The Fondation Sommer is a private donor foundation under Luxembourgish law, recognized as a public utility. Established in 2016 by Pierre Brahms and governed by its statutes and the law of April 21, 1928, it aims to strengthen the empowerment of children and young people in Luxembourg through arts and culture.

The foundation has set itself the ambition of creating a positive social and cultural impact through its projects. It aims to develop young people’s capacity for reflection and to commit to an open, enlightened, and supportive society. It seeks to contribute to the production of knowledge and the exchange of transdisciplinary experiences, and to foster mutual understanding between individuals and communities.

The Founder’s Philosophy

Following the philosophy of its founder, who was committed to financially or materially supporting young talents, the Fondation Sommer aims to create a framework that enables collaboration between artists and educational professionalsworking towards the personal development of children and young people.

Arts and culture are seen as means to build an open society and ensure its continuity, as a shared creative process based on aesthetic experience, and as emancipatory self-education. Children and young people who participate in such interdisciplinary cultural initiatives experience increased self-confidence and an opening and emancipating of their minds. These are the conditions for empowerment.

To this end, the Fondation Sommer promotes innovative approaches. On one hand, it encourages initiatives by various stakeholders aimed at involving young people in creative, exploratory, and discursive processes. On the other hand, it works with organizations to enhance their capacities to achieve this goal. Its ultimate ambition is to drive change within the cultural ecosystem so that children and young people can grow up in a more open and respectful society, both towards individuals and communities.

How does it proceed?

In this context, the Fondation Sommer annually supports several participatory projects that use arts and culture as tools for empowerment, involving children/young people and their surroundings. To this end, it has established several calls for projects per year. An artist, a non-profit organization, or an institution can submit a project, alone or in partnership, according to three different modalities:

• Educational projects
  “Enabling Everyone to Become the Actor of Their Life”

The Fondation Sommer supports educational activities aimed at young audiences (ages 3 to 20) within the framework of an artistic or cultural creation project. These projects allow children and young people to question, create, and experience their capacity to act.

Financial support up to €7,000 per project.

• Joint cultural projects
  “Imagining a New Cooperation in Cultural and Artistic Education”

The Fondation Sommer supports initiatives that bring together two entities with different activities, where the exchange of skills introduces new dynamics and expertise within the cultural, educational, and social sectors, benefiting the empowerment of youth.

Projects must be submitted in partnership by at least one cultural entity.

Financial support up to €10,000 per project.

• Joint intercultural projects
  “Building Bridges Between Cultures”

With its support, the foundation aims to facilitate relationships between different cultures present in Luxembourg and thereby promote the social inclusion of young people and their families through culture.

Projects must be submitted in partnership by at least one cultural entity.

Financial support up to €10,000 per project.

>> Access Calls for Projects

Who Was Pierre Brahms?

Born in 1934, Pierre Brahms was a prominent figure in the city of Luxembourg until his death in 2019. Despite a happy childhood, his life was marked by fragility, having emigrated with his family to Brazil to avoid deportation. This experience instilled in him an unwavering interest in others, a thirst for culture, and a strong desire to bring together people from diverse backgrounds. His passion was creating spaces for exchange, fostering synergies, and enabling individuals to shape their own paths.

He quickly distinguished himself both through his entrepreneurial spirit and his enthusiasm for supporting young people in their professional, artistic, and intellectual endeavors.

In the 1960s, he gained recognition by transforming an old haberdashery, Maison Moderne, into a cutting-edge and original fashion boutique spread over several floors. The store, remarkable and unforgettable, was a prominent fixture until its closure in the early 1990s.

Pierre Brahms then invested in an inner courtyard in the Hollerich neighbourhoods, where he opened the legendary Café Marx. The venue quickly became a hub for artists, intellectuals, and left-leaning politicians.Upon retiring, Pierre Brahms continued to host people from diverse backgrounds through weekly meetings organized in his office. Curious and generous, he became a patron, discreetly supporting numerous artists, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals, both logistically and financially.

As he grew older, he sought a way to ensure the continuation of his commitment. He then established two foundations. The Fondation Été, under the auspices of the Fondation de Luxembourg, aims to support social, cultural, or educational initiatives for the common good. The Fondation Sommer, on the other hand, is independent and has a lifespan of 35 years. For Pierre Brahms, this foundation was intended to work towards strengthening the capacities of young people so they could develop and realize themselves independently. Both foundations are named after the founder’s mother, Irène Sommer.

Ideas flowed during the meetings of the Board of Directors. A first project was selected in 2017, titled Biergerbühn. Through this participatory project, the collective Independent Little Lies asbl created a space where children and young people could explore and exercise their creativity by staging a theater performance that reflected their view of the world. In weekly workshops at Kulturfabrik Esch, led by theater and dance educators, actors, writers, and set designers, the young participants discovered various practices and techniques of the performing arts and became creators themselves. The initiative continues to this day, thanks to the support of the City of Esch-sur-Alzette.

The Fondation Sommer also directly initiated a collaboration with CAPE (Centre des Arts Pluriels de Ettelbruck) in the spring of 2019, resulting in the project TEMPLE. Unfortunately, Pierre Brahms did not live to see its completion, as he passed away in November of the same year. However, there is no doubt that he would have greatly appreciated the experiences the young participants had, gaining means to surpass themselves and express their creativity.

« (…) Le tout Luxembourg pleure un homme discret et généreux à la fois, un esprit curieux et un soutien infaillible de générations de créatifs, de projets sociaux et de son parti, le LSAP. Alors que son métier de commerçant passionné dans la capitale l’aurait plutôt destiné au parti libéral, il était de gauche par conviction : parce qu’il voyait notamment dans l’éducation cet ascenseur social auquel plus personne ne semble croire aujourd’hui ; parce qu’il rêvait de cohésion sociale et d’inclusion des plus faibles dans la société ; parce qu’il était résolument progressiste. », Josée Hansen, d’Lëtzebuerger Land, le 8 novembre 2019.

© boshua