Rabobank in business

The Rabobank Foundation is committed to improving the lives of underprivileged and disadvantaged groups of people in society by providing them with the opportunity to live full and independent lives. This commitment to making a difference applies in equal measure to the activities that the Rabobank Foundation undertakes in the Netherlands and in developing countries. The support provided by the Rabobank Foundation reflects Rabobank’s unique history and roots and is consequently focussed first and foremost on enabling the development of small co-operatives located in rural regions. This support is provided through donations, loans, trade financing and technical assistance. In line with Rabobank’s own co-operative background, the Rabobank Foundation especially focuses on establishing and promoting co-operative savings and loan systems.

The Rabobank Foundation was established in 1973 as an independent foundation. The organisation is funded by local member Rabobanks and Rabobank Nederland, which donate a small percentage of their profits to the Rabobank Foundation. The key decision was made in 2007 to significantly enlarge the reach of the Rabobank Foundation by transforming it into a fund for the entire Rabobank Group, which includes the bank’s subsidiaries and affiliated institutions. 

This joining of forces is fully in line with the culture and history of both Rabobank and the Rabobank Foundation that are guided by the principles and philosophy of Friedrich Raiffeisen who founded the co-operative banking movement more than a century ago. This shared co-operative heritage means the Rabobank Foundation collectively operates on the basis of a core set of values that rely on working together, accepting responsibility and putting involvement into action. 

The Rabobank Foundation supports an average of 150 projects a year. Approximately 50 of these projects are carried out in the Netherlands and the other 100 are conducted in developing countries. In 2007, the local member Rabobanks and Rabobank Nederland contributed no less than 7 million euros to the work of the Rabobank Foundation. And because substantial amounts flow back into the fund via the loan portfolio, the Rabobank Foundation had a total budget of nearly 18 million euros in 2007.