Fondation Cuomo, Monaco - Educating, Enabling, Empowering… EN

Art of Education…

…Is Education of The Heart

A private foundation, based in Monaco with an international outlook.

Helping The Vulnerable since 2001…

The Foundation was established in 2001 in Monaco by an Italian couple, Alfredo and Maria Elena Cuomo, who originally had one simple vision—to help support vulnerable children in India to gain access to educational attainment and better life chances.

Born in Rome, Alfredo Cuomo was a Fulbright scholar who established his reputation as a producer in the international film industry. Maria Elena Cuomo, also from Rome, graduated from La Sapienza University with a particular interest in Latin and Greek culture and had a successful career in the global banking sector.

As enthusiastic art collectors and adventurous explorers, particularly in India and Africa, they reached a point in their lives where they wanted to create positive philanthropy for the most vulnerable.

In the early 2000s, they established a foundation in their name and primarily focused their efforts in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. They built schools, dormitories, and other facilities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Even today, 5,000 primary and secondary school-age children attend these institutions. Since 2004, over 500 scholarships have supported students in pursuing higher education.

Other initiatives took root in Europe, primarily in Monaco. Gradually, their actions expanded to other regions of the world.

After Alfredo Cuomo's passing in 2009, Maria Elena Cuomo challenged herself and the foundation to evolve and broaden its goals, achievements, and partnerships.

Today, the foundation remains active globally in the fields of education, social assistance, environmental research, and culture.

Alfredo Cuomo (1933 – 2009)

Learn More

Born in Rome, Alfredo Cuomo was a Fulbright student scholarship recipient who made his reputation and built his wealth as a producer in the international film industry. At a later stage of his career, he dedicated a part of his personal assets to the foundation which would bear his name.

Maria Elena Cuomo

Learn More

Maria Elena Cuomo, born in Sicily, graduated from the Sapienza University of Rome with a special interest in Latin and Greek culture and enjoyed a successful career in the global banking business. She met Alfredo Cuomo in early 1990’s and together travelled the world and helped the needy. After the untimely death of her husband, she took the reins of the Foundation in 2009.