Danish Social Innovation Academy will receive DKK 2 million from Lauritzen Fonden over the next four years. The grant will support the Academy's work to build capacity for social innovation in Denmark and ensure a national strategy in the field.
Denmark is facing a new global reality in which both our democracy and security are under pressure. External security threats are clear, but there is also significant internal pressure in the form of rising inequality and declining trust in democratic systems around the world.
Therefore, we need to strengthen our collective ability to create a more sustainable future – economically, environmentally, and socially. Danish Social Innovation Academy a community of leaders who explore and enable new, collective societal solutions through social innovation.
With a grant of DKK 2 million from the Lauritzen Foundation, the Academy will be able to focus its efforts on ensuring broad support and a deeper understanding of social innovation.
Chair of the Board of Danish Social Innovation Academy Gry Striegler:
“Social innovation is a crucial lever for positive social change. At the Academy, leaders from all sectors contribute to this change, while we build and spread the capacity to work with social innovation broadly in society so that we can address and solve complex challenges. Whether it's young people outside the labor market, recruitment to the elderly sector, equality in health, or future generations' trust in democracy."
Social innovation must be broadly anchored
Social innovation is societal change through collective action and is both a recognized field of research and an applied practice. While social innovation has long been widespread internationally, the approach is not widely used in Denmark today.
Academy Director Anders Folmer Buhelt:
"The Danish welfare society is actually based on social innovation in the form of large, collective movements such as the housing movement and the cooperative movement. We therefore have an unusually strong starting point for unleashing the energy that exists across our society. But this requires a systematic effort to build capacity and broad political support. That is why the Academy's ambition is to ensure a national strategy in this area."
Danish Social Innovation Academy established in 2019 and has established itself as an important player in social change over the past five years. The Academy's work focuses on all areas where social innovation can play a role, including the welfare society of the future and green transition.
At the same time, the Academy's members contribute to key change communities such asForandringskraftandFremtidskoalitionen, as well asPaths for Everyone,which works for systemic change in young people's path to jobs and education. Internationally, the Academy is part of a pan-European collaboration as Denmark's national competence center for social innovation. Social innovation is currently a significant focus area for the EU, and the national competence centers are tasked with promoting social innovation and building a network in this area.
Social innovation as a driving force
The grant comes from the Lauritzen Foundation, which sees social innovation as a key driver in the development of tomorrow's society.
Deputy Director Kathrine Geisler Madsen:
“We see social innovation as an essential lever for sustainable societal solutions in the future. With its talented staff, Danish Social Innovation Academy played a central role for a number of years as an infrastructure for knowledge, networking, and capacity building in this area. With this grant, we want to strengthen the Academy's work and contribute to a broader anchoring of social innovation in Denmark."
About the Academy
The Academy has existed since 2019 as a non-profit association with the aim of bringing together top leaders to create social change. In 2025, the Academy has 81 members, and over 160 leaders have been members during the Academy's lifetime. Danish Social Innovation Academy and expands the ecosystem for social innovation in Denmark by disseminating and connecting knowledge about social innovation with the practices represented by its members and their networks. The Academy receives project and operating support from the Bikuben Foundation, the Lauritzen Foundation, and the EU.
About the Lauritzen Foundation
The Lauritzen Foundation is a commercial foundation that provides support for charitable activities, with a particular focus on children and young people in vulnerable positions. The foundation has its roots in the maritime sector, but social and humanitarian responsibility has always been a key focus alongside its business activities. Today, the Foundation works to help more children and young people become part of positive communities and find their way into education and employment.
Press contact:
Ulla Dubgaard
Communications Manager, Danish Social Innovation Academy
6172 0485 / ulla@afsi.dk
