Created in 1992, the Total Foundation provides long-term support to initiatives of public interest, conducted by public and private partners in Total’s host countries, and fosters closer ties with local communities. The aim is to build local capacity for the future and to develop models that can be reproduced elsewhere. Today, the Total Foundation is France's largest corporate foundation. Together with Total’s corporate philanthropy projects, its initiatives represent close to €30 million each year.  

Infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, acute diarrhea, tuberculosis and malaria, primarily affect poor communities. Children are particularly vulnerable.

The Total Foundation has been partnering the Pasteur Institute in the global fight against infectious diseases since 2005.

Under the guidance of Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine and the partnership’s scientific advisor, the Total Foundation supports:

• The development of research programs.
• Training for local health care teams.
• Public health initiatives in Total’s host countries.

As part of the partnership, projects are developed with various Pasteur Institutes, both in Paris and worldwide. In Bangui in the Central African Republic and in Madagascar, the Foundation’s support has made it possible to develop tools for quick diagnosis of the causes of childhood diarrhea, to upgrade local health centers and to provide training to health care and social workers. In countries like Cameroon, Madagascar and Morocco, the Foundation also supports a large number of local programs, including campaigns to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

As a partner of such major French cultural institutions as the Louvre Museum, the Quai Branly Museum, the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) and the Pompidou Center, the Total Foundation actively nurtures cultural dialogue. The Foundation regularly sponsors exhibitions, with a particular emphasis on showcasing and celebrating the history and cultures of North Africa and the Middle East, where Total has a strong presence.

That’s why the Total Foundation is the biggest French corporate donor to the Louvre’s Department of Islamic Arts, which opened its doors to the public in September 2012.

To promote access to culture for everyone, the Foundation leverages its contacts and experience to create gateways between cultural and community-based initiatives, for example by organizing open houses at major French museums for members of disadvantaged communities.

The Total Foundation also helps to protect France’s cultural heritage, supporting the restoration of industrial, cultural and traditional craft heritage sites in the country’s regions in partnership with French heritage preservation association Fondation du Patrimoine.

As part of our ongoing commitment to helping young people, Total signed a partnership agreement with the French government in 2009 to support its Fonds d'expérimentation pour la jeunesse (FEJ), which aims to identify and assess innovative social inclusion and workforce entry initiatives that could inspire public policy. As the fund’s biggest contributor, Total is actively taking part in developing policies that help young people find their place in society.

The Total Foundation team also facilitates networking among non-profit organizations, young people and business, supporting initiatives that cover the entire education process right up to workforce entry. Examples include providing funding for France’s Internats d'Excellence boarding schools, helping young people obtain their drivers’ license and promoting access to culture.

Unfortunately, marine and coastal ecosystems are particularly fragile and increasingly under threat.

To help preserve them, the Total Foundation forges partnerships with respected environmental organizations to achieve three strategically related objectives:

• Improving our knowledge of biodiversity.
• Protecting and preserving endangered species and ecosystems.
• Raising awareness of biodiversity issues through information and education initiatives.