Bernard van Leer Foundation
Investing in the development of young children
The Bernard van Leer Foundation, established in 1949,
• Sharing knowledge and expertise in early childhood
is based in the Netherlands. We actively engage in
development, with the aim of informing and
supporting early childhood development activities
influencing policy and practice.
in around 40 countries. Our income is derived from the bequest of Bernard van Leer, a Dutch industrialist and
The Foundation currently supports about 150 major
philanthropist, who lived from 1883 to 1958.
projects for young children in both developing and industrialised countries. Projects are implemented
Our mission is to improve opportunities for vulnerable
by
children younger than eight years old, growing up
or community-based organisations. Documenting,
local
actors
which
may
be
public,
private
in socially and economically difficult circumstances.
learning and communicating are integral to all that
The objective is to enable young children to develop
we do. We are committed to systematically sharing
their innate potential to the full. Early childhood
the rich variety of knowledge, know-how and lessons
development is crucial to creating opportunities for
learned that emerge from the projects and networks we
children and to shaping the prospects of society as
support. We facilitate and create a variety of products
a whole.
for different audiences about work in the field of early childhood development.
We fulfil our mission through two interdependent strategies: • Making grants and supporting programmes for culturally and contextually appropriate approaches to early childhood development;
PO Box 82334, 2508 EH The Hague, The Netherlands tel: +31 (0)70 331 2200, fax: +31 (0)70 350 2373 email: registry@bvleerf.nl, internet: <www.bernardvanleer.org>