Organisation
The Knowledge Foundation has a staff of 15 and is based in Stockholm. CEO Eva Schelin heads the secretariat, which is divided into three units. The management team comprises the heads of the units and the CEO.
Board
The Knowledge Foundation’s board is the highest decision-making body and consists of ten members including the chairman. The board has a capital committee to assist in the management of the capital at the foundation’s disposal. The capital committee consists of three of the board’s members and three external experts.
Fr.l. lower line Peter Dobers, Elisabeth Nilsson (chair), Eugenia Perez Vico, Thomas Strand, Ericka Johnson. Photo: Pavel Koubek, Icon-Photo
The following people are part of the Knowledge Foundation’s board
- Elisabeth Nilsson, Chairman; Former Governor
- Leif G Anderson, Professor Emeritus
- Peter Dobers, Professor, Södertörn University
- Ericka Johnson, Professor, Gender & Society, Linköping University
- Arne Lidén, Chairman of the Investment Committee
- Gert Nilson, Technical Director, Jernkontoret
- Eugenia Perez Vico, Associate senior lecturer at Department of Administration, Lund University
- Rolf Skoglund, Entreprenuer
- Thomas Strand, Region Jönköpings län. Former Member of Parliament
The Board’s current mandate period is 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2025. Two Board members are appointed by the Government and the remaining eight by the Board itself. Seven Board members are each proposed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) and by the Secretaries General of the Swedish Research Council, and the Directors General of the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte), Formas, the government research council for sustainable development, and Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova, while the remaining board member is proposed by the Board.
Capital management
The capital on which the Knowledge Foundation’s work is based amounted to SEK 3.6 billion at the start in 1994. The original capital and its return in the form of dividends and capital appreciation is the only source of financing to cover the payments we disburse. Good management means our capital has grown to about SEK 10 billion (at the end of 2021). To date, SEK 11.1 billion has been paid out as project funding.
A Capital Committee is the decision-making body which manages the capital within the investment guidelines decided by the Board and has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that these guidelines are followed. Ethical and environmental guidelines are applied in capital management, and regular reviews are conducted to ensure a long-term sustainable approach.