Stichting INGKA Foundation

The Stichting INGKA Foundation is a Dutch foundation founded in 1982 by Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish billionaire, who is founder and chairman of IKEA. INGKA is one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. The name "INGKA" comes from a contraction of his name; "Stichting" is the Dutch language word for foundation. The stated purpose is To promote and support innovation in the field of architectural and interior design.

The foundation owns the private Dutch company INGKA Holding based in Leiden, which is the holding company controlling 207 of the 235 outlets of IKEA. It is the second largest nonprofit organization in the world.

INGKA does not own the IKEA franchise and trademark; these are owned by Inter IKEA Systems B.V. in Delft, also in the Netherlands, which receives 3% of all IKEA revenues in royalties. Inter IKEA Systems is owned by Inter IKEA Holding, registered in Luxembourg. This company is controlled, in turn, by Interogo Foundation, a Liechtenstein foundation with a wealth of another $15bn controlled by the Kamprad family. In explanation, Ingvar Kamprad stated to the authors of a Swedish documentary that tax efficiency was "a natural part of the company’s low-cost culture". The foundation also provides an anti-takeover protection scheme for IKEA.

The Dutch Tax Service has declared both the Stichting INGKA Foundation and the associated Stichting IKEA Foundation "Institution for General Benefit" (algemeen nut beogende instelling, ANBI).

Read more about Stichting INGKA Foundation:  Giving, See Also

Famous quotes containing the word foundation:

    Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society. Who shall say that this is not the golden age of mutual trust, of unlimited reliance upon human promises? That is a peculiar condition of society which enables a whole nation to instantly recognize point and meaning in the familiar newspaper anecdote, which puts into the mouth of a distinguished speculator in lands and mines this remark:M”I wasn’t worth a cent two years ago, and now I owe two millions of dollars.”
    Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)