Roma Foundation for Europe

What Roma Foundation for Europe does

The Roma Foundation for Europe is an independent, non-profit advocacy foundation established in 2023 and headquartered at 25 rue d'Arlon in Brussels, Belgium. Founded with a €100 million commitment from Open Society Foundations, it is described as the first institution of its scale and scope led by Roma, and operates as a funder, advocate, network builder, and alliance creator serving the estimated 12 million Roma in Europe — Europe's largest ethnic minority. Its work focuses on Roma empowerment, anti-discrimination, political participation, economic inclusion, education access, and the preservation of Roma history and culture.

The foundation does not sell products or commercial services and has no proprietary technology platform. Its 'products' are policy outputs: press releases, policy reports, campaigns, events, and joint advocacy actions, with grassroots and policy advocacy executed across a multi-stakeholder coalition. Core operations are coordinated through a network of affiliated Roma-led organizations including the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC, legal advocacy), the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC, culture), the Roma Education Fund (REF, education), the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI, economic inclusion, which has invested over €5 million in 750+ Roma-owned businesses supporting 1,500+ jobs), and Roma for Democracy (RFD, civic participation and election monitoring). It maintains offices in Brussels, Berlin, Bucharest, Belgrade, and Skopje, giving it direct reach across Western, Central, and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

The foundation's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial: institutional philanthropy (anchored by Open Society Foundations) and partnerships with EU institutions, national governments (notably Germany's hosting of ERIAC), and the Council of Europe underwrite programmatic activity. Go-to-market is community-led, combining grassroots mobilization (e.g., the Action Network-powered Join the Movement platform), policy advocacy and lobbying, coalition building across the Roma-led network, and earned-media positioning through conferences such as 'The Roma Factor' with POLITICO Europe. Customer segments are Roma communities across Europe as the primary beneficiary, with European governments and EU institutions as a secondary audience for evidence-based policy engagement.

Name

Roma Foundation for Europe

Legal name

Roma Foundation for Europe

Website

https://romaforeurope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Roma Foundation for Europe is an independent, non-profit advocacy foundation established in 2023 in Brussels with a €100 million founding grant from Open Society Foundations. It operates as funder, advocate, network builder, and alliance creator for the estimated 12 million Roma across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy and Roma Empowerment (Nonprofit Foundation)

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Roma rights advocacy
• Policy advocacy
• Community coalition building
• Democratic participation programs
• Roma empowerment funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donor Funding: The foundation receives substantial funding from major donors including Open Society Foundations, which committed €100 million to establish the Roma Foundation for Europe as the first institution of its scale and scope led by Roma. Additional funding comes from institutional donors and government partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Roma Foundation for Europe is an independent nonprofit foundation that acts as a funder, advocate, network builder, and alliance creator working to advance Roma rights, empowerment, and inclusion across Europe. It provides grant funding and capacity support to a network of Roma-led partner organizations (covering education, entrepreneurship, democratic participation, and arts and culture), engages in policy advocacy and human rights campaigning toward EU institutions and national governments, and convenes events and mobilization platforms to amplify Roma voices.

Product overview

Roma Foundation for Europe is a non-profit advocacy foundation focused on Roma rights, empowerment, and advocacy across Europe. The organization operates as funders, advocates, network builders, and alliance creators. Their work encompasses press releases, policy reports, educational resources (Facts), events, and campaigns rather than commercial products or technology services. The foundation uses third-party platforms like Action Network for their communications and mobilization activities, but does not offer its own technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Advocacy and Human Rights Campaigns Direct advocacy and public campaigns targeting EU institutions, national governments, and policymakers on issues such as police accountability, hate crimes, anti-discrimination protections, Roma inclusion in reconstruction (e.g., Ukraine Recovery Conference), and legal protections for Roma children and families.
• Network Building and Roma-Led Coalition Support Coordination and resourcing of a network of complementary Roma-led partner organizations covering arts and culture (ERIAC), education (REF), entrepreneurship and economic inclusion (REDI), and democratic participation (RFD), including shared events such as Holocaust commemoration and The Roma Factor conference.

Quantifiable outcome

• Invalid ballots reduced by half in Roma communities with Roma for Democracy intervention
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2022Co-advocacy partner on legal cases and human rights enforcement. The foundation joins ERRC in demanding justice in cases such as the attempted murder charge review for a Roma boy in North Macedonia and police accountability in Hungary.
• European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERIAC is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe, Open Society Foundations, and Alliance for the European Roma Institute. It was launched in 2017 in Berlin with a mandate for transnational recognition of Roma arts and culture. The foundation co-hosts events with ERIAC including Holocaust commemoration.
• Roma Education Fund (REF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner working to increase access of Roma children to education. REF operates alongside ERIAC in Belgrade and is a key partner in the foundation's network of Roma-led organizations.
• Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner focused on Roma economic inclusion through entrepreneurship. REDI has invested more than €5 million in over 750 Roma-owned businesses, helping create or sustain more than 1,500 jobs, demonstrating that inclusive investment works.
• Roma for Democracy (RFD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner focused on Roma political participation and democratic resilience. RFD provides field intelligence, election monitoring, and counter-disinformation infrastructure, having demonstrated measurable impact including doubling Roma voter turnout.
• Council of EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder and institutional partner for ERIAC, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture. The Council of Europe supports Roma cultural recognition and preservation alongside Open Society Foundations.
• German GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the headquarters of ERIAC (European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture) in Berlin and supports Roma initiatives through funding and institutional backing.
• POLITICO EuropeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for events including The Roma Factor conference in Brussels, which brought together policymakers and business leaders to discuss investing in Roma talent and Europe's workforce challenges.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Primary founding donor of the foundation (€100M commitment) and a long-standing funder of Roma Initiatives. Much broader philanthropic portfolio, but directly comparable on Roma-related grantmaking and advocacy.
• Human Rights Watch: International human rights organization that publishes research and advocates on Roma rights issues across Europe. Comparable in its research-driven, policy-focused advocacy model and European footprint.
• Amnesty International: Global human rights organization with long-standing work on Roma rights in Europe. Broader portfolio but comparable advocacy, policy, and litigation model targeting European governments.
• Council of Europe: Intergovernmental organization that co-funds ERIAC and shapes human rights standards binding on 46 European states. Major institutional partner of the foundation and a key policy convener for Roma inclusion.

Direct peers

• European Network Against Racism (ENAR): EU-wide coalition of NGOs working to combat racism and discrimination, including structural racism against Roma. Directly comparable advocacy model operating at the European level with a network structure.
• European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC): International public interest law organization advancing Roma rights through strategic litigation, advocacy, and policy work. Direct network partner of the foundation and co-advocacy ally on legal cases across Europe.
• Roma Education Fund (REF): Operating arm of the Decade of Roma Inclusion focused on closing educational gaps for Roma children across Europe. Direct network partner working on education access, a key pillar of the foundation's mission.
• Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI): Network partner focused on Roma economic inclusion through entrepreneurship, with €5M+ deployed across 750+ businesses. Closely comparable model of impact investing and capacity building for Roma economic empowerment.
• European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network): Network of over 1,000 Roma and pro-Roma civil society organizations across Europe advocating for Roma inclusion in EU and national policy. Closely comparable network-based advocacy model and constituency.
• European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC): Joint initiative of the Council of Europe and Open Society that promotes Roma arts, culture, and history. Co-hosted events with the foundation (e.g., Holocaust commemoration) and shares leadership networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roma-foundation-for-europe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Roma Foundation for Europe