Endowment fund
The endowment fund “Agnès Troublé dite agnès b.” was created in 2009 as a structure for the sponsorship, partnership, and philanthropic projects carried out by the agnès b. brand and by agnès herself for more than 40 years. It is financed by Agnès personally.
The endowment fund is used in three main areas dear to agnès: supporting humanitarian causes, art and culture, and protecting the environment.
Supporting humanitarian and community projects
agnès b.’s endowment fund collaborates annually with 25 to 40 charities and non-profit organizations. These organizations work all over the world in various fields:
- Literacy
- Child protection
- Welcoming migrants and refugees
- Providing access to water and health services
- Combating HIV/AIDS
- Supporting isolated women and more
The fund supports long-term actions over several years but also responds to social and humanitarian emergencies. It helps large and small organizations, thus partnering with large organizations such as Secours Populaire, and Human Rights Watch.
One such instance of the fund's support is the backing it provided to Secours Populaire’s “To be Solidaire” auction, which featured skateboards and longboards adorned by artists. The fund also extends its support to smaller charities, such as Ikambere, which aids women with HIV, and Le Monde en Tête, which organizes writing workshops for refugees in collaboration with Kodiko.
The fund does not aim to replace public support for charities. Instead, it seeks to complement existing support and bring help to cultural or humanitarian organizations located outside the scope of public action.
Humanitarian products
The agnès b. brand, in collaboration with the endowment fund, is dedicated to raising awareness about humanitarian causes. Our stores offer a range of 'humanitarian products', the sales of which directly support organizations striving to provide long-term aid to at-risk populations. By purchasing these products, you are making a tangible contribution to the causes championed by the endowment fund.
Some products have been on offer in the stores for a long time, such as the red scarf against HIV/AIDS, sold since 1998 to support different charities combating HIV/AIDS, such as Solidarité Sida, Ikambere, and Actupien. Others are sold periodically in response to an emergency situation, as is the case for the SOS Méditerranée scarf, which has been available in stores since 2017.
the red scarf
Support for art, culture and creativity
Secondly, the endowment fund supports artists' projects at all stages of creation: writing, production, post-production... This support is mainly aimed at the most fragile projects.
A lover of the arts in all their forms, Agnès has always been keen to support contemporary creation through a variety of means. The fund offers artists the opportunity to show their work to the public and to professionals. It organizes several solo and group exhibitions of artists each year, in the galleries of the agnès b. house (the galerie du jour, but also the galleries located in certain agnès b. boutiques) or at various contemporary art fairs (notably Paris Photo or Photodoc).
The endowment fund also manages the galerie du jour, opened by Agnès in 1984 near her first boutique on rue du Jour in Paris. The gallery moved to rue Quincampoix in 1997, then to La Fab in 2020. It sells works by artists Agnès is particularly keen to promote. Finally, in keeping with her instincts and eclectic tastes, Agnès has assembled a collection of objets d'art comprising over 5,000 pieces. The endowment fund is responsible for preserving this collection and presenting it to the public. It has been exhibited in many prestigious museums and festivals in France and around the world. Since February 2020, it has been on display at La Fab. headquarters of the agnès b endowment fund.
Tara's commitment to the planet
The third area of commitment for the agnès b. endowment fund is its support for the Tara Ocean Foundation.
The Tara project aims to study and understand the impact of climate change and the ecological crisis on the oceans, in order to better preserve them. For Agnès and her son Etienne Bourgois, who are both behind the project, this is a humanist commitment, a sense of responsibility towards the planet and future generations.
In particular, the endowment helps organize the artists' residencies offered on board Tara. During the Mediterranean 2014 and Pacific 2016 missions, Tara welcomed artists on board, free to produce the works they wished. A new artist residency is planned for 2021. An original way to support contemporary artistic production, but also to raise public awareness of the Tara project and support the ecological cause.
