Patronage

The EDP Foundation has always maintained, ever since it was created, an active policy of cultural patronage which supports prominent institutions, many of which are publicly-owned, and projects of excellence. Among these, it is worth mentioning cultural projects such as the Portuguese National Ballet Company (Companhia Nacional de Bailado), the Casa da Música Foundation, the Serralves Foundation, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Arpad Szenes – Vieira da Silva Foundation and the Youth Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Acting as a patron since 2004, the EDP Foundation has facilitated projects in fields such as the visual arts, dance, music, architecture, design, art education, publishing and documentaries. This support has been crucial for the sustainability of these institutions, ensuring their continuity, growth and development.

We are particularly attuned to upcoming artists, creative innovation, reaching new audiences and investing in educational projects. We also invest in exporting Portuguese culture. As well as financial support, the EDP Foundation also provides cultural and artistic consulting.

We are also active in the development of a space for Thought at the Foundation, specifically through the publication of a new international magazine for cultural, social and political critique and reflexion, as well as programming featuring conferences and debates.

ELECTRA is an international magazine that includes research, essays, cultural, social and political critique and reflection. It addresses several fields of knowledge, and includes the collaboration of Portuguese and international authors from different cultural territories. Find out more at Revista ELECTRA.

Supported projects

The EDP Foundation supports the Youth Symphony Orchestra (OSJ – Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil – the only youth orchestra permanently active in Portugal) season, as well as the EDP Foundation/OSJ education grants programme. The OSJ provides symphonic music lessons as a crucial element in teaching young musicians to perfect their technique and pursue a professional music career. This project has been supported by the EDP Foundation since 1993.

EDP Foundation is an Exclusive Patron of an important annual exhibition which takes place in the Contemporary Art Museum of the Serralves Foundation (Fundação de Serralves). EDP Foundation also enjoys the status of Founding Patron, which is given to institutions which have supported the Serralves Foundation continuously and regularly. Since 2001, EDP Foundation and the Serralves Foundation have worked in partnership, both in producing exhibitions and in developing projects in the field of educational services.

In 2011, the EDP Foundation became a Principal Patron of this institution’s programme, which aims to promote and study the work of visual artists Arpad Szenes and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, associating them with other artists, intellectuals and friends, both Portuguese and international. The Arpad Szenes – Vieira da Silva Foundation’s (Fundação Arpad Szenes Vieira da Silva) programme organises modern and contemporary art exhibitions.

The EDP Foundation has supported the Mário Soares – EDP Foundation award since 2011. This award is issued annually to Portuguese and international authors, up to the age of 35, of theses and dissertations, as well as other original research works about Portuguese Contemporary History.

The EDP Foundation is a patron of the Portuguese representation at the International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. It supported these representations at the 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2024 editions (with artists Joana Vasconcelos, João Louro, José Pedro Croft, Pedro Neves Marques and Mónica de Miranda, Marta Mestre and Sandra Guimarães), as well as at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition (with Álvaro Siza Vieira).

Previous projects

The EDP Foundation was the Principal Patron of the Portuguese National Ballet Company (Companhia Nacional de Bailado) until 2023. The CNB is the only dance company in Portugal with classical roots and it is renowned for its versatility when it comes to classical, modern and contemporary genres. Their dance performances on national tour have contributed to decentralising dance culture in the country, bringing it to populations living outside large urban areas. The EDP Foundation has supported the CNB since 1998.

The EDP Foundation is a founding member of the Casa da Música Foundation and, since 2008, it has also been the Exclusive Patron of the EDP Foundation Piano Sessions, an annual programme of concerts by great international pianists. Since 2010, the EDP Foundation has also been a patron of World Music Day.

The EDP Foundation has been one of the principal patrons of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa), and provides some of the main exhibition venues for its programme. The aim of this institution’s initiatives is to organise an internationally-reaching event in order to promote contemporary trends in urban planning and architecture.

This project aimed to restore, preserve, inventory and catalogue Professor Eduardo Lourenço’s literary estate. It has made this collection by one of the greatest Portuguese philosophers and essayists of our time available for investigation and research by the general public at the National Library (Biblioteca Nacional). This work has been essential for the ongoing publication of the Professor’s complete works, and for the development and update of the website dedicated to Prof. Lourenço. The EDP Foundation supported this project from 2011 to 2022.

From 2008 to 2022, the EDP Foundation supported the running of the Art Education UNESCO club, a project aimed at teachers, students and other individuals involved in the school community across the various levels of education. It aimed to contribute to a greater understanding of Art Education as a crucial component of a quality education for all.