Carol Gribnau is the new director of the DOEN Foundation

News overview
"There seems to be no discussion on green and social businesses, which will be crucial after the pandemic"

Amsterdam, 20 January 2021 - Carol Gribnau (55) is the new director of the DOEN Foundation, who together with Idriss Nor, director impact investments, will make up the two-person board of directors of the DOEN Foundation. Gribnau, who comes from the development organisation Hivos, will focus mainly on the green, socially inclusive and creative programmes that the DOEN Foundation funds with grants and loans.

Gribnau worked at Hivos for thirteen years, where she led its global Green Society Programme. One of the main issues she dealt with was the transition to fair and sustainable energy and food systems worldwide. "Carol has broad international experience in many areas where the DOEN Foundation is active," says Idriss Nor of the DOEN Foundation. "She has lived in Mali and Nepal, among other places, and is used to looking at issues that are also relevant in the Netherlands from different angles."

Green and socially inclusive

Gribnau is proud of her new appointment and emphasises the important role that the DOEN Foundation has played in recent decades when it comes to supporting the real innovators - the pioneers. "The entrepreneurial spirit, the flexibility, and the various forms of funding offered by DOEN really appeal to me. The breadth of the DOEN Foundation's field of activity (green, socially inclusive and creative) is very special. It is impressive to see how within two weeks of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a support facility was set up to ensure that the impact of existing partners was maintained. That is clever, especially if you compare it to many other funders. And all this time, DOEN has remained open for new applicants."

According to Gribnau, the current economic crisis caused by the pandemic can and should be handled much more intelligently. “This crisis is caused by the way we treat our planet, and it is increasing inequality in society. There seems to be no discussion in the Netherlands about how we can address and work towards an inclusive and green recovery. For example, what kind of businesses will be crucial after the pandemic, and how can the creative sector help in finding new solutions? That is really a missed opportunity." Gribnau also points to the way support measures are used. "Much attention is focused on the short term and the 'old world', as I call it. Do we want to reduce the negative impact on the world or increase the positive impact, so that the world really does improve?"

Sustainable and social transition

In her role as director of the DOEN Foundation, Gribnau also advocates a link between social inequality and sustainability, to which the government is still paying too little attention. "The sustainable transition needs to be tackled in a smarter way, so that everyone can participate and it really becomes a mass movement. People on lower incomes must also be included in the transition. It is not surprising that you create resistance when sustainability is only for the rich.”

The DOEN Foundation: Driving pioneers

The DOEN Foundation believes in a green, socially inclusive and creative society. DOEN supports the innovative initiatives of pioneers and gives them a flying start. This allows them to inspire others and show that change is possible. DOEN was founded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery to support innovative initiatives and receives an annual contribution from the Postcode Lottery, the FriendsLottery and the BankGiro Lottery.