Monaco Now - Prince Albert II Foundation: together for the planet

The Prince’s Foundation, which was established in 2006, operates in an imaginative way, relying on a variety of partnerships that enable it to be more effective.

In 2006, Prince Albert II led a mission to the Arctic. He was following in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert I, who had studied the region of Spitsbergen a century earlier. While there, Prince Albert II compared what he saw with the photos taken by his ancestor, giving him a very real sense of the dramatic impact of climate change.

In 15 Years, the FPA2 has Supported Almost 700 Projects
Read Olivier Wenden's interview

Following his trip, the Prince set up a foundation dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Foundation has three priorities – combating climate change, safeguarding biodiversity and conserving water resources – and focuses on three main geographic areas – the Mediterranean, the polar regions and least developed countries. It has the support of a very high-level international scientific committee and is promoted by 10 foreign branches.

Its portfolio now includes more than 400 projects, each of which has been carried out or supported in partnership with other stakeholders: scientific laboratories, local communities, public authorities, international NGOs, companies, multilateral institutions, etc.

The Foundation’s work is built on developing a base of solid scientific knowledge, seeking out concrete solutions and raising awareness. It follows a “science to policy” approach, believing that all policies should be based on a sound scientific footing.

The Prince Albert II Foundation awards prizes every year. Winners have included Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Marina Silva, Sylvia Earle and Christiana Figueres.

The strength of your Foundation has been its ability to illustrate the extent to which climate change, biodiversity and water are interdependent, and that the only effective approach is an integrated one.

Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Interview

In 15 Years, the FPA2 has Supported Almost 700 Projects

In June 2006, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco set up His Foundation to respond to the worrying threats facing the environment. Its Vice-President, Olivier Wenden, looks back at the history of the FPA2.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has been established for 15 years. How many projects has it supported since its creation in 2006?

In 15 years, the FPA2 has supported almost 700 projects, totalling 84 million euros.
When the Foundation was first created, the Board of Directors chose to finance NGO projects by focusing its activities on three main areas: combating climate change, preserving biodiversity and managing water resources.
Since 2016, thanks to the experience gained, we have created our own projects. The FPA2 has launched eight initiatives that involve us worldwide, while firmly establishing the Mediterranean as a long-standing laboratory. These include BeMed, a network for players committed to combating plastic pollution in the Mediterranean, and AMAO, which promotes and facilitates international action on ocean acidification. The average length of a project is three to five years.
For each project, we are committed to involving local communities.

In 2020, the FPA2 co-founded the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. What is the purpose of this new fund?

The Sovereign and Paul Allen – the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft – who are both passionate about corals, first discussed the idea of creating a partnership between the Paul Allen Foundation and the FPA2 while in Davos. The protection and conservation of coral reefs is severely underfunded. This Global Fund is funded by many partners, including the private sector, to help set up projects related to the Blue Economy. This is the first time that a financial interest has featured in the philanthropic process.

How has the health crisis linked to the COVID-19 epidemic changed the Foundation's missions and activities?

Despite the crisis, we were able to ensure the sustainability of our financial commitments in 2020. Many projects were delayed, but we were able to maintain our commitments to our operators, thanks to our donors.
One of the only benefits of this global health crisis is that it has highlighted the link between human, environmental and animal health. We are refocusing our projects on three main areas: the Ocean, the Earth and Humanity. This has led to some readjustments. Four initiatives that are currently being studied share this holistic, inclusive vision. It is no longer possible to deal with a project without this cross-cutting approach.

Learn more
Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco

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