Friends of Fondation de France is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2000 in New York. Since its inception, the American branch of Fondation de France has supported American donors wishing to make gifts to French and European public-interest projects. Reliability is an important factor for the foundation, whose overall objective is to create a better world and a fairer society, whatever the cause: education, medical research, the fight against the climate crisis, social projects or emergency campaigns, as was the case for Lebanon, Ukraine, and Morocco.
Over the past twenty years, Friends of Fondation de France has granted nearly $30 million to various French and European organizations, helping to fund over 300 charitable projects, with a constant focus on cultural projects: “American donors want to help safeguard France’s heritage,” reveals Domitille Marchal Lemoine.
Domitille Marchal Lemoine, Recruitment That Makes All the Difference
In January 2022, the organization decided to “strengthen its presence in the United States” by recruiting an Executive Director. Domitille Marchal Lemoine has the perfect profile. A graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, Domitille holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Paris Dauphine. After a few years in communications, she moved into the world of non-profit organizations, advising various foundations in London. She worked for seven years as a consultant for non-profit organizations in the USA before joining Friends of Fondation de France. “The assignments matched what I knew how to do and what I wanted to develop,” explains the expatriate, who took on her new role with “a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.”
Friends of Fondation de France Supports Associations and Donors in the United States
The appointment of a representative in New York has been a great success, and donations have soared. A similar office has been set up in Asia, and others are planned for Canada and the UK. The key to success lies in an unwavering commitment and a highly transparent approach: “We support French organizations that can benefit from our knowledge of the players and issues involved in American philanthropy, as well as American donors and expatriates seeking to support trustworthy projects and guidance on tax issues.”
This Charity and Humanitarian Trophy of the Trophées des Français des États-Unis, awarded by the CFE, is the reward for long and hard work. “I’m happy to represent over 140 French projects in the United States. I can support them in their fundraising strategy and help them make a difference. All the projects represented by Friends of Fondation de France are exceptional: I’m proud to showcase them,” emphasizes Domitille Marchal Lemoine. Now it’s time for Friends of Fondation de France to expand: “We want to be the gateway to French philanthropy in the United States.”
