What if we could find new solutions to fight poverty and offer a better future to the most disadvantaged?
What if every child had the same chance to succeed?
What if every young person had the means to learn a profession and find a job?
At Break Poverty, we believe that transformative solutions exist to give all children, all young people, the hope of building themselves out of the scandalous circle of extreme poverty. We believe that a shared commitment and ongoing support can progressively reduce inequalities.
Because every child and young person must have the same opportunities to live and flourish, Break Poverty Foundation identifies and supports innovative solutions to extreme poverty, with a single objective: to offer a future to all young people, in France and around the world.
Who can accept that extreme poverty is increasing a little more every day, while the great nations are getting richer? Who can bear the sight of poor children in the streets, when their place should be on school desks?
Its action is based on three pillars: selection and funding of high-potential programs, research and mobilization for innovative solutions against poverty.
Its programs focus on the following 3 priority areas:
Founded by Denis Metzger, Chairman of Chequers Capital, one of Europe’s largest investment funds, the organization aims to place innovation, rigor, impact measurement and the power of leverage at the heart of its mission.
RESEARCH AND STUDIES: Understanding the causes of poverty to identify concrete actions for poverty prevention
Sociologists, economists, anthropologists – the world of research into poverty is rich and numerous. Our ambition is to make existing work research operational in order to identify concrete actions to be implemented.
To achieve this ambition, Break Poverty Foundation has an internal team in charge of research and studies. This team also relies on external expertise (sociologists, economists, researchers, specialized consultants, etc.) when necessary.
MANDATE: INNOVATION AND IMPACT TO TACKLE POVERTY
Break Poverty identifies and supports projects that offer real solutions in the fight against extreme poverty. It works alongside international experts and researchers to identify the issues that will enable these inequalities to be tackled. It selects projects based on rigorous criteria of experience, governance, management and monitoring.
It places impact at the heart of its programs and investments, and ensures regular and rigorous monitoring of funded programs.
Its programs target young people in particular, offering them access to education, training or the implementation of an economic project to help them become independent.
Break Poverty operates in France and is gradually developing its projects internationally. In all contexts, our approach is the same : identify and finance innovative solutions to prevent poverty and break social determinism among the most vulnerable young people.
TO INSPIRE AND MOBILIZE
Because the fight against inequalities is everyone’s battle, Break Poverty Foundation is committed to advocating for the definition and implementation of mobilizing and innovative solutions against poverty.
Putting an end to poverty is everyone's responsibility: civil society, businesses, governments and international organizations must all contribute. Today, this is a vital fight.
Break Poverty is engaged in this process in order to identify and implement innovative solutions to help the world’s poorest people. To this effect, Break Poverty Foundation has created the Dotation d’Action Territoriale, an innovative mechanism for mobilizing businesses against youth poverty. This mechanism was included in the National Strategy to Prevent and Tackle Poverty in 2018 and in the Pact for Solidarity in 2023.
Break Poverty also contributed to establishing the right to mentoring in the law. At our initiative, the right to mentoring was enshrined in the Taquet law passed in 2022 and today enables every young person protected by the Aide Sociale à l’Enfance to benefit from the support of a mentor in their journey.
Photo credits : Yakobchuk Viachelslav, Shutterstock ; Andrew Coop et Joseph Gonzalez, Unsplash.