Foundation for Subsidiarity

The Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà (Foundation for Subsidiarity) is an Italian cultural organization dedicated to studying and promoting the principle of subsidiarity — the idea that decisions should be taken at the most local level possible and that civil society, families and intermediate bodies should be empowered alongside public institutions. It operates as a non-profit foundation and is based in Italy, with its public profile centred on its website sussidiarieta.net. The foundation produces research reports, books and periodicals, and organizes conferences and award ceremonies. Its flagship recurring publication is the annual "Rapporto sulla sussidiarietà" (Subsidiarity Report), which examines how subsidiarity works in practice across policy areas such as health, welfare and education. It also publishes the journal "Nuova Atlantide" and runs the "Premio Sussidiarietà" (Subsidiarity Prize), an award recognizing exemplary practices of collaboration between institutions and civil society. Its public activities are closely associated with the economist Giorgio Vittadini, who appears as a leading voice in its communications and writings. The foundation engages with Italian public debate through newspapers, events and partnerships, and its materials are aimed at policymakers, academics, civil-society organizations and the general public. As a cultural foundation rather than a commercial enterprise, it does not sell products in the conventional sense; its "offerings" are research, publications, events and awards. Its positioning is that of a non-partisan think-tank and cultural promoter advancing a vision of society in which public institutions and civil society share responsibility for the common good.

The Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà is an Italian cultural organization whose work centres on the principle of subsidiarity. It is described in public reference sources simply as an "Italian cultural organization," and its own communications present it as a foundation engaged in research, publishing and public events rather than as a commercial business. Over time the foundation has built a recognizable public programme. Its annual "Rapporto sulla sussidiarietà" has become a recurring point of reference in Italian debates about welfare, health and the role of civil society. The foundation also publishes the journal "Nuova Atlantide," which carries essays and interviews with international thinkers, and it runs the "Premio Sussidiarietà," an award that highlights practical examples of collaboration between public institutions and civil society. In 2026 the foundation's activities included the presentation of a health report in Varese, with a message from Giorgetti arguing for more subsidiarity so that resources become care; the second edition of the Subsidiarity Prize, awarded in Tolmezzo to Protezione civile, Vigili del fuoco and Alpini for a model of cooperation born from the earthquake in Friuli; and the presentation of its 2025/2026 research in Rimini on the theme "Subsidiarity and... health." Its leading public voice, Giorgio Vittadini, has argued in national media that subsidiarity does not mean sending the State into retirement, but rather systematizing the contribution of all actors under the coordination of public institutions. The foundation's history is therefore best understood as an evolving programme of research, publishing and civic engagement rather than a sequence of commercial milestones. Its identity is tied to the promotion of a specific social idea — the centrality of the person and the shared responsibility of institutions and society — and to the network of scholars, policymakers and civil-society organizations that engage with its work.

• Giorgio Vittadini publishes an article in Corriere della sera/Buone Notizie arguing that subsidiarity does not send the State into retirement.

• Second edition of the Premio Sussidiarietà awarded in Tolmezzo to Protezione civile, Vigili del fuoco and Alpini.

• Health report presented in Varese, with a message from Giorgetti on subsidiarity and care.

• Nuova Atlantide no. 18 (2026) features Michael Sandel on freedom as participation.

• The Foundation's 2025/2026 research on "Subsidiarity and... health" presented in Rimini.

Non-partisan cultural foundation and think-tank promoting subsidiarity in Italian public debate.

• Rapporto sulla sussidiarietà (annual Subsidiarity Report)

  Flagship annual research report examining subsidiarity in practice across policy areas.

• Nuova Atlantide journal

  Periodical carrying essays and interviews, including with international thinkers such as Michael Sandel.

• Premio Sussidiarietà (Subsidiarity Prize)

  Award recognizing exemplary collaboration between institutions and civil society.

1. 1Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà — official websitesussidiarieta.net
2. 2Foundation for subsidiarity — Wikidatawikidata.org