Nurturing a philanthropic legacy rooted in values
For over 150 years, the Edmond de Rothschild generations have engaged in the arts, and scientific and social initiatives to answer the needs of their time. The family has sustained this tradition of giving, transforming it from charity into philanthropic leadership.
Where Values Meet Action
Today, the Edmond de Rothschild Family Philanthropy encompasses different foundations.
On the one hand, operational foundations which raise funds to run and manage their programmes: the Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital (HFAR), a leading non-profit hospital specialized in head and neck; OPEJ Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, a child protection NGO active in the greater Paris area; and the Edmond de Rothschild Partnerships, carrying out leadership programmes for youth from diverse backgrounds. On the other hand, there are Edmond de Rothschild grant-making foundations, which support different organisations, focusing on talent development and innovative models for change in society.
These foundations share a common belief in the power of change-makers to transform the world. They are a testament to the family’s commitment to fostering audacity, entrepreneurial spirit, diversity, inclusion, and care for all.
Tracing our roots
Edmond de Rothschild (1845–1934), the youngest son of James (1792–1868) and Betty de Rothschild (1805–1886), grew up in an environment rich in intellectual and artistic influences. His parents, deeply committed to social causes, had established the French branch of the Rothschild family and hosted a renowned Parisian salon bringing together notables such as Alexandre Dumas, Honoré de Balzac, and Frédéric Chopin. They also organized galas and lotteries to fund charitable initiatives, which included a hospital and an orphanage.
Shaped by his cultured upbringing, Edmond developed a deep and diverse passion for the arts and a keen curiosity for the sciences. His dedication to fostering knowledge, education, and access in these areas was a driving force throughout his life. His travels further expanded his understanding of society’s needs and opportunities available at the time, allowing him to support bold and innovative social solutions.
Edmond de Rothschild’s portrait
by Rene Godard
Broadening Access to
Cultural Treasures
Edmond de Rothschild collection at the Louvre Museum
A passionate and discerning art collector, who acquired and donated to several museums across France, prints, drawings, paintings, costumes, and sculptures, Edmond championed the idea of sharing knowledge and cultural treasures with a wider public.
Boscoreale Treasure at the Louvre Museum
In 1895, for instance, he acquired the Boscoreale Treasure—Roman silverware and jewelry unearthed near Pompeii—and immediately donated it to the Louvre Museum, where it could be preserved and studied. His generosity extended to his private collection of prints and drawings. He left carefully drafted instructions for the donation of his collection composed of more than 90,000 pieces, including drawings from masters such as Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci, to the Louvre Museum after he died in 1935 by his children. This donation alone led to the creation of the Louvre’s Graphic Arts Department—a resource that remains open to researchers and is presented to the public through exhibitions.
Pioneering Scientific
Endeavors
Edmond recognized the vital role of scientific discovery in advancing society’s knowledge of the past and future.
Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology (IBPC)
In addition to supporting archaeologists like Charles Clermont-Ganneau, he founded a Paris-based organization in 1921 to aid leading scientists, including Nobel Prize winners Marie Curie and Jean Perrin. It was Perrin who, between the two world wars, when science was starving for development funds, persuaded Edmond to support the creation of the French Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology (IBPC) in 1927. A groundbreaking organization that brought together biologists, physicists, and chemists, the IBPC revolutionized scientific research by fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and allowing scholars to focus full-time on their work. This institute laid the foundations for the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the French national research organisation founded in 1939, of which it is now a part.
Addressing Social
Challenges
Edmond was also concerned with social issues, approaching these challenges with generous and audacious initiatives.
In 1904, Edmond and his brothers founded the Compagnie de Logement Social [HBM] Fondation Rothschild, which built 1,200 affordable housing units in Paris. This ambitious project, both in size and scope, included excellent sanitation and educational facilities, setting a new standard for social housing in France.
In the early 1900s, Edmond also expanded the hospital founded by his father on Rue de Picpus in Paris, equipping it with the latest technology available at the time.
The common area at Le Toit Familial
Edmond and Adelheid de Rothschild visit the early settlements of the Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution
Many decades later, the hospital was incorporated into the public healthcare system. Earlier, starting in 1877, Edmond led the Comité de Bienfaisance Israélite de Paris (CBIP), which offered healthcare and other services to the Jewish community. Through this mechanism, his wife, Adelheid von Rothschild, also contributed to these efforts, donating a building to CBIP to support the establishment of Le Toit Familial, a center that provided not only shelter for young single women migrating to the city but also access to education and vocational training.
Edmond’s generosity extended beyond France, as he committed to support, as of the 1880s, the Jewish migrants fleeing persecutions in Russia and eastern Europe, who settled in the “the Land of our ancestors”, as he would call it, at the time under Ottoman rule. He provided funding, land, and resources to support healthcare, education, and agricultural and economic development, including digging wells, introducing new crops and livestock, and fostering local industries such as silk and wine production.
Building
on the past
The family remains committed to these values, adapting to the evolving needs of each generation while preserving the philanthropic tradition that Edmond shaped. Since Edmond’s time, three generations of Rothschilds have continued this work.
Ariane de Rothschild with laureates of the Ariane de Rothschild Women’s Doctoral Program
Today, Ariane de Rothschild, wife of Benjamin de Rothschild (1963–2021), leads the Edmond de Rothschild branch of the family alongside their four daughters.
The family also honors the legacy of Adolphe (1823–1900) and Julie de Rothschild (1830–1907) from the Italian branch, whose contributions include establishing the Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital (HFAR) in Paris, which the family still presides over.