(1977-2004)

Building a small and flexible structure dedicated to reinforcing cooperation among European foundations has been the aim of this association since it was launched a quarter of a century ago.

The association came into being in response to a specific challenge, namely the intergovernmental European Foundation proposal which persuaded European foundations to make common cause in order to bring Europe 's citizens closer together.

This notion underpinned the establishment in 1977 by the Amsterdam-based European Cultural Foundation of the European Cooperation Fund (ECF) as a private, not-for-profit international association under Belgian law, with headquarters in Brussels . The core objective of the new association was to promote, wherever possible and within the rule of law, partnership between private foundations and intergovernmental bodies in the fields of education, training and culture.

In January 1996, the activities and responsibilities of the European Cooperation Fund were transferred to the Association for Innovative Cooperation in Europe (AICE), an association set up to act as a launching pad for trans-European initiatives undertaken by leading Europe-based foundations and to develop and coordinate social, political and cultural projects.

With effect from January 1, 2002, AICE has changed its name to become the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF) in order to reflect the expressed wish of its core member organisations - its stakeholders - to cooperate more closely and to extend that cooperation to specific projects with other foundations.

The past twenty-five years have seen the launch of numerous projects. Of these, some have proved so successful that they are today autonomous and independent; others have been brought to a fruitful conclusion, while others still have progressed to the point of feasibility studies. In every instance, however, the association's primary goal has been to bring together decision-makers from major foundations active in and with Europe in an attempt to develop innovative approaches to societal issues.

Leo Tindemans, former Belgian Prime Minister, graciously accepted to serve as the Fund's founder chairman. For fifteen years (1977-1991), he presided over the launching and development of the first joint programme of activities linking private European foundations.

Gaston Deurinck, President of the European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities, was the association's president between 1991 and 1994, was a stalwart advocate of a harmonious Europe, a "Europe de la concorde"; in some respects, that Europe has today become reality, not least judging by the plethora of like-minded foundations, associations, institutes and centres that line the felicitously-named rue de la Concorde in downtown Brussels.

Ambassador Werner Ungerer, former Rector of the College of Europe, assumed the presidency in 1994 and continued in office until 1997; he expressed the hope that the years ahead would represent "a prelude to the launch of new rockets transporting new satellites into the orbit of good old Europe ".

The chairmanship of Rüdiger Stephan, Secretary General of the European Cultural Foundation, saw from 1997 to 2001 the development and implementation of new projects in the social and cultural field, such as Creative Europe and the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme, which cemented cooperation at the European level.

Francis Charhon, Director General of Fondation de France, assumed the chairmanship of the newly-renamed Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation from 2002 to 2004 , an era that has witnessed a further strengthening of cooperation and partnership among Europe 's foundation community. In 2004 the Chairmanship was taken over by Luc Tayart de Borms, Managing Director of King Baudouin Foundation.