greek National Health System is slated for late 2027.

A grant to the Children’s Literacy Initiative supports its Framework for Teaching and Learning, a research-driven tool that offers insights into how to deliver effective and equitable literacy instruction.

Construction on the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki begins in February 2024.  The SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, which SNF plans to deliver to the public in late 2026, will represent a significant step forward in health care for children in Greece. 

A grant supports Sapien Labs in expanding its Global Mind Project, a database that seeks to provide a basis for understanding the factors that promote or undermine mental health, to young people ages 13-17.

In November 2023, construction begins on the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini, which is expected to be delivered to residents of the Prefecture of Rodopi in Northern Greece and beyond and begin serving as to serve as a model of public health care in late 2026.

At an event focused on Accelerating Discoveries in a Golden Age of Biomedicine at New York’s Rockefeller University, SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos receives Rockefeller’s 2023 Enlightened Philanthropy Award.

In the wake of Cyclone Freddy, a grant supports Pivot’s response to its long-term impact, including identifying and treating malnutrition in children, training community health workers, and raising community awareness around malnutrition.

Following the February 2023 cancellation of the tender for construction of the hospitals included in SNF’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) due to the exceptionally high bids received, SNF, together with Hill International, the Design Team, and expert consultants, engages in renewed deliberations and carried out an intensive direct negotiation process, as a result of which the construction and outfitting of the three hospitals are awarded to AVAX S.A., one of the largest construction groups in Greece and Cyprus.

President Barack Obama, actors Goldie Hawn and Glenn Close, and experts and advocates from a range of fields come together in Athens at the SNF Nostos Conference on mental health to fight stigma and spotlight solutions on an issue relevant to all of us.

SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letter degree from Johns Hopkins University.

In response to the earthquakes in February in Turkey and Syria, a grant supports Choose Love in partnering with local groups in Syria working in their communities to address critical needs for vulnerable populations, including by providing mental health and psychosocial support.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy honors SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos at its annual Living Landmarks Celebration for his notable contributions to New York City.

A grant for the WaterWorks artist fellowship program at Harlem Stage, an SNF partner since 2010, supports artists of color in creating innovative and socially significant works of art.

Building on a longstanding partnership with the world-renowned orthopedics institution, a new grant supports the Hospital for Special Surgery in expanding and modernizing its facilities to enhance patient care and research through the construction of its new Kellen Tower.

The SNF Nostos Conference in Athens focuses on health writ large by welcoming experts from around the world, paralleling the transformation of SNF’s Health Initiative into the Global Health Initiative (GHI). 

New partnerships with eminent centers of care and research, including Columbia University, The Rockefeller University, and the Child Mind Institute, expanded the initiative’s mission of opening up access to quality physical and mental health care beyond Greece.

Seeing a need in Bamako for the type of sports-based youth development programming that is relatively common in the US, two people with roots in Mali start Care Club Foundation. SNF supports the launch of its soccer-based after-school and summer programs, the creation of a new student study and recreation center, and projects to drill wells to supply clean water in nearby communities.

A grant supports two Institute in Advanced Studies Memberships to bring junior scholars from Greece pursuing research in Hellenic Studies to the New Jersey institution.

Following wildfires in 2021 that devastated forests and left livelihoods in tatters, SNF grants help people return to their professions, provided psychological support, and helped local responders prepare to avert future disasters.

SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos is sworn in as an Honorary FDNY Battalion Chief, the highest civilian award given by the New York City Fire Department, for which SNF has provided longstanding support.

SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos is invested as Archon Grand Orator (Megas Rhetor) by Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. This honor is given to those selected by the Ecumenical Patriarch for their service to the Church and for their overall contributions to society.

A grant to Pratham supports catch-up lessons to help students in India build functional literacy and numeracy and overcome learning inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic.

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town is dedicated to art from Africa and the African diaspora, and an SNF grant supports the museum in bringing a mobile museum program to underserved communities.

Taking place in person again following a virtual version during the height of the pandemic, this year’s SNF Nostos focuses on the theme of Humanity and Artificial Intelligence.

Created through a total reimagining and renovation of the New York Public Library’s central circulating branch with support from a $55 million SNF grant, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) offers beautiful, inspiring public space to all.

SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos receives an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

A grant to Amref Health Africa, an SNF partner since 2007, supports maternal and child health projects in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia, including building community health capacity for COVID-19 prevention and vaccination.

A grant supports World Child Cancer’s pediatric cancer program in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone, including through trainings for health workers, awareness campaigns, and efforts to help families stick with treatment.

Grants made through the initiative seek both to provide emergency relief for the immediate effects of the pandemic and to help pave communities’ road to recovery

New Agriculture New Generation, which grew out of SNF support to Rutgers University in 2015, seeks to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in the Greek agrifood sector, and a new grant supports its extension.

Staellinika, a learning tool for young Greek-language learners, launches in full. Its story-driven and game-based courses were first developed through the SNF-supported Rebooting the Greek Language project at Simon Fraser University.

A grant to Sanku supports hundreds of small-scale maize millers in Tanzania in producing fortified flour, helping fight malnutrition for approximately 2 million vulnerable families.

Responding to learning loss in the pandemic, a grant to United World Schools supports remote education with home learning materials, socially distanced group learning, teacher training, and curriculum support.

A grant supports the construction of a nursery at the Ionia Center, a Greek Orthodox cultural center near Athens, enabling the nonprofit to provide services to mothers and their children.

A virtual edition of SNF Nostos, RetroFuture, keeps the annual tradition alive during the height of the pandemic.

A grant supports the Barbican's London training center for the National Open Youth Orchestra, where young musicians with and without disabilities strive for musical excellence together.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens is on the verge of being able to present its full collections to the public, and major support from SNF makes its opening, which subsequently takes place in early 2020, possible.