We fight for every childhood with more than words
THE IMPACT
What we've built together
€3.2MRaised to help families
LAY
A structure built from individual elements, creating a strong base for lasting change.
+150Tonnes of food donated
ACT
If there's an emergency, we move first and fast with the people on the ground.
+600Teachers trained since 2017
PARTICIPATE
Nothing here is done alone. Partners, volunteers, donors: the movement is the method.
+6.000Children supported
SHELTER
Children, and the families around them. A safe place is where everything else begins.
OUR STORY
Founded in 2016 by Lapo Elkann
Our story starts from a simple idea: only a society built on creativity, mutual respect and solidarity can look after the well-being of its children, and of everyone around them.
That means facing what stands in the way, poverty, addiction, violence and exclusion, and facing it where it happens. Since 2016 we have worked with local organisations in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Israel, building what a child needs to grow up safe, and staying long enough to see it work.
We work for the 
well-being of children and the most vulnerable groups in our society, fighting against poverty, addiction, violence
and exclusion.
OUR MISSION
Turning solidarity into structures that last
LAPS Foundation exists for people in the hardest moments of their lives, through housing, programmes and campaigns built on inclusion, care and social support.
Around the founder, a Board of Directors and an International Honorary Board bring together recognised figures from business, culture and public life.
A small executive team runs the work day to day. The Foundation's structure is funded by the founder, so what is donated goes to projects, not to running costs.
Together they steer our projects across Italy and, through our permanent representation, Portugal, working with local organisations, never around them.
LATEST PROJECT
New chapter in Madeira
In Madeira, LAPS opened Casa Co-Abrigo: a transitional home for people who had nowhere else to go, run with CASA, the local organisation that knew them first.
It's not a shelter you pass through and forget. There's a room, a door, professional support every day, and time, enough of it to find work, find footing, and leave on your own terms. Since December 2021, that's what the house has been for.
Discover who made the difference
Help us build the next home
Every euro you give goes to a project, a house, a campaign, a programme. The founder covers the Foundation's running costs, so nothing you give pays for an office, a salary or this website.
Donate now. You'll always know what your gift helped build.
Donate now
Italy
- Beneficiary:
- FONDAZIONE LIBERA ACCADEMIA PROGETTI SPERIMENTALI - LAPS ONLUS
- IBAN:
- IT47 T030 4801 0000 0000 0091 981
Portugal
- Beneficiary:
- F LAPS LIBERA A P S O-FE-REPR PERMANENTE
- IBAN:
- PT50 0010 0000 5970 9240 0012 8
A few hours from you, a new start for them
People are at the heart of every organization, especially non-profits. Volunteers play a vital role in helping the Foundation achieve its mission.
If you're interested in joining our volunteer community, we'd love to hear from you.
Please send your application to hr@lapsonlus.org.
Become a partner
Every Casa LAPS runs on people who show up, to cook, to teach, to fix a door, to sit with someone on a bad day. You don't need a qualification or a background in social work. You need a few hours, and the will to come back.
Tell us where you are and what you can do, write to hr@lapsonlus.org and we'll tell you where it's needed
