{"id":3739,"date":"2026-04-01T15:34:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/?p=3739"},"modified":"2026-07-28T15:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:36:59","slug":"foundation-overview-1st-quarter-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/foundation-overview-1st-quarter-of-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundation overview: 1st quarter of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our vision is to create the largest sustainable charity fund in Eastern Europe that supports youth development. We aim to grow the fund\u2019s assets as efficiently and transparently as possible, providing regular updates on the fund\u2019s growth, charitable work, and investments.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:justify;\"><hr \/>\n<p><strong>Supporting the Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Foundation&#8217;s primary supporters are students participating in the Southwestern Advantage summer program and its alumni.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At the annual charity auction held during the Southwestern Advantage Sizzler trip in Egypt in January, Southwestern Advantage students collectively donated a record-breaking <strong>\u20ac26,550<\/strong> to the Foundation. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which a new fundraising record has been set. Over the past four years, the Sizzler charity auctions have raised a total of <strong>\u20ac77,460<\/strong> in support of the Foundation&#8217;s charitable mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to <strong>Patrik Roostfeldt<\/strong>, who organized the charity day, and to <strong>Jan Khurana<\/strong> and <strong>Oskar Orglaan<\/strong> for hosting the auction. We are also deeply grateful to everyone who participated in the auction: Gaudrius Sadaunykas, Gustav Ilves, Alex Ajangu, Austeja Varyte, Rafal Mikelionis, Arina Fitingova, Ruta Hamstere, Ieva Jasko, Ieva Struckaite, Kaspar S\u00fcvaorg, Mattias H\u00e4rsing, Alex Tobreluts, Martin Rikberg, Tristan Pugi, Marek K\u00e4sper, Patrik Roostfeldt, Sindija Loze, Marius J\u00f5em\u00e4gi, Martin Tsanev, Kristofer Kartau, Elina Apanasevica, Lisette Metsalu, Andre Otti, Sander Kangur, Merili Tamm, Taavi Arula, Mark Murru, Robert Veide, Piia Maria Leesme, Patrik Rahula, and everyone who donated items for the auction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><strong>Your generosity is creating opportunities that will benefit young people for generations to come.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To date, the Foundation has raised a total of <strong>\u20ac187,904<\/strong> in donations, distributed by country as follows:<\/p>\n<div class=\"visualizer-front-container\" id=\"chart_wrapper_visualizer-3713-1105226591\"><style type=\"text\/css\" name=\"visualizer-custom-css\" id=\"customcss-visualizer-3713\">.locker,.locker-loader{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}.locker{z-index:1000;opacity:.8;background-color:#fff;-ms-filter:\"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=80)\";filter:alpha(opacity=80)}.locker-loader{z-index:1001;background:url(https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/wp-content\/plugins\/visualizer\/images\/ajax-loader.gif) no-repeat center center}.dt-button{display:none!important}.visualizer-front-container.visualizer-lazy-render{content-visibility: auto;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter label.google-visualization-controls-label {vertical-align: middle;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li.goog-inline-block {margin: 0 0.2em;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li {padding: 0 0.2em;}.visualizer-front-container .dataTables_scrollHeadInner{margin: 0 auto;}<\/style><div id=\"visualizer-3713-1105226591\" class=\"visualizer-front  visualizer-front-3713\"><\/div><!-- Not showing structured data for chart 3713 because description is empty --><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/donate\/\"><strong>Aita meil head teha hakates meie p\u00fcsiannetajaks.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:justify;\"><hr \/>\n<p><strong>Charitable Giving<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">We are committed to supporting charitable projects and scholarship programs that align with the Foundation&#8217;s mission of helping young people develop the character, skills, and mindset needed to achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As of the end of March 2026, the Foundation has awarded a total of <strong>\u20ac33,069<\/strong> in grants and scholarships since its establishment in 2017. Our next scholarship application round will open later this spring for the annual <strong>Greete Poderat Young Athlete Scholarship<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Since the spring of 2024, we have awarded <strong>Entrepreneurial Youth Scholarships<\/strong> in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, providing a total of <strong>\u20ac11,000<\/strong> in financial support. The scholarship recognizes and encourages active, ambitious, and entrepreneurial young people who are willing to step outside their comfort zones and pursue personal growth.\u00a0We are excited to continue this initiative during the 2026 fall semester, with <strong>\u20ac4,000<\/strong> allocated for scholarships across the Baltic States.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:justify;\"><hr \/>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Investments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Foundation&#8217;s long-term investment objective is to achieve an average annual asset growth of at least <strong>10%<\/strong>. This strategy enables us to allocate approximately <strong>5% of the Foundation&#8217;s assets<\/strong> each year to scholarships and charitable grants while continuing to grow the endowment. In this way, every donation continues to create opportunities for future generations of young people. We are also committed to keeping the Foundation&#8217;s operating expenses as low as possible, ensuring that administrative costs become an increasingly smaller proportion of the Foundation&#8217;s assets as it grows.<\/p>\n<p>As of today, the Foundation&#8217;s assets have grown to <strong>\u20ac186,290<\/strong>, and the budget allocated for scholarships and charitable grants in <strong>2026<\/strong> amounts to <strong>\u20ac8,138<\/strong>. Compared to the same time last year, the Foundation&#8217;s assets have increased by <strong>30%<\/strong>, and by <strong>14%<\/strong> since the beginning of the year. This strong growth has been driven primarily by the continued generosity and support of Southwestern Advantage program participants and alumni.<\/p>\n<div class=\"visualizer-front-container\" id=\"chart_wrapper_visualizer-3717-1923740476\"><style type=\"text\/css\" name=\"visualizer-custom-css\" id=\"customcss-visualizer-3717\">.locker,.locker-loader{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}.locker{z-index:1000;opacity:.8;background-color:#fff;-ms-filter:\"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=80)\";filter:alpha(opacity=80)}.locker-loader{z-index:1001;background:url(https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/wp-content\/plugins\/visualizer\/images\/ajax-loader.gif) no-repeat center center}.dt-button{display:none!important}.visualizer-front-container.visualizer-lazy-render{content-visibility: auto;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter label.google-visualization-controls-label {vertical-align: middle;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li.goog-inline-block {margin: 0 0.2em;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li {padding: 0 0.2em;}.visualizer-front-container .dataTables_scrollHeadInner{margin: 0 auto;}<\/style><div id=\"visualizer-3717-1923740476\" class=\"visualizer-front  visualizer-front-3717\"><\/div><!-- Not showing structured data for chart 3717 because title is empty --><\/div>\n<p>The Foundation&#8217;s asset allocation is presented below:<\/p>\n<div class=\"visualizer-front-container\" id=\"chart_wrapper_visualizer-3725-1667299791\"><style type=\"text\/css\" name=\"visualizer-custom-css\" id=\"customcss-visualizer-3725\">.locker,.locker-loader{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}.locker{z-index:1000;opacity:.8;background-color:#fff;-ms-filter:\"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=80)\";filter:alpha(opacity=80)}.locker-loader{z-index:1001;background:url(https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/wp-content\/plugins\/visualizer\/images\/ajax-loader.gif) no-repeat center center}.dt-button{display:none!important}.visualizer-front-container.visualizer-lazy-render{content-visibility: auto;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter label.google-visualization-controls-label {vertical-align: middle;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li.goog-inline-block {margin: 0 0.2em;}.google-visualization-controls-categoryfilter li {padding: 0 0.2em;}.visualizer-front-container .dataTables_scrollHeadInner{margin: 0 auto;}<\/style><div id=\"visualizer-3725-1667299791\" class=\"visualizer-front  visualizer-front-3725\"><\/div><!-- Not showing structured data for chart 3725 because description is empty --><\/div>\n<p>In response to the challenging geopolitical environment and its impact on the regional economy, the Foundation further diversified its investment portfolio in the end of 2025 by allocating approximately <strong>10%<\/strong> of its assets to <strong>U.S. equity index funds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5\"><div>\n<hr \/>\n<div>\n<p><em>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\u2019t have the opportunity. Our goal is to reduce and prevent poverty through education and empowerment.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We direct our contributions to charitable projects in line with this mission. We donate only from the fund\u2019s passive income \u2014 allocating 50% of the returns to charity and 50% back to the fund. In this way, your good deed keeps doing good forever.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><em>Help us make a difference:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/donate\/\">https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/donate\/<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3739"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3744,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739\/revisions\/3744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swacharity.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}