Financial
The Sustainable Cities™ database is sponsored by Realdania.
Realdania is a strategic foundation created with the objective of initiating and supporting projects that improve the built environment. The mission is to improve quality of life for the common good through the built environment.
Realdania was established in late 2000 following a merger between two large financial institutions. At the end of 2006 Realdania’s net capital amounted to approx. EUR 4.2 billion.
In 2006 Realdania made grants of approx. EUR 278 million.
Realdania is currently involved in approx. 54 strategic flagship projects and approx. 255 focus projects.
Grantmaking strategy
Realdania contributes to development and change within the built environment, seeking to improve the quality of life, for the benefit of Denmark and its inhabitants.
This is realized through a multitude of initiatives that all share a common strategic focus. Realdania projects focus on issues of general interest, they set new norms and are oriented towards communication and research. In order to be a part of the process from initial conception of an idea to the final result, Realdania often chooses to participate actively in the projects.
According to the Realdania by-laws the foundation can ”support purposes of public utility and common good throughout Denmark, primarily within the built environment”.
The term ”the built environment” applies to practically all man-made, physical installations in Denmark – from buildings and city spaces to cultural landscapes and traffic and energy systems. Realdania supports a broad variety of projects – ranging from the construction of new buildings to the transformation of city spaces and buildings, the establishment of research centres and the communication of knowledge about the built environment.
The Realdania by-laws list two additional objects:
- To acquire and develop property in order to preserve the building heritage and to develop the construction sector
- To supply services in connection with the built environment.
Both of these objects are concerned with grant related investments. Unlike ordinary grants or grants in the shape of partnerships, for grantrelated investments Realdania assumes ownership of, for example, a historic building or a development project.
The Realdania strategy is carried out according to the following mission and values:
MISSION: Realdania creates quality of life for the common good through the built environment.
VALUES: To promote development and change, dialogue and knowledge, partnerships and networks. To take initiatives and to be proactive.
Grants
Realdania distinguishes between focus projects and flagship projects, which are more prominent. All projects are aimed at benefiting the common good. As a rule projects should be new, not initiated before Realdania's involvement.
The projects fall within one of three strategic focus areas, and Flagships usually span over more than one:
- The city: Improved quality
- The construction industry: Greater efficiency
- The building heritage: Preservation through reuse
Furthermore projects should:
- Make a difference in the built environment
- Display merit in terms of demonstration and dissemination of knowledge
- Generate new knowledge or new experience
- Embody or advance architectural quality
- Be economically sustainable – also in the long term
The flagships underline how Realdania operates strategically. They are large, visible projects with significance extending beyond the here and now. The projects will often be financially substantial and they are typically organized in cooperation or partnerships with others.
