Regional & National
Mensa Foundations
National and regional foundations that are committed to fostering the development and education of gifted individuals possess a unique advantage in identifying gaps and crafting viable solutions for targeted support. Their deep-rooted local and regional experience and understanding enable them to effectively address critical challenges and discover feasible solutions within their communities – solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of gifted individuals living within those communities, thereby helping to make a tangible difference to their lives.
Local & regional
foundations can:
- Leverage existing networks and partnerships within the local community to create meaningful opportunities for gifted individuals.
- Collaborate closely with local schools, universities and organisations to identify and nurture gifted talent.
- Address cultural and societal nuances that may affect the development and education of gifted individuals in their specific country or region.
- Provide targeted resources and support that are directly applicable to the local context, leading to more impactful and sustainable initiatives.
Below, we are featuring two foundations, each with its own specific aims and approaches: the Nordic Mensa Fund, a collaborative regional initiative, followed by the Mensa Fonds, a foundation established by Mensa Netherlands.
The Nordic Mensa Fund is a collaborative effort by the national Mensa associations of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark.
The Origin of the Nordic Mensa Fund
The Nordic Mensa Fund is a collaborative effort by the national Mensa associations of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Established in 2020, this joint initiative originates from a shared goal of advancing intelligence research, one of the core missions of Mensa. Despite these individual national Mensa associations’ modest sizes, their collective efforts are having a positive impact and driving the Fund in the right direction.
Mission & Objectives
The Fund’s primary objective is to bolster research exploring the nature, characteristics and practical applications of human intelligence. This broad scope encompasses studies in physical, medical, psychological, sociological and educational realms of intelligence and the human brain.
The Nordic Mensa Fund aims to become a recognised supporter of intelligence research in the Nordic countries.
Supporting Innovative Research
One of the key functions of the Nordic Mensa Fund is to provide support in the form of grants. These grants are available to individual researchers, research groups or specific research projects. Grant decisions are made by the Fund’s board, guided by insights from the Scientific Advisory Board, which is composed of esteemed academic experts representing diverse research fields.
In addition to project grants, the Fund awards up to five yearly “article of the year” awards for scientific articles published in fields related to human intelligence within the past two years.
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The Origin of the Nordic Mensa Fund
The Nordic Mensa Fund is a collaborative effort by the national Mensa associations of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Established in 2020, this joint initiative originates from a shared goal of advancing intelligence research, one of the core missions of Mensa. Despite these individual national Mensa associations’ modest sizes, their collective efforts are having a positive impact and driving the Fund in the right direction.
Mission & Objectives
The Fund’s primary objective is to bolster research exploring the nature, characteristics and practical applications of human intelligence. This broad scope encompasses studies in physical, medical, psychological, sociological and educational realms of intelligence and the human brain.
The Nordic Mensa Fund aims to become a recognised supporter of intelligence research in the Nordic countries.
Communication
Communication is key to the success of the Nordic Mensa Fund. They use their website, Mensa member magazines and social media platforms to disseminate their information, and to encourage interest and support.
Since 2022, the Fund has also organised a webinar on intelligence day, October 1st. The webinars feature talks by researchers who have been awarded grants or article awards from the Fund. The webinars can also be viewed afterwards on the YouTube channel of the Nordic Mensa Fund.
The 2023 webinar had two very interesting presentations by two brilliant researchers who have received small project grants from the Nordic Mensa Fund:
Leonardo Bonetti (University of Aarhus, Denmark) presented preliminary results from his research that uses music to study complex cognitive processes such as memory and intelligence.
And Malin Hildebrand Karlén (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) talked about the development of the intelligence concept over time, how it has been measured, and specifically how it has been used in relation to the concept of “criminal insanity” in forensic psychiatric investigations.
Supporting Innovative Research
One of the key functions of the Nordic Mensa Fund is to provide support in the form of grants. These grants are available to individual researchers, research groups or specific research projects. Grant decisions are made by the Fund’s board, guided by insights from the Scientific Advisory Board, which is composed of esteemed academic experts representing diverse research fields.
In addition to project grants, the Fund awards up to five yearly “article of the year” awards for scientific articles published in fields related to human intelligence within the past two years.
Independent & Sustainable Funding
The Mensa Fonds, the Dutch Mensa Foundation, was established in 2013 by Mensa Netherlands with the goal of increasing the visibility of gifted individuals and giftedness in society.
The foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the talents of gifted individuals are recognised and that the importance of giftedness for society is highlighted. They accomplish this by disseminating knowledge about high general intelligence and by promoting exceptional achievements, as well as by supporting various projects and research initiatives. The focus of Mensa Fonds includes:
- Encouraging outstanding accomplishments by individuals with high intelligence.
- Promoting the dissemination of knowledge.
- Advocating for the interests of highly intelligent individuals within the Netherlands and in collaboration with Mensa foundations in other countries.
Awards
To encourage special achievements by or for people with a high intelligence via the Mensa Fonds Awards programme.
The Mensa Fonds Awards programme celebrates exceptional achievements by individuals and organisations with high intelligence. These awards, presented annually, recognise those who make a significant impact in the realm of giftedness. The Popular Award is, as one might expect, the people’s favourite: the entire population can vote for one of three nominees shortlisted by the jury.
The 2023 Mensa Fonds Impact Award was bestowed upon biomechanical engineer and “flight expert” Prof. Dr Ir. David Lentink. His work connects aviation technology, zoology and robotics, demonstrating that science is captivating and accessible to all.
Gray Gold
The Gray Gold programme aims to bring attention to highly intelligent elderly individuals in their later years and there is no strict age limit. These individuals, who possess a wealth of life experience and a desire to remain engaged in society, includes gifted elderly people who may find themselves isolated or unengaged in nursing or care homes.
The needs of gifted elderly individuals closely align with those of highly educated elderly people in general. Therefore, organisers of appropriate activities can cater to a broader audience beyond just the gifted elderly population. Fortunately, the Netherlands already offers a wide array of cultural events, advanced courses and travel opportunities that can be accessed by this demographic.
By highlighting “Gray Gold” as a focus, the Mensa Fonds seeks to positively impact these elderly people’s lives and society as a whole.
Special Chair in Giftedness
At the Mensa Fonds, they believe that, while offering more and more support for gifted children and young people is a wonderful thing, it should be remembered that the situation of gifted adults needs attention, too. In fact, research into giftedness in relation to life transitions, resilience, self-esteem and well-being is relatively scarce. Indeed, there is a lack of scientific research into the development of gifted potential and its usefulness for the individual and society as a whole.
The Mensa Fonds believes that is a waste because highly intelligent people can easily think outside the box, quickly make connections, understand situations and recognise patterns. They are curious and driven, and have a hunger for knowledge and information – all qualities that can benefit society, especially in these turbulent times of major social and technological shifts.
Unique Scientific Research
The Mensa Fonds is committed to utilising the talents of gifted people and making the meaning of giftedness more visible to society. In striving towards that goal, the Mensa Fonds has found a partner in Tilburg University, with which they want to find scientific answers to questions such as:
- Under what conditions does giftedness really gain added value in organisations?
- How does giftedness influence the transition from school to work, from work to retirement, from retirement to successful aging?
- What is needed to develop and utilise the potential of highly intelligent people?
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The foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the talents of gifted individuals are recognised and that the importance of giftedness for society is highlighted. They accomplish this by disseminating knowledge about high general intelligence and by promoting exceptional achievements, as well as by supporting various projects and research initiatives. The focus of Mensa Fonds includes:
- Encouraging outstanding accomplishments by individuals with high intelligence.
- Promoting the dissemination of knowledge.
- Advocating for the interests of highly intelligent individuals within the Netherlands and in collaboration with Mensa foundations in other countries.
Awards
To encourage special achievements by or for people with a high intelligence via the Mensa Fonds Awards programme.
The Mensa Fonds Awards programme celebrates exceptional achievements by individuals and organisations with high intelligence. These awards, presented annually, recognise those who make a significant impact in the realm of giftedness. The Popular Award is, as one might expect, the people’s favourite: the entire population can vote for one of three nominees shortlisted by the jury.
The 2023 Mensa Fonds Impact Award was bestowed upon biomechanical engineer and “flight expert” Prof. Dr Ir. David Lentink. His work connects aviation technology, zoology and robotics, demonstrating that science is captivating and accessible to all.
Gray Gold
The Gray Gold programme aims to bring attention to highly intelligent elderly individuals in their later years and there is no strict age limit. These individuals, who possess a wealth of life experience and a desire to remain engaged in society, includes gifted elderly people who may find themselves isolated or unengaged in nursing or care homes.
The needs of gifted elderly individuals closely align with those of highly educated elderly people in general. Therefore, organisers of appropriate activities can cater to a broader audience beyond just the gifted elderly population. Fortunately, the Netherlands already offers a wide array of cultural events, advanced courses and travel opportunities that can be accessed by this demographic.
By highlighting “Gray Gold” as a focus, the Mensa Fonds seeks to positively impact these elderly people’s lives and society as a whole.
At the Mensa Fonds, they believe that, while offering more and more support for gifted children and young people is a wonderful thing, it should be remembered that the situation of gifted adults needs attention, too. In fact, research into giftedness in relation to life transitions, resilience, self-esteem and well-being is relatively scarce. Indeed, there is a lack of scientific research into the development of gifted potential and its usefulness for the individual and society as a whole.
The Mensa Fonds believes that is a waste because highly intelligent people can easily think outside the box, quickly make connections, understand situations and recognise patterns. They are curious and driven, and have a hunger for knowledge and information – all qualities that can benefit society, especially in these turbulent times of major social and technological shifts.
Unique Scientific Research
The Mensa Fonds is committed to utilising the talents of gifted people and making the meaning of giftedness more visible to society. In striving towards that goal, the Mensa Fonds has found a partner in Tilburg University, with which they want to find scientific answers to questions such as:
- Under what conditions does giftedness really gain added value in organisations?
- How does giftedness influence the transition from school to work, from work to retirement, from retirement to successful aging?
- What is needed to develop and utilise the potential of highly intelligent people?
Special Chair in Giftedness
The Mensa Fonds wants to make this research possible by establishing a special chair in “Giftedness, Transitions and Social Impact” at Tilburg University.
Potential benefits
This initiative could strengthen scientific research into giftedness across the entire life course, within various life and professional domains. Just like everyone else, gifted people have the need for meaningful work and activities, and to make full use of who they are and what they can do. This applies not only to young people, but to people of every age, at all stages of life. After all, giftedness lasts a lifetime.
It is hoped that the research at Tilburg University can start in 2024 and will become a catalyst for more international research into gifted people and how their potential can positively contribute to society. The special chair, “Giftedness, Transitions and Societal Impact” at Tilburg University could be an important step in the right direction.
The Mensa Fonds is currently working on a range of fundraising initiatives to further its objectives.