Other Activities of the Foundation (Research & Training, Publishing)

Beyond the dedication of a street in Milan’s Bicocca district in honor of Guido Venosta as a “pioneer of the nonprofit sector” (2023) and the establishment of the Il Ponte Award the following year, the FGV has also been active in other areas aligned with its core objectives.

Research & Training

• 2002 – Three-year PhD Scholarship
  Funding for a European PhD in Urban and Local Studies at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Milan-Bicocca, focusing on “The Neighborhood in the Daily Life of Contemporary City Residents.”
• 2004 – Study on “Microfinance in Europe”
  Research and publication coordinated by L. Viganò in collaboration with the Giordano Dell’Amore Foundation.
• 2006 – “Four Conversations on Ethical Finance”
  A series of thematic roundtables organized by FGV in May 2006, featuring key figures from the Italian economic sector, including Roberto Mazzotta, Ferruccio De Bortoli, Lorenzo Ornaghi, and Carlo Secchi. These discussions aimed to provide accessible knowledge to a broad audience, exploring topics such as subsidiarity, the relationship between development and underdevelopment, and the social impact of financial strategies on national and international scales.
• 2006 – Master’s Scholarships
  Funding of two scholarships for a Master’s program in Management of Social Enterprises, Nonprofit Organizations, and Cooperatives at Bocconi University, under the theme “Managing Solidarity.”
• 2007 – Study on “The Remittance Market and Microfinance: An Analysis of the Italian Context”
  Conducted and published in collaboration with Planet Finance Italia and the Giordano Dell’Amore Foundation.
• 2010 – Master’s Scholarships in Microfinance
  Funding of two scholarships for a Master’s program in Microfinance, offered through a specialized program developed by the University of Bergamo and CIPSI (Coordinamento Iniziative Popolari di Solidarietà Internazionale) in Rome.
• 2011 – Microfinance Study Group
  Established with a dual purpose: first, to clarify the concepts of microfinance and microcredit for those unfamiliar with socio-economics; second, to assess the current state of microfinance initiatives in Italy.

Publishing

• 2002 – Creation of the FEGV Newsletter
  Published annually until 2009.
• 2009 – S. Veca, “Ethics and Truth”
  An essay written for and dedicated to the Foundation.
• 2010 – “Stone and Peace: A Milanese Conversation”
  Published to commemorate the Foundation’s tenth anniversary, this work explored architecture as a tool for peace and, consequently, the “ethics of responsibility” in urban development decisions.
• 2011 – New Edition of G. Venosta’s “From Profit to Nonprofit: The Story of an Experience”
  Fifteen years after its original publication, the Foundation reissued this brief but significant work, enriched with testimonies from those who knew Guido Venosta and an introduction by S. Veca. The reprint aimed to elevate the book’s status as a historical document—a cornerstone of the FEGV’s mission and a source of reflection on contemporary realities. Despite its formal simplicity, the text continues to reveal a remarkably insightful and timely vision.

Sources:
Albiate (MB), Villa San Valerio, Archives of Villa San Valerio, Archive of the European Foundation Guido Venosta, History of the European Foundation Guido Venosta, appendix to the Il Ponte Award 2013 press kit (printed edition).