Who we are
History
Members of the Management Committee
How we work with the IFE
How your money can help
Key areas and projects your money supports
Concrete examples of how your money can help
How to donate / Donate online
Single Donation
Regular Monthly /Annual Donation
Gift Aid information
Contact us
Who we are
The Friends of the Institut francais d’Ecosse was recognised as a Scottish Charity in August 1999.
The objectives of the Society are twofold. First, it aims to advance the education of the general public in Scotland concerning all aspects of French culture by fostering in the general public in Scotland a knowledge, understanding and experience of all aspects of French culture, and by encouraging Franco-Scottish cooperation in cultural activities.
Second, it aims to act as a fund-raiser whose sole purpose is to ensure that the financial resources which it manages to generate on behalf of the Institut Francais d’Écosse can help the latter to be as ambitious as it possibly can in all its cultural activities.
The Society of the Friends of the Institut francais d’Ecosse is registered as a charity under the number SCO29352. The management of the charity is performed by the Management Committee laid down in accordance with its Constitution (available on request).
Members of the Management Committee
The members who serve on the Management Committee are currently as follows:
President: Magnus Linklater, Former editor of The Scotsman and columnist for The Times
Honorary President: Kenneth White, poet and essayist
General Secretary: Emeritus Professor John Renwick, formerly the John Orr Professor of French, University of Edinburgh
Honorary Treasurer: Emeritus Professor James Laidlaw, formerly Professor of French, University of Aberdeen
Michael Clarke, Director, The National Gallery of Scotland
Alastair Duncan, Former Senior Lecturer in French, University of Stirling
Rosemary Johnston, Former President, Edinburgh Branch of the Franco-Scottish Society
Elizabeth Laidlaw, Former General Secretary, The Franco-Scottish Society
Chris Taylor, Keeper of French and Italian Books, The National Library of Scotland
Belinda Thomson, Writer, teacher, art critic, and currently curator of Tate Modern’s “Gauguin: Maker of Myth”
The Society of the Friends of the Institut français d’Ecosse helps to ensure that the Institut continues to fulfil its role in promoting French language and culture and to offer a high quality, original, inventive programme of events. The Friends work in close collaboration with the Institut’s Director and his team to identify the cultural and educational activities to be supported.
By making your donation to The Society, we will be able to reclaim the tax on your gift through Gift Aid (see gift aid information below).
How your money can help
Key areas and projects your money supports
Funds raised by the Society of the Friends of the Institut français d’Ecosse support the cultural and educational projects of the Institut as well as its practical requirements.
Since 2001, the Society has, for example, either financed in total or made significant contributions towards:
’Les Rencontres d’Écosse/Scottish Encounters’ (2002);
5 ’Tables rondes’ promoting contemporary French creativity and cultural diversity (2003);
Patrick Geddes & France: exhibition in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, exhibition catalogue and lectures;
Photo exhibitions: Henri Cartier Bresson & ’Signes d’existence’;
Various literary events to coincide with Edinburgh’s being UNESCO City of Literature (2005);
60@ifecosse: a volume (207 pages) of essays, memories and reminiscences specially commissioned to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the IFE (2006);
Various cultural encounters for young people: ’Rencontres théâtrales’; ’L’Heure du conte’ (2007-2008); ’La Fête de la musique’ (2009);
Visit to Edinbugh of Michel Brunet, Professeur au Collège de France, for two lectures on ’Toumaï’, our common ancestor, one at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the other at the IFE (2010).
Concrete examples of how your money can help
£20 buys, for the library, the most recent French novel to win the Goncourt Prize
£80 buys a month’s supply of drinks for Café art, Café histoire and Rendez-vous au café
£150 buys 50 IFE branded T-shirts offered to Scottish pupils participating in the ’Rencontres théâtrales’
£450 buys the print-run of 1,000 copies of the IFE cultural agenda
£700 pays for the journey and the accommodation of an artist invited to perform at the Institut.
How to donate
Thank you for deciding to make a donation to the Friends of the Institut d’Ecosse. Your donation, regardless of its size, is very important.
To donate, simply dowlnoad the form below and return it with your donation to:
Professor James Laidlaw, Treasurer
Society of the Friends of the Institut Français d’Écosse
DELC/French, 60 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JU
Download the Single Donation form
Regular Monthly /Annual Donation
If you wish to do a regular donation, please dowload and fill in the form below and return both parts to the address mentioned above.
Download the Regular Donation form
By making a regular donation, you become a Patron of the Society. This status entitles you to a series of benefits.
For more information, please contact us.
If you are a UK taxpayer, the GSA can increase the value of your gift by almost a third through Gift Aid. This allows us to reclaim the tax on your gift (28p in every £1) from the Inland Revenue at no extra cost to you. For example if you donate £100 the Friends of the Institut Français d’Ecosse will receive £128.
Higher rate tax payers can also benefit from making a gift: they can reclaim the difference between the higher rate and basic rate through their own tax return.
For more information about the Government’s Gift Aid Scheme click here.
If you would like the Society of the Friends of the Institut Francais d’Ecosse to treat all donations you have made to the Society in the previous four years and all the further donations as Gift Aid Donations, until you notify us otherwise, please dowload and fill in the Gift Aid Declaration and return it with your donation form.
Download the Gif Aid Declaration
Contact us
Society of the Friends of the Institut français d’Ecosse
John Renwick : john.renwick ed.ac.uk
James Laidlaw : james.laidlaw ed.ac.uk
Institut français d’Ecosse
Vanessa Bismuth
Communications & PR Officer
pr ifecosse.org.uk
T 0131 220 77 51