Our selection process

We work with a limited number of organizations — 8 per 3-year cycle — to ensure high-quality strategic guidance. This approach allows us to build strong, trusting relationships and to provide tailored, in-depth expertise.

Our selection criteria

Strategic alignment: projecting ourselves together

Confirming a shared vision of impact and defining where we can go together.

1 - Transform the School system sustainably

Innovative approach, systemic vision, influencing capacities

2 - Create synergies with the Fondation Altitudes ecosystem

Connections, cooperation, alliances

3 - Amplify impact

Scaling, dissemination, replicability

4 - Adopt a user-centric approach

Students, teachers, families; field observation, co-design

5 - Foster an entrepreneurial mindset

Innovation, agility, resilience, solution-oriented approach

Understanding the starting point: calibrating the right support

Assessing the organisation’s maturity to design an appropriate support model.

1 - Financial health & economic model

Vision, dependencies, room for manoeuvre, long-term sustainability

2 - Governance & Reputation

Clarity of responsibilities, transparency, alignment of values

3 - Team & leadership

Talent, skills development, culture, managerial capacity

4 - Operational quality & learning

Processes, quality of implementation, monitoring, continuous improvement

To learn more, explore our commitment charter and our evaluation framework.

Our 5-step approach

1

Review of the application file

2

First meeting

3

Understanding the organization and its key challenges

4

Partnership proposal

5

Follow-up and commitments

1

Review of the application file

We begin by analyzing the documentation provided by the organization in order to better understand its activities, ambitions, and model.
Examples of requested documents:

Presentation
Annual report
Impact study
Scaling strategy

2

First meeting

An initial conversation with the leadership team allows us to:

explore potential synergies,
share our respective visions for education,
assess our mutual desire to collaborate.

This is the moment when the first foundations of a trusting relationship are laid.

3

Understanding the organization and its key challenges

We complete our analysis (see our selection criteria and evaluation framework).
Depending on the needs, this may include:

a field visit,
experiencing the service firsthand,
conversations with beneficiaries, teams, volunteers, donors, and partners.

This step allows us to identify strengths, areas of attention, and the relevance of the project for the Altitudes Foundation.

4

Partnership proposal

If the conditions are met, we will invite you to draft a partnership proposal. Once finalized, it will be submitted to Fondation Caritas France, our umbrella foundation.

5

Follow-up and commitments

Our ambition is to be a strategic partner, fully committed alongside the organization to support its mission and roadmap.

Therefore, we do not earmark funds for specific projects or programs (unless the organization explicitly requests it).
The organization is free to use the funds to fulfill its mission of general interest, including covering operating costs (recruitment, facilities, services, etc.).

Even without earmarking, we place great importance on transparency. We therefore request:

Upfront: presentation of the planned use of the grant and how it contributes to the objectives;
During the partnership: regular follow-up meetings (strategic committees, progress reviews on agreed workstreams, etc.);
Each year: an assessment of results achieved and future outlooks.

Our commitments are generally made for 3 years, with an annual review clause to evaluate progress and ensure continued alignment with our initial criteria.
Our allocations are indexed to the USD → EUR exchange rate and may fluctuate from year to year.

Together, we build the foundations of a solid collaboration to reach your objectives.

Contact us