Samuel Eto'o Foundation
The Foundation
Built on a simple conviction: talent and determination are everywhere, the means to act on them are not.
The Foundation
Our mission
To find, fund and support projects and people who need a hand to move forward, guaranteeing every application a serious review and an answer.
The Foundation did not start with a strategy. It started with requests that had to be answered, and with the realisation that answering them case by case was no longer enough.
- Projects supported
- 412Projects supportedSince the Foundation was created, across all areas.
- People supported
- 18 600People supportedDirect beneficiaries and their family members.
- Countries
- 9CountriesAcross Central and West Africa, and Europe.
- Files reviewed within 8 weeks
- 87 %Files reviewed within 8 weeksMeasured between submission and final answer.
Illustrative figures — to be replaced with the Foundation's real data.
The Foundation
Our principles
Funding decisions are not made by one person. A committee examines the files prepared by the team, and the board sets the direction and approves the accounts.
- 01
Every application is read
No application submitted through this site goes unanswered, whatever the final decision.
- 02
Transparency
The criteria are public and your application status is visible online at every stage.
- 03
Proximity
We favour projects rooted in their community and led by the people who live there.
- 04
Continuity
Beyond funding, support continues over time whenever that is useful.
Our approach
Fund what is missing, not what already exists
We step in where one specific blockage stops a project: a machine, a registration fee, a piece of equipment. The rest is often already there.
Follow up after the payment
Funding without follow-up rarely produces lasting results. Every selected project is supported, and we report on what worked as well as what failed.
Decide on the file, not on connections
Criteria are public and applications go through the website only. Nobody receives support because they know someone.
Our history
Milestones
From one-off grants handed over in person to a platform where every request gets an answer.
2020
Responding to the health emergency
Programmes are temporarily redirected towards emergency aid: health equipment, support for families who lost their income, backing for local care facilities.
2022
Support beyond funding
The lesson is clear: a cheque is not enough. A network of volunteer mentors is set up to follow project leaders over several years.
2024
Online applications
A single platform for submitting and tracking applications opens. The goal: put an end to requests by private message, a source of inequality and of scams run in the Foundation's name.