Transparency
The 2050 Foundation is a registered public benefit organization in the Netherlands since October 2018. As such, the 2050 Foundation is required to allocate all available funds in accordance with its statutory objectives, which are dedicated to benefiting the public good. Additionally, the foundation is subject to various reporting requirements, as detailed on this page.

Statutory Objective
The primary objective of the 2050 Foundation is to contribute to creating a better world for our future generations, with a focus on the year 2050. In our vision, this entails a world where we cease depleting our natural resources and ensure equality of opportunity for all children globally.

Our foundation's objective aligns seamlessly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To stop the depletion of natural resources, the following SDGs are instrumental:

• Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all (SDG 7)
• Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG 13)
• Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development (SDG 14)
• Protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss (SDG 15)

Furthermore, achieving "equality of opportunity for all children around the world" necessitates addressing at least the following SDGs:

• Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (SDG 3)
• Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4)
• Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG 5)
• Reduce inequality within and among countries (SDG 10)

The foundation sees SDG 12 - "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns" - as a means to accomplish these objectives rather than an end in itself. In today's dominantly capitalist worldview, the foundation feels that this is the most tractable intervention that can be carried out to accomplish these goals.

Grant Policy
The grant policy of 2050 Foundation is inspired by the principles of effective altruism. Our interventions are based on scientific data, and we strive to maximize our counterfactual impact. This means that we will typically not engage in projects that are – or could be – funded by others.

The 2050 Foundation believes that changing the way private enterprises operate may prove to be the most effective way to ensure a better world for our (grand)children. Enterprises should move from today's destructive production methods towards production methods that are regenerative: enterprises should operate such that they restore the natural habitat and rebuild communities.

The 2050 Foundation believes that metrics matter, and seeks interventions that support consumers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, policymakers, and other NGOs to make more sustainable decisions based on the right data, thereby aspiring to create a multiplier effect.

The underlying hypothesis is that our projects enable many others to pick more effective interventions and could have a much larger (indirect) impact on society than if we had invested our funds directly into the aspired change.

Source of Funding
The funds available to the 2050 Foundation originate from the investment firm 2050 Capital B.V. All investment returns generated by this firm exclusively benefit the 2050 Foundation. One notable exit for 2050 Capital was the acquisition of Connectis B.V. by Signicat in 2020. Currently, its most significant investment is an 85% ownership stake in Metrics Matter B.V., a company whose mission is fully aligned with that of the 2050 Foundation.

The founder and former owner of Connectis and 2050 Capital have agreed to transfer the economic ownership of 2050 Capital to the 2050 Foundation over a five-year period (from 2022 to 2026). This transfer has been facilitated through the Dutch fiscal ("ANBI") regime, and the management report of February 2023 includes a transparency section outlining the applied fiscal regime.

Governance
As of February 2023, the board of the 2050 Foundation comprises the following members:

• Eva de Jong (Chair): Eva holds a Master's degree from the Rotterdam School of Management (Msc) and has extensive experience as a director in the non-profit sector. In 2022, she assumed the role of Chairman of the 2050 Foundation due to her expertise in finance and her results-driven approach. Eva manages budgets exceeding 100 million euros and previously established and managed a non-profit organization with tens of millions in assets under management.
• Stan van Wingerden (Secretary): Stan is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam (Msc) in both theoretical physics and philosophy. He actively participates in and serves on the board of effective altruism in the Netherlands. As a co-owner of a cryptocurrency trading company, Stan applies earnings to give. Effective Giving introduced Stan to the 2050 Foundation to uphold the principles of effective altruism within the foundation's policy. Stan holds the decisive vote in all research programs funded by the 2050 Foundation.
• Martijn Kaag (Member and Founder): Martijn graduated from the Erasmus University in financial econometrics and from the Rotterdam School of Management. As a software engineer, Martijn founded the company Connectis, which was acquired by private equity in 2020. Martijn, too, is a strong believer of earning to give and a substantial part of the proceeds of this exit have been donated to the 2050 Foundation. Martijn intends to down spend his remaining and yet-to-be-acquired wealth on philanthropy during his lifetime, and has listed the 2050 Foundation as the beneficiary in his will.

Each member has one vote, and the chair has a decisive vote if a vote is tied. Board members do not receive remuneration for their board membership.
The board is actively seeking to expand its base with one or two additional members to complement its expertise in academic research programs.

 

Management Reports
The 2050 Foundation has released the following management reports:

1. The initial business plan in 2018.
2. The lessons learned in 2021.
3. Revised strategy and report in 2023.
4. Financial reports for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are available for download.

Other Legal Information
Address: Koepellaan 6 2061 CV Bloemendaal The Netherlands
Email: info@2050.foundation
RSIN Number: 8581.49.667
Chamber of Commerce Number: 70118531