Foundation History
The Guido Venosta Foundation was established in 2000 at the initiative of Carla Fossati Bellani Venosta, two years after the passing of her second husband, Guido Venosta, with the aim of promoting and elevating public education toward the highest cultural ideals and solidarity.
Guido Venosta, after a long career as a manager at Pirelli S.p.A., played an important role with the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) and in the creation of the eponymous FIRC Foundation (Italian Foundation for Cancer Research), of which he served as President. He was recognized as one of the pioneers of the nonprofit sector, driven by the conviction that:
“Social classes and groups that, by birth or the twists of fate, have been fortunate enough to enjoy the best conditions of life must ‘give back’ to others—that is, they have the moral duty to contribute to the community for the benefit of those who have not enjoyed such fortune. It is a form of objective recognition of one’s privileged status and a consequent contribution to an ideal rebalancing of everyone’s living conditions. Nothing messianic or heroic, of course, but simply an act of existential coherence. Or justice, if you prefer.”
(G. Venosta, From Profit to Nonprofit, Milan 1977, second edition 1996)
The founding promoters of the Guido Venosta Foundation were Carla Fossati Bellani Venosta, Fabrizio Du Chene, Stefano Alberti De Mazzeri, Gabriele Fuga, Alberto Falck, Renato Dulbecco, Umberto Veronesi, Giorgio Rumi, Ugo Amaldi, Francesco Garbagnati, and Diana Bracco de Silva; together with Pirelli S.p.A., the honorary founder.
In the subsequent years, the Foundation was led by Giorgina Venosta (Guido Venosta’s daughter, honorary founding partner, and councilor of the Foundation), Francesco Garbagnati, and Francesco Genise. Without their essential contribution, the Foundation would have ceased to exist.
During the first Covid-19 lockdown, when the need for medical equipment, swabs, and serological tests arose, Giorgina Venosta passed the baton of the Foundation to her son, Giuseppe Caprotti, who decided to commit himself to this emergent front. On April 15, 2020, Giuseppe Caprotti became president and treasurer of the Foundation, and he now continues its mission in accordance with the ideals of his grandfather, Guido Venosta.
On May 6, 2022, Tommaso and Margherita Caprotti, Giuseppe’s children, became co-founding partners, with the aim of ensuring continuity for the Guido Venosta Foundation.
A special thank you for their commitment is also extended to Francesco Niutta, Nicolò Fontana Rava, Guido Alberti, Luigi Alessandro Werner, Francesco Genise, Francesca Galbiati, Elena Tettamanti, Jan Miguel Battistoni, Antonio Sersale, Niccolò Brignoli, Franco Mari, Pier Giuseppe Pelicci, Gioacchino Natoli, Alberto Brunelli, and to all the other individuals who have donated their time and resources to the Foundation.
During the pandemic, the Guido Venosta Foundation distinguished itself by supporting and promoting initiatives related to scientific research in the medical and therapeutic fields as well as the protection of health.
In addition to these areas, there were initiatives to promote culture and solidarity—for example, funding provided to Spazio Aperto Servizi for a program aimed at assisting vulnerable individuals, people with disabilities, and minors, and support for the project Le Comunità della Salute, designed to reduce inequalities in access to preventive care and medical treatment.
Bibliography:
G. Venosta, From Profit to Nonprofit, Milan 1997
G. Venosta, Another Italy: An Autobiography in Memories, Notes, and Reflections in Perspective, Milan 1997
Additionally: the Public Health Merit Medal awarded to Guido Venosta.
Below: the Public Health Merit Medal awarded to Guido Venosta.
