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Identity

Since 1996

Explore milestones in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s (SNF) more than quarter century of grantmaking.

By designating a significant part of his estate to establish the Foundation in 1996, Stavros S. Niarchos created an enduring means to enrich the lives of others worldwide. Over the past quarter-century, SNF has formed thousands of partnerships with nonprofits around the world, seeking to help create lasting positive impact for society in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare.

2024

Construction starts on the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the SNF General Hospital of Sparta

Construction on the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki began in February 2024, followed by construction on the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta in May 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. Delivery of the SNF General Hospital of Sparta to the Greek National Health System is slated for late 2027.

2023

Construction starts on SNF General Hospital of Komotini

In November 2023, construction began 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.

2023

Construction resumes on 3 SNF hospitals

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, engaged in renewed deliberations and carried out an intensive direct negotiation process, as a result of which the construction and outfitting of the three hospitals were awarded to AVAX S.A., one of the largest construction groups in Greece and Cyprus.

2022

SNF’s Health Initiative becomes Global Health Initiative

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.

2022

SNF completes grant evaluations in fire relief initiative for northern Evia

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

Grand opening of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) in New York

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
2020

SNF announces a $100 million global pandemic relief initiative

Grants made through the initiative sought both to provide emergency relief for the immediate effects of the pandemic and to help pave communities’ road to recovery
2019

SNF-DR River Campus inaugurated at The Rockefeller University

Transforming and significantly expanding Rockefeller’s New York City campus, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-David Rockefeller (SNF-DR) River Campus was designed to promote collaboration between researchers and equip them with state-of-the-art labs
2018

Vamvakou Revival founded

A group of young friends spearheaded an effort to bring new life and new residents to the shrinking Greek mountain village of Vamvakou—where SNF’s founder had his roots—leading to the creation of the SNF-affiliated nonprofit Vamvakou Revival, which the Foundation supported as part of our broader initiative for the Greek region of Laconia
2018

iMEdD established

SNF-affiliated nonprofit iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development) founded to promote transparency, credibility, independence, and excellence in journalism, in Greece and abroad
2017

SNF launches the Dialogues series

The SNF Dialogues events offer a public platform for open, candid discussion on timely issues of general interest
2017

SNF Health Initiative established in Greece

Driven by a conviction that quality health care should be acceptable to all, the Health Initiative includes the construction of three new hospitals in Greece, training programs for healthcare professionals, the procurement of equipment to empower them in delivering care, mental health resources for young people, and much more
2017

SNF delivers the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center to the public

Athenians and visitors from around the world immediately began to make the Renzo Piano-designed SNFCC their own, fulfilling the vision that motivated its creation
2016

SNF commits $150 million to establish the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins

Fostering civic engagement and civil discourse, especially among students, remains a key focus of SNF’s grantmaking through programs at universities like Penn and Delaware, as well as other nonprofits
2016

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center opens its doors

The “triple project” combines new homes for the Greek National Opera and National Library of Greece with one of the largest public green spaces in Athens and activities for all
2015

SNF holds its first summer festival, open to all

The first iteration of what would become SNF Nostos, a summer celebration of big ideas, active fun, and the joy of being together, welcomed people of all interests in Athens
2015

SNF announces another €100 million in relief for the Greek socioeconomic crisis

To combat the significant lingering effects of the financial crisis in Greece, SNF doubled the magnitude of its response with a second round of grants to nonprofits
2014

Mobile Medical Units begin providing care in remote areas of Greece

Providing specialized medical care to residents of remote islands and mainland areas in Greece, the launch of Mobile Medical Units marked the beginning of work by Regeneration & Progress, a nonprofit affiliated with SNF to promote healthy, active lifestyles across the country
2013

SNF commits €100 million to employment for young people in Greece

The initiative sought to help young Greeks create a hopeful future for themselves in an economy deeply shaken by the financial crisis
2012

First SNF Conference in Athens

The initiative sought to help young Greeks create a hopeful future for themselves in an economy deeply shaken by the financial crisis
2012

SNF launches open online grant application platform

A year-round, open online application aimed to make SNF support accessible to nonprofit organizations around the world
2012

SNF commits €100 million in relief for Greek socioeconomic crisis

To help ease the pervasive effects of the deepening socioeconomic crisis in Greece, SNF helped local nonprofits sustain their critical support
2008

SNF begins hosting interns

The paid SNF internship program eventually evolved to welcome interns to dozens of positions in departments across the foundation and at related nonprofits
2007

Yale names the SNF Center for Hellenic Studies

Previewing landmark grants to universities in Canada, the UK, Turkey, Germany, and several U.S. states as part of SNF’s work promoting Hellenism and the study of Hellenic culture, six years of support for studies related to modern Greece at Yale culminated in an endowment and the naming of the SNF Center. A key component of SNF’s work involves promoting Hellenism and appreciation of Hellenic culture around the world
2006

SNF supports creation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

With a commitment surpassing the total allocated through other grants in its first decade, the Foundation set in motion an idea that had originated in 1998 for the creation of a landmark cultural resource in Athens
2005

SNF hosts convening to promote collaboration between grantees

Repeated the next year, this event sought to promote synergies by connecting grantee nonprofits across boundaries and fields of work
2001

Response to 9/11

SNF makes grants in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks to help provide relief and in the years that follow to help commemorate and rebuild, including becoming a founding donor to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in 2007
2000

Launch of the Stavros S. Niarchos, a youth development tall ship

The new vessel, set afloat through SNF’s largest grant to this point, used athletic activity as a framework to help young people build leadership and other life skills, an enduring focus of the Foundation’s grantmaking
1999

Constantine S. Niarchos Expeditions begin at American Museum of Natural History

Honoring the memory of the first Greek person to climb Mount Everest, the expeditions begin sending scientific researchers out into the field around the world
1998

Support for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

A major SNF grant toward research and clinical care in a wide range of specialties at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine signals a decades-long commitment to advancing medical care at health facilities around the world
1997

Grant helps MoMA prepare to enter the 21st century

SNF’s support to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, honored with the naming of a gallery for the Foundation, heralds the focus on opening up access and accessibility in the arts that will remain a key part of SNF’s work
1996

SNF is established

Our founder, Stavros S. Niarchos (1909-1996), bequeaths the vision and the resources for making a lasting positive impact on the world