About

Exploring the intersections of democracy, youth, and technology.

What We Do

The Evens Foundation aims to foster democratic resilience and imagination in an era of rapid technological and societal change.

We believe in democracy’s core promise: government for and by the people. But European democracy is struggling to keep pace. (Young) people are losing trust in its institutions, while public discourse, political participation, and civic engagement are being reshaped in ways that threaten its future.

To meet this challenge, we are investing in digital initiatives, critical thinking, education, and innovative civic participation—online and offline. We work to equip young people with the knowledge, tools, and agency to shape the futures they envision and interrogate their current realities.

Focus Areas

Based in Brussels and Warsaw and active across Europe, the Evens Foundation is a hybrid organisation—we initiate and develop projects, co-fund and collaborate, and award strategic grants to support urgent initiatives.

Our current focus areas:

Civil Society & Civic Engagement
How can we reimagine and strengthen spaces for civic engagement, making them more accessible, relevant, and impactful for young people?

Information & Algorithms
In an era of contested information, how can we challenge, harness, and reshape the algorithms that guide attention online?

Public Education
With education systems under pressure, how can we rethink learning and interrogate the role of democratic education in both formal and informal spaces?

Political Pluralism
Polarisation is deepening. How can we equip young people with the tools to navigate and depolarise political discourse and find common ground?

Our Story

The Evens Foundation was founded in 1990 by Irene Evens-Radzyminska and George Evens as a commitment to the European Project—a vision of unity and solidarity over division. Having survived World War II and found new hope in Belgium, they dedicated the Foundation to fostering a just and united Europe.

Under the leadership of their daughter, Corinne Evens, the Foundation expanded its focus to education, intercultural dialogue, and tackling racism and xenophobia.

Today, a new generation is steering the Foundation forward. Jonathan Evens and Déborah Flon are reorienting its mission, recognising the urgent need to engage young people and leverage technology to cultivate democracy in a rapidly evolving world.

Team

Joe Elborn

Executive Director

Joe Elborn works on strategic initiatives, advocacy, and partnerships at the Evens Foundation. He focuses on the intersection between democracy and technology, bringing his network from running the largest youth NGO in the world with him. He previously worked in finance and consulting.

Marjolein Delvou

Programme Curator

Trained in history and international relations, Marjolein Delvou designs and leads projects at the intersection of education and society, focusing on conflict, critical thinking and belonging. She co-curates the Evens Education Prize, identifying initiatives that support democratic values through learning and participation.

Hanna Zielinska

Programme Curator, Head of Warsaw Office

Hanna Zielińska designs and leads programmes on democracy and education, and co-curates the Evens Education Prize. Trained in cultural anthropology, she has worked with young people and adults to explore local heritage, intercultural dialogue, and storytelling in learning and connection.

Anna Winston

Communications

Anna Winston leads storytelling, outreach, and editorially focused projects at the Evens Foundation. An award-winning digital editor with a background in journalism, curation and design, she works on narratives and initiatives that explore democracy, culture, and civic life in Europe.

Caroline Coosemans

Office Administrator

Caroline Coosemans supports the day-to-day operations of the Evens Foundation as Office Administrator. With a background in administrative coordination, she ensures the smooth running of internal processes and assists the team across its programmes and partnerships.

Magdalena Braksator

Director's Office

Magdalena Braksator works in the Director’s Office at the Evens Foundation, supporting strategic initiatives and internal coordination. With experience in project management, she contributes to the planning and delivery of foundation and Evens Group activities and partnerships.

Board

Jonathan Evens

Chair

Jonathan Evens is an AI Product Leader with a decade of experience building disruptive products in domains such as the smart grid, earth observation, search and answer engines, cloud platforms and music platforms. He currently works at Google DeepMind, focusing on transforming Google Search and Google App with Gemini.

Déborah Flon

Vice-Chair

Corinne Evens

Co-Founder and Honorary President, CEO of Evens Group

With a background in mathematics, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship, Corinne Evens supports, manages and advises the Evens organisations and many other corporate and philanthropic entities on strategy and implementation.

Gerard Salole

Gerry Salole is a social anthropologist. He served as the CEO of the European Foundation Centre and currently is a Visiting Adjunct Professor at Wits Business School and the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Cultural Foundation. He sits on several African and European Philanthropic boards.

Maria Orejas

With over 20 years of leadership in European philanthropy, Maria Cova Orejas has pioneered funder collaborations and inclusion initiatives, and held key advisory roles for the EU, Social Economy Europe, and the UN. Her legal training underpins a commitment to equity, access, and collective learning, with a strong focus on democracy and youth engagement.