Our vision is to create the largest sustainable charity fund in Eastern Europe that supports youth development. We aim to grow the fund’s assets as efficiently and transparently as possible, continuously providing updates on the fund’s growth, charitable activities, and investments.
Supporting the Charity Fund
The main supporters of the charity fund are students participating in the Southwestern Advantage summer program and alumni of the program.
At the annual charity auction held in January during the Southwestern Advantage incentive trip in Egypt, SW students collectively donated a record-breaking €21,277.10 to the foundation. Special thanks to Paula Sandra Tiks for organizing the charity day, and to Jan Khurana and Roland Liinar for conducting the auction.
We are deeply grateful to all who participated in the auction: Karel Kõiv, May-Britt, Ilja Skopincevs, Lauris Krasovskis, Kristaps Kaza, Bruno Binovskis, Erik Väin, Alex Ajangu, Ignas Ruscekas, Saule Petreikyte, Markus Linnukütt, Conrad Sengbusch, Sebastian Johanson, Sander Kangur, Gustavs Vanags, Artjoms Casnovics, Merke Reinaas, Paula Sandra Tiks, and our regular donors. Your contribution will help young people forever!
As of today, the fund has raised €141,497 in donations, distributed by country as follows:
Charitable Actions
We are open to supporting various charitable projects and scholarships that align with the foundation’s mission to help young people develop character and skills that support the realization of their dreams.
As of the end of March, since the beginning of 2017, we have donated a total of €23,619. Our next planned support will go to a project led by Junior Achievement Estonia to fund an economics textbook for high school students. Additionally, this spring we plan to award the annual Greete Poderat Young Athlete Scholarship.
Since spring 2024, we have awarded “Entrepreneurial Youth” scholarships in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania totaling €7,000. The goal of the scholarship is to recognize and support active and entrepreneurial young people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone. We plan to continue this project in the fall semester of 2025, with a total Baltic scholarship fund of €4,000.
Investments
In terms of investments and asset management, our goal is to achieve at least 10% annual growth of the fund’s assets. This allows us each year to allocate 5% of the fund’s total volume to scholarships and grants, while continuing to grow the fund itself — ensuring that donors’ good deeds keep doing good indefinitely. Our aim is to keep the foundation’s administrative costs as low as possible so that, as the fund grows, these expenses become increasingly marginal.
As of today, the fund’s asset value has grown to €142,945, and the budget for 2025 grants is €6,365. Compared to a year ago, the fund’s assets have grown by 22.5%, and by 12.5% since the beginning of this year.
The value continues to grow steadily thanks to the ongoing support of participants in the SW program. In addition the fund’s stock portfolio has increased by 8% compared to a year ago, contributing to the overall growth of the fund’s assets.
The investments are divided among different asset classes as follows:
Compared to the previous year, the share of stocks in the portfolio has decreased, and the crypto position has been fully exited. The goal is to increase the proportion of passive assets and those providing regular payouts.
The mission of the Southwestern Advantage Foundation is to become the largest investment-based charity fund in Eastern European countries, helping young people gain knowledge and develop character so they can fulfill their dreams in life. We help young people across Europe access better entrepreneurial education and share investment knowledge with those who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity. Our goal is to reduce and prevent poverty through education and empowerment.
We direct our contributions to charitable projects in line with this mission. We donate only from the fund’s passive income — allocating 50% of the returns to charity and 50% back to the fund. In this way, your good deed keeps doing good forever.
Help us make a difference: https://swacharity.eu/en/donate/
