Porticus is the international organisation that manages and develops the philanthropic programmes of charitable entities established by Brenninkmeijer family entrepreneurs. They provide these entities with strategic advice on programmes and offer them a full array of grant management services. Every year, approximately 2,000 projects are supported in almost 90 countries around the world.
Porticus builds on a heritage of charitable engagement that dates back to Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer, the two brothers who founded the clothing retailer C&A in 1841. In fact, the first record of a gift can be found in the personal ledger of August who, only months after founding the company, recorded a donation “to the poor”.
It was from these modest beginnings that the culture of responsibility and engagement developed. As natural as it was for the company’s founders to share their good fortune with the needy, so too was it natural for them to do so quietly. As the business grew and expanded globally, the generations of family entrepreneurs that followed continued and solidified the tradition of charitable giving.
