Cartier Philanthropy: Communities of Empowerment Grow Within Cartier's Galaxy of Philanthropy
With decades of real impact, French jewelry and watchmaker Cartier has set the standard for what it means for a luxury brand to give back. We dive into the commitments the brand has made and how you can get involved.
Communities of Empowerment Grow Within Cartier's Galaxy of Philanthropy
Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellows at the 2023 Awards Ceremony in Paris. Image: Cartier Women’s Initiative.
Over the past decade, consumers have grown significantly more sensitive toward brand ethics and the track records of philanthropy and communal support brands provide. With an impressive 87% of consumers in the United States stating they’d purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about, brands now must walk the walk or be taken to task.
Browse social media and one can find individuals separating fact from fiction from all sorts of angles, be it evidence of sustainable ingredients and production to philanthropic promises made or broken. Brands trumping up their numbers or not being transparent about outcomes can destroy the integrity of the entire operation. Big numbers can look great on paper, but consumers prefer realistic commitments with tangible outcomes over abstract visions never realized.
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According to a 2017 Cone Communications study, 87% of consumers in the United States stating they’d purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about. That number has only climbed since then.
For a house dependent on the inspirations, creativity, and empowerment of its artisans and the sustainability of its production, social responsibility has an inherent aspect in defining Cartier’s success. Over decades, Cartier has built up a wide range of social responsibly programs across a wide range of interests and commitments, ultimately empowering communities with its influence, support, and provisioning of space.
We’ve followed Cartier’s philanthropic endeavors for some time, even discussing them with Cartier CEO Cyrille Vigneron last year (who’s personal involvement alone demonstrated a particular closeness to the mission). The most consistently striking aspect of Cartier’s philanthropy is how decentralized and engaging it is, where feedback and interactions drive each program’s success.
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RED CLUB x Cartier
RED CLUB x Cartier. Image: RED CLUB x Cartier
What is it: Established in 2021, RED CLUB x Cartier is one of the brand’s newest and most diverse endeavors sporting a concise ambition of supporting aspiring leaders working in impactful spaces around the world. Great ideas come from anywhere and those without advanced business experience shouldn’t be prevented from developing groundbreaking ideas. Organized by entrepreneurs in dozens of countries, RED CLUB x Cartier offers a multicultural entrepreneurial community for business leaders aged 20 to 40, in which members share cultural experiences and insights with the goal of developing a common vision of conscious and diverse leadership. As an example of what sort of people are drawn to RED CLUB x Cartier, Giada Dattoli Zhang was born in China then raised in Italy before she started a food business that bridges both cultures. She now serves as the Global President of RED CLUB x Cartier.
What it does: RED CLUB x Cartier supports and celebrates ventures that prioritize social responsibility and contribute to meaningful change. Particularly grassroots in character, the goal of RED CLUB x Cartier is to make a positive impact on society through its many chapters, academic partners, and business partners. The flagship award, the Young Leader Award (YLA), was introduced in 2022 in Dubai, was awarded in NYC last year, and will be presented again in Singapore for the third edition. This annual international prize is open to emerging social entrepreneurs who are running impact-driven businesses or non-profit organizations, promoting innovation and leadership.
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There were 280 submissions from 33 countries for the 2023 Young Leader Award. Four finalists were selected, united in their ability challenge business and create substantial impact.
Past winners of this award include Dr. Bea Bakshi, founder of C the Signs, whose company utilizes artificial intelligence to detect cancer risks at an early and treatable stage. For 2024, the winner will take home €50,000 in grants, while the three remaining runners-up will each receive €10,000. The club has partnered with the NUS Business School and The University of Sydney Business School to support the winner with access to a tailor-made mentorship program. Ultimately, RED CLUB x Cartier's Young Leader Award is a testament to Cartier's commitment to fostering visionary leaders who can navigate the complex landscape of entrepreneurship.
How to get involved: Applications for the Young Leader Award 2024 are now open under the theme of Technology for a Sustainable Future and due by January 31st, 2024. In order to apply, one must be between 20 and 40 years old, possess a strong aim to create a positive and sustainable impact on the environment and society, be a founder or co-founder of either a for-profit or non-for-profit organization, hold an active management role in the organization that is in an early or growth stage, and the organization satisfies revenue, funding, or usage requirements. Chapters of RED CLUB x Cartier are established in many countries, but new leaders in new places are always welcome. Visit RED CLUB x Cartier website to learn more.
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
View of the building, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2013. © Jean Nouvel, Emmanuel Cattani & Associés. Image: Luc Boegly
What is it: Central to Cartier's philanthropic efforts is the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, a pioneering initiative launched in 1984 at the suggestion of the celebrated sculptor César Baldaccini. The foundation has completely transformed how luxury brands interact with artisans and art as a whole, embodying a multidisciplinary spirit marked by curiosity and inquiry. The foundation has set the standard and has inspired other leading creative houses to establish similar foundations and share in the spirit of creativity. Cartier itself benefited from the exhibition format when it presented its creations at the International Exhibition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in 1925.
What it does: The Fondation Cartier presents the work of renowned French and international artists, as well as young artists with promising talents. Beyond staging exhibitions, the foundation has commissioned countless works, financed films, supported public engagements and ultimately offers a place for artists to express themselves. A robust program of workshops and residencies has welcomed a range of artists including Marc Couturier in 1987, Jean-Michel Othoniel in 1989, Absalon, Fabrice Hybert, Huang Yong Ping and Chéri Samba in 1990, Cai Guo-Qiang and Tatsuo Miyajima in 1993. We’ve critiqued work by Artavazd Peleshian and Andrei Ujică as presented by Cartier at the New York Film Festival.
How to get involved: Members of the public can visit the foundation’s celebrated, leafy campus in Paris where there are exhibitions, talks, and other events happening year round. From now until April 21, 2024, you can see Breath of an Architect by Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai. An exhibition especially created for the institution, the show embodies Fondation Cartier’s bold approach as Jain transforms Jean Nouvel’s iconic building into a place of reverie and contemplation. The foundation also supports traveling exhibitions, such as a recent show The Yanomami Struggle which was presented at The Shed for its North American debut. The foundation also maintains a robust collection, an immersive series of documentaries, an online archive of past exhibitions with plenty of documentation, as well as an online store with rare and collectible ephemera.
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Cartier Women’s Initiative
Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellows at the 2023 Awards Ceremony in Paris. Image: Cartier Women’s Initiative.
What is it: An active community of entrepreneurs, fellowship opportunities, and nearly twenty years of insights and learnings have made the Cartier Women’s Initiative completely unique among charitable missions. This annual international program empowers women-run and women-owned businesses which are creating substantial social and environmental impact in their fields. The Cartier Women’s Initiative has been a beacon in the entrepreneurial landscape, supporting nearly 300 women impact-entrepreneurs from over sixty countries and providing more than $2 million in funding each year.
What it does: Cartier Women’s Initiative is, ultimately, a steward of change, transcending the conventional boundaries of business support programs by offering a platform where innovation, leadership, and social responsibility converge along with recognition and financial support for businesses. That last point manifests in the form of the Cartier Women’s annual Awards ceremony, during which the 33 newly selected women changemakers are recognized. In partnership with INSEAD Business School and McKinsey & Company, past award recipients include Charlotte Wang of China with her company EQuota Energy, Temie Giwa Tubosun’s LifeBank, and Fariel Salahuddin’s unique UpTrade, which enables off-grid farming communities to use livestock as currency.
Good to know
Since its inception in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has been a beacon in the entrepreneurial landscape, supporting nearly 300 women impact-entrepreneurs from over sixty countries and providing more than $2 million in funding each year. 80% of the businesses supported are active today.
As a demonstration of its uniquely global reach, the Initiative has expanded its awards program to include two new regional awards in 2023, the Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania awards, and also introduced a new thematic award: the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. This award is open to all genders. Along with it, networking opportunities, a fellowship program, thought leadership, and a community of active women entrepreneurs await. In the spirit of inclusion, a new loan fund was established in 2022 to offer loans to women at preferential rates in order to support post-COVID-19 growth.
How to get involved: Simply supporting the businesses and the women entrepreneurs who run them is the most direct way to support the mission of Cartier Women’s Initiative. Keep up with news from the Initiative by connecting on LinkedIn or subscribing to the newsletter found on the Cartier Women’s Initiative website. You can review the Initiative’s insights and annual reports here.
Cartier Philanthropy
Medair, a Cartier Philanthropy partner. Image: Abigail Drane
What is it: Founded in 2012, Cartier Philanthropy serves as one of Cartier’s most discreet engagements but happens to be one of its most broad in impact. This organization is committed to improving the lives of vulnerable communities in low-income countries around the world with a particular focus on women and children. Cartier Philanthropy has a clear set of values centered on respect, trust, integrity and compassion. Integral to the success of the organization is its comprehensive annual report, which lends itself to Cartier’s overall goal of transparency and accountability of its initiatives. It also requires partners to maintain rigorous data collection in order to measure and monitor impact.
What it does: Cartier Philanthropy partners with a wide range of organizations that make real impacts in specific focus areas. These areas include access to basic services, women’s social and economic development, sustainable livelihoods, and emergency response support. Cartier Philanthropy has invested over $130,000,000 in over 98 partners with impacts in over 40 countries. The structure of giving is oriented toward long-term investment, ensuring these organizations can scale in a meaningful way. Cartier Philanthropy as partnered with a wide range of organizations, from large ones such as Médicins Sans Frontières and World Food Programme to more bespoke and regionally-impactful organizations such as One Acre Fund, Appleseed, and ANAK-Tnk. Each partner is vetted along rigorous lines and impact data is shared on an on-going basis.
How to get involved: Though intentional in its giving, Cartier Philanthropy is willing to learning about organizations open to partnership. You can write to the organization here. If you’re a member of the public curious about Cartier Philanthropy’s roster of active and past partners as well desire access to in-depth impact statistics, contact information, and other resources, the website maintains up-to-date materials in its Who We Fund section.
