Who we are
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.
Go to: Our team - Our board - Our statutes - Our annual report - Who funds us?
Our team
Belén Balanyá
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Climate, Energy, Environment
Belen.balanya@corporateeurope.org
Vicky Cann
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Lobbying the EU, Chemicals policy, Environmental justice
Vicky.cann@corporateeurope.org
0044 7960 988096
Kenneth Haar
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Economic and social justice, democracy
kenneth.haar@corporateeurope.org
0045 2360 0631
Olivier Hoedeman
Research and campaign coordinator
Work areas: Lobbying the EU
Olivier.hoedeman@corporateeurope.org
0032 4 74486545
Nina Holland
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Agribusiness, GMOs, Lobbying the EU, EFSA
Nina.holland@corporateeurope.org
Pascoe Sabido
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Lobbying the EU, Expert groups, Climate, Energy, Environment
Pascoe.sabido@corporateeurope.org
Hans van Scharen
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Agribusiness & Food, Pesticides, GMOs, Lobbying the EU
Hans@corporateeurope.org
0032 484 729776
Bram Vranken
Researcher and campaigner
Work areas: Big Tech, economic and social justice
Bram@corporateeurope.org
Our board
CEO's board consists of three members:
Pratap Chatterjee (India/US)
Brid Brennan (The Netherlands/Ireland)
Saskia Ozinga (Belgium)
Our advisory council includes the board members as well as:
Jakub Patočka (Czech Republic)
Thomas Wallgren (Finland)
Emma Avilés (Spain)
Lisa Mittendrein (Austria)
Sol Trumbo Vila (Spain)
Ajda Pistotnik (Slovenia)
Our annual report
Take a look at our research and campaigning highlights from last year, and discover some of the great coverage of our work in our 2023 annual report. You can also take a look at our annual reports from 2022 and 2021.
Who funds us?
Corporate Europe Observatory receives donations from individual supporters as well as grants from a number of trusts and grant-making foundations. Our funding policy rejects funding from EU institutions and corporations in order to maintain the independence of our research. You can access our CEO accounts 2008-2024 here. Currently the following trusts and foundations are supporting us financially. This table will be updated accordingly.
| Name of foundation | Mission statement | CEO activities funded | Update on recent grants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isvara Foundation | The Isvara Foundation was established in 2007 and is fully funded by a donation from founder Ayman Jallad. It is "a progressive trust that awards grants to civil society organisations working to halt the unsustainable and socially destructive neo-liberal policies that characterize the currently dominant process of corporate-led globalisation." | Investigating corporate influence & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 100,000 (1-1-2024 to 31-12-2024) |
| Adessium Foundation | “Adessium Foundation was established in 2005 by the Van Vliet family, which has a background in asset management.” “The Foundation works to achieve a balanced society characterized by integrity, a balance between people and nature, and social harmony.“ | Investigating corporate influence & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 147,817 (part of a 3-year grant, 2023-2025 and an extra project Weeffouten) |
| Open Society Initiative for Europe | The Open Society Foundations were set up in 1979 by George Soros. “The Open Society Initiative for Europe aims to contribute to more vibrant and legitimate democracies in the European Union by supporting the activists and civil society organizations confronting Europe’s many challenges.” | Investigating corporate influence & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 25,000 (part of a gift in 2023, total €136,063) |
| Global Greengrants Fund US | Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) believes solutions to environmental harm and social injustice come from people whose lives are most impacted. Every day, our global network of people on the frontlines and donors comes together to support communities to protect their ways of life and our planet. CEO's Olivier Hoedeman was a member of the board of GGF UK/EU between May 2018 and November 2024. | Investigating corporate influence (EU food and agriculture policies) & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | $ 30,000 (from (1-2-2024 to 31-12-2024) |
| OAK Foundation | "Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social, and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. Through our grant-making, we support others to make the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place to live" | Environmental Justice Campaign | € 45,000 (from 1-4-2024 to 31-3-2025) |
| Fondation pour le progrès de l'Homme | “The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind (fph) is a foundation under Swiss law. Our aim is to contribute to the emergence of a global community. Our work focuses on governance, ethics and sustainable living modes.” | Investigating corporate influence & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 40,000 (from 1-1-2024 to 31-12-2024) |
| European Climate Foundation | The European Climate Foundation is dedicated to responding to the global climate crisis by creating a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions society. | Investigating corporate influence (EU climate and energy policies), & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 40,000 (from 1-7-2024 to 30-6-2025) |
| Tides | "Tides is a philanthropic partner and nonprofit accelerator dedicated to building a world of shared prosperity and social justice." | Investigating corporate influence (EU food and agriculture and chemicals policy), & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | US$ 90,000 (from 5-12-2024 to 5-12-2025) |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is a funder collaborative that supports international strategies to create the conditions for a just and equitable energy transition, in line with the Paris climate limits. RPA supports civil society organizations working at the regional and global level to secure a just and equitable transition. | EU climate and energy policies | € 229,000 (from 4-9-2024 to 3-9-2025) |
| CS Fund | CS Fund believe diversity and the free exchange of ideas and information are critical to the health of society, enabling it to acknowledge and adapt in a productive, timely, and deliberate fashion to changing needs and circumstances. Dissent is honorable, desirable, and essential to responsible social evolution and, they believe, to survival | Environmental Justice Campaign | US$ 20,000 (from 1-1-2024 to 31-12-2025) |
(not to be confused with the now | Olin gGmbH “is committed to the protection of natural habitats. The focus of Olin is the temporary support of smaller organizations and projects.” “Olin gGmbH was founded in May 2012 by Alexander Szlovák. It receives its financial resources from his private foundation.” | Investigating corporate influence (EU food and agriculture policies) & strengthening EU lobbying regulation | € 50,000 (from 1-1-2024 to 31-12-2024) |
| Luminate | Reset provides "grants and contracts while working alongside partners with a shared policy, technology, and advocacy agenda in countries with immediate opportunities for change. Our goal is to stop Big Tech companies from profiting off public harm by resetting the rules for online media. Every other major industry – from automotive to pharmaceutical, telecommunications to banking – must follow rules that protect the public interest. Tech giants should be no different. | US$ 100.000 (from 2-12-2024 to 14-12-2025) | |
| Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation | The Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation (PPCF) is a grant-giving trust with Quaker family roots. Their assets have been given to the Foundation by some family members and the capital originated from (formerly) Quaker owned businesses. PPCF's priority is "to address systemic threats by seeking to change policy and attitudes at a national, European or international level | Fossil Free Politics Campaign | € 116,877 (from 1-1-2025 to 31-12-2025) |
| The Sigrid Rausing Trust supports human rights and the rule of law, particularly in repressive or transitional societies. They support work defending minorities and marginalised people in hostile environments. We take a particular interest in combatting gender-based violence and discrimination against women. Finally, they also fund conservation initiatives, advocacy on toxics and pollution, and work on corruption. | Environmental Justice | £ 340,000 GBP (from 1-1-2024 to 31-12-2025) |
| KR-RPA-ECF consortium | CEO participates in a cooperation with FoEE, working on Fossil Fuels | Climate Justice | € 50,000 (from 1-1-2024 to 31-12-2025) |
| Total grant funding in 2024 | € 1,120,950 |