Draft:DD Foundation

The DD Foundation (abbreviated from the Foundation for Science and Liberal Arts - Domus Dorpatensis, "Tartu House", in Latin) is an Estonian non-governmental civil society organization.

The DD Foundation was founded in 2002 by Professor Anton Axel von Rücker of the University of Bonn, Professor Jenik Radon of Columbia University and Nils Hollberg, Chairman of the Union for Developing Baltic Architectural Mementos.

In 2011, the DD Foundation was named the NGO of the Year in Tartu and Tartu County. The founder of the Foundation Anton Axel von Rücker is a recipient of the Tartu Medal.

The members of the Board of the DD Foundation are Martin A. Noorkõiv (CEO), Triin Mirjam Tark, Reelika Alunurm and Heiki Tamm.

Objectives and activities of the DD Foundation
The aim of the DD Foundation is to support and disseminate scientific, social and cultural knowledge.

In order to achieve this goal, the DD Foundation has developed a free non-formal learning programme, the DD Academy. The programme develops students into future social change agents, based on the concept of an open society. The DD Academy inspires young people to take the development of society as their goal and provides them with the knowledge and experience to do so. The training programme uses interactive methods and teaches debating, self-management, teamwork, systems thinking, leadership and much more. As of 2019, the programme has been operating in Riga, in addition to Tartu.

Since 2018, DD StratLab, a strategy consultancy service provider, has been operating under the DD Foundation. In this line of action, the DD Foundation helps public and third sector organisations to design and implement processes for creating development plans and other strategies. In the field of strategy consulting, DD StratLab provides a full range of services, including strategy consulting, strategy development, strategy development, strategy development and strategy implementation.

In 2022, the DD Foundation launched the new Center for Developing Democracy in cooperation with the Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations, the Estonian Cooperation Assembly, the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu, the Green Tiger Foundation and the NGO Opinion Festival. The Center will work with partners in three directions: 1) promoting democracy research; 2) launching public debate on democracy; 3) directly developing democratic institutions.