Zennström Philanthropies

Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-11 08:10

The Zennström Philanthropies supports human rights organizations working around the world, and works to improve the health of the Baltic Sea's aquatic ...

Source: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-z/zennstrom-philanthropies

Funding Details

Funder

Zennström Philanthropies

Funding Goal

Support Baltic Sea conservation (addressing eutrophication and water quality) and human rights organisations globally

Funding Amount

Grants typically range from USD 50,000 to USD 500,000 (50.000 € – 500.000 €)

Deadline

No open call — invitation-only grantmaking; no published deadline (Rolling)

How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Grantees are selected and invited by foundation staff. Organisations wishing to be considered may contact the foundation at info@zennstrom.org, but success is not guaranteed through cold outreach.

Target Region

Baltic Sea region (Sweden and surrounding countries); United Kingdom; Washington D.C.; global for human rights

Contact

Zennström Philanthropies, 50 New Bond Street, London W1S 1BJ, UK. Phone: +44 20 7190 0220. Email: info@zennstrom.org

Last Checked

2026-03-15 13:23

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Organisation must have operated for at least 2 years

Project Scope

• Environmental scope: Baltic Sea eutrophication and water quality

Required Documents

• Must provide 2 years of annual reports and audited accounts

Constraints

• Invitation-only — foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals
• UK-based or Baltic Sea region organisations appear to receive preference

Summary

Zennström Philanthropies is a private foundation established by Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype and Kazaa, and his wife Catherine Zennström. The foundation operates from London and focuses on two primary programme areas: environmental conservation with a particular emphasis on the Baltic Sea, and global human rights work. For environmental grantmaking, the foundation prioritises the Baltic Sea region, where it funds efforts to address eutrophication caused by excess phosphorus runoff, which generates algae blooms and dead zones harmful to marine ecosystems. Eligible activities in the environmental programme include capacity-building, technical assistance, policy advocacy, environmental research, and coalition-building among conservation organisations in Baltic Sea countries. The human rights programme supports organisations worldwide working on civil liberties, justice, and human rights protection, though this is outside the environmental focus relevant to plastic circular economy work. Grant sizes typically range from USD 50,000 to USD 500,000. The foundation requires organisations to have operated for at least two years and to provide two years of audited accounts and annual reports as part of due diligence. Critically, the foundation operates exclusively through invited grantmaking — it does not accept unsolicited proposals or run open competitive calls. This significantly limits accessibility for organisations not already in the foundation network. Cold outreach to info@zennstrom.org may generate a response but formal applications are by invitation only. The foundation is based at 50 New Bond Street, London W1S 1BJ.

Historical Context

The foundation has been operational for over a decade with consistent Baltic Sea and human rights focus. Grantmaking is invitation-only with no published open calls or recurring rounds.

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