Foundations

  • Elections Held for the II. Term of the Council of Foundations
    A Council of Foundations composed of representatives of foundations as well as public officials was established as the highest decision-making body of General Directorate of Foundations (GDF) after the adoption of a new Law on Foundations in 2008. The elections for the 5 seats allocated to foundations’ representatives for the second term of the Council was held on December 25th, 2011. Süleyman Savat, İslam Emiroğlu, and Ahmet Özdemir were elected as the representatives of “new” foundations (established after 1923) while Bilal Sarı and Pandeli Laki Vingas will represent “old” foundations established by non-Muslim minority communities and Muslim founders during the Ottoman Era. 06/03/2012
  • Amendment on Law on Foundations regarding Minority Foundations

    According to the decree, published in the Official Gazette on August 27th, minority foundations can reclaim property -- including cemeteries, fountains, schools, hospitals and orphanages -- that they have declared since 1936. Real estate that has been re-sold to third parties will also be paid for after the current value is determined by the Ministry of Finance. To reclaim their property, minority foundations must apply to Turkish authorities within a year. Each application must be approved by parliament, after which the property will be registered in the name of the foundation by the registration office. In 2008, parliament amended the Foundations Law, expanding the rights of minority religious groups to acquire new property and recover their confiscated property. (Source: http://southerndailypress.com) 25/10/2011

  • New EFC Legal and Fiscal Country Profiles are now available

    The EFC announced the publication of updated editions of its Legal and Fiscal Country Profiles. The profiles map the diverse legal and fiscal environments for foundations across 30 countries and are available to download here. The mapping has widened in scope since the previous update. The profiles now cover the 27 EU Member States, plus Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine. As well as addressing topics such as the requirements for setting up a foundation and the purposes and activities that foundations are permitted to pursue, the profiles look at the tax treatment of foundations and donors by each country in both domestic and cross-border contexts. In addition, the profiles now include some extra data on governance and supervision of foundations and a section on recent national trends and developments affecting foundations in the countries surveyed. Turkey profile was prepared by TUSEV and can be reached at http://www.efc.be/programmes_services/resources/Documents/turkey.pdf
    04/04/2011

  • Appointment of General Director at the General Directorate of Foundations
    After serving for eight years as the Head of General Directorate of Foundations, Mr. Yusuf Beyazit retired and Dr. Adnan Ertem was appointed to his position as of October 13, 2010. Dr. Ertem has served in various positions at the General Directorate and he was serving as a Deputy Secretary to the Prime Minister since 2007. 03/01/2011
  • The Minimum Amounth of Assets Required to Start a Foundation

    The new Law on Foundations adopted in February 2008 stipulated that the minimum amount of assets required to start a foundation would be determined each year by the Council of Foundations, a decision-making body of General Directorate of Foundations. Thereby, a new regulation of the Council of Foundations determined the minimum amount of assets needed to establish a foundation for the year 2009 as at least 50.000 TL (approximately 23.000 Euros).