Vaduz

The headquarters of the Onassis Foundation

In accordance with the wishes of Aristotle Onassis, the Onassis foundation is headquartered in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. In December 1975, two separate organizations were established in this principate situated between Austria and Switzerland: A Business Foundation pursuing purely commercial interests, and a Charitable Foundation working solely for the public benefit. This structure ensures that the business activities of the former are kept entirely separate from the efforts of the latter.

The Business Foundation is active in shipping and other industries, and the Public Benefit Foundation is its sole beneficiary. In accordance with the will of Aristotle Onassis, the Public Benefit Foundation receives around 40% of the Business Foundation’s annual net profits, with the remaining 60% being reinvested each year. The Onassis Foundation’s Board of Directors regularly convenes for meetings at the Foundation’s headquarters in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Onassis events in Vaduz

In 2016, as part of its fortieth anniversary celebrations, the Onassis Foundation inaugurated an events series that spotlights Greek culture in Europe: Onassis Events.Today, the Onassis Events program has established itself as one of the town’s major happenings, attracting both large visitor numbers and major cultural activities, helping in this way to promote Greece’s cultural achievements in Europe, and to boost the visibility of Greek values and contributions to European history, society, culture, language and democracy. These events bring people together in dialogue – academics and researchers, but also artists active in film, theater, dance and music, from Greece and from around the world. Important cultural institutions work in collaboration with Onassis Events, such as the internationally-renowned Vaduz FilmFest, which screens select Greek films each year as part of its program.

Public Benefit Foundation