Fondation du patrimoine

What Fondation du patrimoine does

Fondation du patrimoine is a French non-profit organization founded in 1996 under the law of 2 July 1996 and recognized as a public utility by decree of 18 April 1997. Headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, it mobilizes individual donations, corporate patronage, membership dues, legacies, and lottery proceeds to fund the restoration of public and private heritage properties across France. Its operational backbone is a 21-region and 100-department volunteer delegation network supported by approximately 103 salaried staff and 1,300-1,400+ volunteers, which together identify, evaluate, and steward restoration projects. The foundation operates a direct-to-consumer donation platform supporting credit card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, check, and SMS giving (shortcode 92892), with a 5-6% management fee applied to projects and 66-75% French tax deductibility for donors.

The foundation's revenue model blends philanthropy streams with quasi-commercial licensing arrangements. The flagship is the Mission Patrimoine (Loto du patrimoine) operated jointly with FDJ UNITED under a Ministry of Culture mandate, with media amplification by Stéphane Bern, which funnels lottery proceeds to selected heritage projects. A second flagship, the Grand Prix du Patrimoine et Tourisme local, is co-run with Airbnb since 2022 and has awarded €6.1 million to 215 projects over four years. The Prix Sésame, launched in 2023 with Fondation Jericho support, rewards innovative reuse of religious heritage buildings (€310,000 prize pool in 2026). Customer segments span heritage property owners (public entities, associations, religious bodies, private individuals), individual donors, corporate patrons, and rural municipalities. In 2024, the foundation disbursed €144.9 million in aid to heritage projects, mobilized 64,800 donors, and reached a cumulative total of 44,125+ sites saved since founding. The technology stack is conventional web infrastructure (Stripe, Mapbox, Cookiebot, AWS), with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and a website that is currently non-compliant with RGAA accessibility standards.

Name

Fondation du patrimoine

Legal name

Fondation du patrimoine

Website

https://fondation-patrimoine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fondation du patrimoine is a French non-profit organization founded in 1996 that mobilizes individual donations, corporate patronage, and lottery proceeds to fund the restoration of public and private heritage properties across France, operating through 21 regional and 100 departmental volunteer delegations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Preservation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Heritage preservation
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Donation platform
• Heritage restoration
• Cultural philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Neuilly-sur-seine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation raises funds from individual donors making one-time or recurring monetary contributions to specific heritage restoration projects or to the foundation's general mission. Donations are collected online (credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer), by check, or by SMS (keywords DON5/DON10/DON15/DON20 to 92892). All donations are tax-deductible in France (66-75% income tax reduction, IFI reduction of 75% up to €50,000).
2. Loto du patrimoine (Mission Bern): FDJ UNITED operates heritage-themed lottery games; a portion of proceeds is funneled to the foundation under the Mission Patrimoine program led by Stéphane Bern, supported by the Ministry of Culture. This provides multi-year, substantial funding for emblematic and departmental heritage projects selected through a national committee.
3. Membership Dues: The foundation offers an annual membership (adhésion) program providing donors with access to exclusive site visits across France and other member benefits, generating recurring subscription revenue.
4. Legacies, Donations, and Life Insurance: The foundation accepts legacies (legs), donations during lifetime, and life insurance policy beneficiary designations. These are exempt from inheritance taxes (droits de mutation à titre gratuit) and represent a significant long-term revenue stream.
5. Corporate Patronage and Sponsorship: Companies can become official patrons (mécènes) by financing specific heritage projects of their choice, or participate in skills-based volunteering (mécénat de compétences) where employees are released to support the foundation's operations, with the company receiving a tax deduction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fondation du patrimoine is a French non-profit foundation that safeguards and restores French heritage by raising funds from individual donors, corporate patrons, and the FDJ UNITED heritage lottery to co-finance restoration projects submitted by public and private property owners. It operates an online donation platform, runs the Mission Patrimoine heritage lottery under Stéphane Bern, manages the Grand Prix du Patrimoine et Tourisme local voting campaign with Airbnb, and supports projects through 21 regional and 100 departmental volunteer delegations.

Product overview

The Fondation du patrimoine operates a multi-faceted heritage preservation platform consisting of a core donation and crowdfunding platform that connects donors with heritage restoration projects, supplemented by specialized programs including the Loto du patrimoine lottery initiative, the Prix Sésame award for religious heritage, and the Grand Prix du Patrimoine et Tourisme local voting campaign. The organization offers giving mechanisms including one-time and recurring donations, membership programs, corporate sponsorship (mécénat), skills sponsorship (mécénat de compétences), and legacy donations. Supporting portals include the project submission portal for property owners, the donor portal (Espace donateur) for tracking donations, and the Portail du patrimoine for general heritage information. The platform processes donations via multiple payment methods including credit card, bank transfer, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal), checks, and SMS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donation Platform Online donation platform allowing donors to contribute to specific heritage restoration projects or to the Foundation generally, with multiple payment methods and self-service account management.
• Loto du patrimoine (Mission Patrimoine) Heritage-themed lottery games operated by FDJ UNITED whose proceeds are channeled to selected heritage restoration projects through the foundation under the Mission Patrimoine program led by Stéphane Bern.
• Grand Prix du Patrimoine et Tourisme local Annual public voting campaign in partnership with Airbnb that awards prize money (€375,000 total) to the three most voted-for local heritage restoration projects to support rural tourism development.
• Prix Sésame Annual prize that rewards original initiatives for compatible uses or new respectful uses of worship buildings in France.
• Annual Membership Program (Adhésion) Annual subscription membership granting donors access to exclusive heritage site visits across France and updates on foundation activities.
• Legs and Donations (Legacy Giving) Estate planning services allowing donors to leave legacies (legs) or make lifetime donations to the Foundation, with tax exemptions as a public utility organization.
• Corporate Sponsorship (Mécénat) Corporate sponsorship program allowing businesses to fund specific heritage restoration projects of their choice with tax deduction benefits under French law (up to 60% of taxable income).
• Skills-Based Volunteering (Mécénat de compétences) Corporate skills-based volunteering program where companies release employees to volunteer their professional expertise to support the Foundation's operations, with tax deduction benefits.
• Project Submission Portal Online portal for heritage property owners (public or private) to submit restoration projects for potential foundation support, including public fundraising campaigns, tax deductions for work, and financial aid.

Quantifiable outcome

• 44,125 heritage sites saved since 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AirbnbflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Since 2022, Airbnb partners with the foundation on the annual 'Grand Prix du Patrimoine et Tourisme local' public voting campaign. Airbnb contributes co-funding of €375,000 in prizes (€150,000 for 1st, €125,000 for 2nd, €100,000 for 3rd) and promotes the campaign to its user base, reaching an international audience of French rural heritage enthusiasts. In four years, the program has distributed €6.1 million to 215 heritage projects.
• Ministry of Culture (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The French Ministry of Culture co-designs and co-governs the Mission Patrimoine initiative alongside Stéphane Bern and the foundation. DRAC (Directions Régionales des Affaires Culturelles) participate in local project evaluation committees alongside foundation regional delegations.
• Stéphane BernflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Stéphane Bern was appointed by the President of the Republic in 2018 as the public face and ambassador of the Mission Patrimoine. He chairs the national selection committee and provides media visibility to the heritage lottery campaign, substantially amplifying public donations.
• Collectivité européenne d'Alsace (CEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Collectivity of Alsace co-finances heritage restoration projects within its territory, including the Eglise Saint-Michel de Magstatt-le-Bas and Pavillon du Jardin Miquey in Mulhouse. It is one of the key institutional co-funders at the regional level.
• Voies Navigables de France (VNF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVNF is the public entity that owns and operates France's navigable waterways. It is the project owner for the Ecluse Le Corbusier de Kembs-Niffer restoration and received €454,765 in total foundation support including €300,000 from the Loto du patrimoine.
• Espace Rhenan, Commune de Kembs, CCI, RAK, AlsachimieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious local companies and organizations (Espace Rhenan, Commune de Kembs, CCI, RAK, Alsachimie) listed as project partners for the Ecluse Le Corbusier de Kembs-Niffer, contributing local support, co-financing, and in-kind resources to the restoration project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fond_patrimoine

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fondation du patrimoine