Home About us About us Kone Foundation is an independent and unaffiliated organisation that awards grants to promote academic research, culture and the arts. In 2024, we awarded grants, prizes and donations totalling over EUR 56 million. We foster freedom in research and the arts. Strategy 2021–2025 Our mission is to make the world a better place by creating conditions for free and multi-voiced art and research. Research and art are valuable in themselves and constantly challenge prevailing perceptions. Read Kone Foundation’s strategy The Kone Foundation Board of Trustees The Kone Foundation Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that the operations of the Foundation are carried out appropriately and that the Foundation fulfils its mission in accordance with its rules. Read more about the Board of Trustees and its members Finances Kone Foundation relies on yields from investments for its operations. The purpose of the Foundation’s investment function is to manage the Foundation’s investment assets so that operations pursuant to the Foundation’s by-laws remain stable now and in the future. Read more about our finances Annual reports You can read English summaries of our annual reports. Read Kone Foundation’s annual reports We operate in Helsinki and Mynämäki. Lauttasaari Manor The Lauttasaari Manor is Kone Foundation’s home, which we aim to make a welcoming space of inspiring encounters and multidisciplinary interaction in the fields of art and research. The manor serves as the office of our staff in Helsinki. Read more about Lauttasaari Manor Saari Residence The Saari Residence, maintained by Kone Foundation, is a residence for artists of all disciplines and nationalities. It is located in Mynämäki, Southwest Finland. Read more about Saari Residence We believe in encounters and in crossing boundaries. Equality at Kone Foundation At Kone Foundation, we are committed to promoting equality both in our funding and our other activities. We take concrete action to prevent and address discrimination and commit to this work on a long-term basis. Read more about our activities promoting equality Eco-social awareness Eco-social awareness is among Kone Foundation’s values: to us, it means social, cultural and ecological responsibility for humans, other species and the environment. Eco-social awareness manifests itself in many ways in our activities and their development. Read more about our eco-social awareness The Well The Well is a place for meetings, sharing and discussions. It is a metaphor for gatherings but it is also events and happenings, aiming at connecting people from different backgrounds. Read more about what the Well symbolises for us Co-operation We believe in encounters and in crossing boundaries. We cooperate with various organisations, implement joint projects and organise events on topics that are important to us. Read more about our partnerships History of Kone Foundation Kone Foundation was established by Heikki H. Herlin and Pekka Herlin in 1956. Because its founding members were Kone executives, the Foundation cooperated closely with Kone Corporation. Read more about the Foundation’s history Rules and Privacy Policy Statements Kone Foundation is an independent foundation registered in the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. The Foundation is a legal person. Kone Foundation has two privacy policy statements. Read the rules and privacy policy statements Latest news Metsän puolella funding for 15 new projects: raising forest awareness requires multidisciplinary understanding “Metsän puolella” initiative29.4.2025 Kone Foundation supports a new foundation that advances environmental issues in Finnish courts Environment, Kone Foundation’s activities, Metsän puolella28.4.2025 The Great Forest Dialogue Day gathered nearly 100 discussions on the significance of forests – hundreds of participants searched for common scenarios for the future of forest use Metsän puolella3.4.2025