Questions & Answers

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  • What is Brugge Foundation and what do you do?

    Brugge Foundation is a private, apolitical foundation. We manage and take care of social responsible repurposing Bruges' heritage.

  • What do you mean with adapted repurposing?

    Brugge Foundation aspires to repurpose historical premises and sites in new, responsible ways with respect for the sites' soul and history. The new use must help improve the city for its residents, the site's neighbours and our many visitors.
     

  • Where does the money come from?

    The Bruges city administration granted seed capital from the Flemish Cities Fund to support us for not more than three years. Our ambition is to be self-supportive as soon as possible. So our money largely comes from private or corporate philanthropy as well as from new revenue and financing models. We als work cross border, learning from others and appealing directly to friends of Bruges to support this major new initiative.  
     

  • What is philantropy?

    Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. A philanthropist is someone who donates money, property, services, time or expertise, say, without expecting anything in return.
    Philanthropic organisations are also known as charities, although the definition of a charity or charitable organisation varies according to the country and/or jurisdiction.
     

  • What are the main point in Brugge Foundation's charter?

    Brugge Foundation’s charter is traditional in terms of structure, content and form.
    The most important point is that Brugge Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation. Our aspiration is to make the city better and stronger for its residents and visitors, based on repurposing the city's immobile heritage.
    Under the charter, a seat on the board of management is incompatible with the holding of political office of any kind.
    Brugge Foundation’s charter has been checked by various lawyers and the notary without comment. It is available for immediate download.  


     

  • Can I become a member of Brugge Foundation? And how much is the membership?

    A Belgian foundation doesn't have any members or associates. So you cannot become a fully paid-up member of Brugge Foundation. However, you can support the foundation by making a very welcome donation or by helping the foundation achieving its aspirations in another way.
     

  • When was Brugge Foundation formed, when did you start operating?

    The charter was drawn up and signed on 23 November 2015 before Belgian notary Van Damme.
     

  • Does Brugge Foundation have any analogues abroad?

    Similar organisations have been set up in other countries, like the National Trust in Britain, which is a conservation charity. Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser in the Netherlands also works to conserve immobile heritage. These are two national initiatives. In New York, the Friends of the High Line advocate the repurposing of a disused metro line on the west side of Manhattan. The unique aspect of Brugge Foundation is that we are a city foundation. This is completely in synch with the growing movement for cities that take greater responsibility in everyday life. Quality of life and living public space are increasingly determining factors for the competitive position and liveability of cities. Private and public interests can come together in the public space. Co-production is another way of bringing about the adapted reuse of built heritage.
     

  • I don't live in Bruges. Can I participate?

    You certainly can.
    We are fully aware that there is so much we don’t know. With that in mind we want to pick the brains of others, on an informal and ad-hoc basis. We set up advisory groups made up of people who are able to look at a given heritage project from their own perspective, experience and knowhow. Who? People like doctors, neighbours, gardeners and city guides. They look at things differently and identify possibilities an architect or historian would not think of. By mining that knowledge we hope to identify valuable uses for traditional premises and sites. Want to join? Contact us!
     

  • Who is on the board of directors at Brugge Foundation?

    Our board is made up of seven people, including the chair. All of them experts in their own field and sympathetic towards the future of Bruges’ past.

    None of the board members hold political office or work for the city of Bruges. Just as none of our board members is compensated financially for her or his enthusiastic engagement for Brugge Foundation.

  • Who checks how the seed capital provided by the city is used?

    Brugge Foundation is an accountable foundation. All donors, including the City of Bruges, are provided with information on how their money is used.

    The seed capital provided by the city is public money so we ensure we manage it prudently. The seed capital covers operating costs for no more than three years and our aim is to become self-supporting as soon as possible.

    Transparency is of the utmost importance for Brugge Foundation. Once a year the foundation accounts for its operations in the municipal committee meeting. We also plan to publish our annual report on this website. By doing so, we exceed the requirements set by Belgian law.
     

  • Who monitors and audits the work of the board?

    Brugge Foundation keeps regular accounts, which are presented in the municipal committee meeting. Our books are audited by an auditor every year. This goes further than the requirements laid down in Belgian law. There is also a procedure for preventing conflicts of interests from arising and our annual report is published on this website.
    We are proud of our commitment to go above and beyond the requirements of Belgian law.
     

  • Why do you use the English word 'foundation' in your name?

    We could have chosen the Dutch word ‘stichting’, which means ‘foundation’, but we felt using the English word would make it easier for us to explain what we do to potential donors or sponsors abroad. ‘Foundation’ makes it clear to English speakers that we are a not-for-profit organisation.
     

  • Which projects are you looking for?

    We focus on  social responsible repurposing of immobile heritage and do not want to prioritise any given target group. There is a wide array of possibilities, including: care, culture, social work, innovation, cradle-to-cradle, urban greenery and youth work.

  • Can I suggest a project? If so, what is the procedure?

    We would be delighted to hear your proposal. We’ll get together to examine the possibilities. We’ll also ask for advice from third parties. Once we are convinced that there is firm support for the project, we will submit a full project proposal to the board of management, which takes the final decision.
     

  • What are the criteria for evaluating projects?

    Basically, the criteria are the same ones commercial companies use to evaluate investments:

    • Completion time (how long will the project take?)
    • Necessity (is it an urgent matter?)
    • Investment sum (how much needs to be spent?)
    • Innovation (are we adding anything new?)
    • Location (is there an alternative in the immediate vicinity?)
    • Return on society
  • Could you give a couple of examples of succesful repurposing projects in Bruges?

    Of course, repurposing is not new and the use of most historical buildings or premises in Bruges’ historical centre has been changed down the years. The city services have been accommodated in the former house of the Bruges Franc; the former city market halls are used as exhibition and meeting spaces; Ezelpoort is home to Anima Eterna, the Ghent gate is home to the city's fencing club, ... Brugge Foundation continues to build on a centuries-old tradition of taking due care of the city space. Here, again, we are standing on the shoulders of giants
     

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