SENSE Foundation Brussels supports projects, initiatives and non-profit organisations in Belgium and abroad that align with its objectives: 

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- Supporting scientific research and/or projects focused on improving and protecting health (with a specific focus on genetics and nutrition), the environment and sustainable development;
 

- Supporting students who study or carry out research in genetics or nutrition, environment protection and sustainable development, as well as in specific arts and culture areas, but who lack sufficient financial resources (merit and need-based scholarships);

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- Providing ad hoc assistance to charitable organisations helping people dealing with specific/temporary hardship.

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Inclusion, Equality and Diversity are important values for the SENSE Foundation Brussels. Projects carried by or benefiting women and / or minorities will receive particular focus. When possible, grants to students will favor Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

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SENSE Foundation Brussels' contributions

- The requested funding represents a maximum of 25% of the total annual cost of the project, including staff costs if applicable, and does not exceed €25,000. Should you receive a grant from the Foundation, a maximum of 10% of the funds can be allocated to overheads.
- Contributions are usually one-off and mostly non recurring (except funds to Universities, which provide grants to their students).

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Eligibility Criteria

- The organisation submitting the application is legally registered as a non-profit and has an activities track-record of at least 24 months;

- The submitted project will be fully or partially implemented in 2025/2026;

- The project is impactful and aligned with the objectives of the Foundation;

- The project description must clearly mention the needs it addresses, its positive impact and the effective use of the funds;

- Only one application per calendar year per organisation will be accepted;

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​Exclusion Criteria

- Organisations with overhead ratios higher than 20%. Overheads include such items as HR, advertising, and fundraising campaigns, but do not include the costs of staff working directly on projects. The overhead ratio is a total of these costs expressed as a percentage of all the funds received by the organisation;

- Organisations which failed to provide the requested impact report for any current or past projects supported by the Foundation;

- Projects which are not aligned with the Foundation's objectives;

- Commercial sponsorship requests, sponsoring of sports or cultural events, sponsoring of fundraising activities for NGOs and other charitable causes;

- Projects / charities directly affiliated with any political or religious organisation or actively promoting any particular faith or ideology;

- Incomplete submissions;

- Projects previously submitted and rejected;

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Evaluation Criteria

- The project addresses 2 or more objectives of the Foundation, and is in line with the Foundation's inclusion, equality and diversity values;

- The Foundation's support contributes to a positive and lasting impact (sustainable approach);

- The project methodology is sufficiently described, realistic, and coherent;

- The Foundation’s contribution provides a “booster” to the organisation supported, to find additional funding from other sources or make progress beyond the amount that may be contributed by the SENSE Foundation Brussels;

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Selection Process

All applications will first be reviewed by the Foundation Team to make sure they are complete and aligned with the Foundation’s objectives. It may be that the Foundation Team asks for additional information. Any questions will be provided via email.

The valid applications will then be reviewed, twice a year (July and December), by the Steering Committee of the Foundation, which will select the proposals according to the objectives of the Foundation, its priority areas of focus and the overall impact of the proposed action.

The selected beneficiaries will be notified after each review round.

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For projects that are selected, the following fall (October / November 2026) the Foundation will provide a link to an online reporting form. This simple impact report in English will help the Foundation understand the use of the allocated funds and how they provided support.

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