Van Ewijck Foundation

The Van Ewijck Foundation (Afrikaans: Van Ewijck-stigting) is a South African cultural foundation based in Cape Town. It was established through a trust fund created in 1978 by the Dutch businessman Sippo Johan van Ewijck van de Bilt (1902–1979) and his wife, T.T. van Ewijck. Its stated aim is to provide financial aid to persons and institutions that strive to promote cultural relations in the widest sense between the Netherlands and South Africa, and to help preserve Dutch cultural heritage in South Africa. The foundation traces its origins to the Van Ewijcks, a Dutch couple who lived alternately in South Africa and the Netherlands for about forty years and who owned the Binnehuis furniture shops in Cape Town and Somerset-West. They accumulated a valuable collection of blue and white oriental porcelain, Dutch silver, copper and glassware, and furniture, which was presented to the former South African Cultural History Museum (now the Slave Lodge, part of the Iziko Museums) after Mrs van Ewijck returned to the Netherlands in 1981. The collection was exhibited there from 1981 to 2003 in a room known as the Dutch Room or the Van Ewijck van de Bilt Room. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on 3 March 1980, attended by Mr H.C. Sandrock (chairman), Mrs van Ewijck, Dr A.J. Böeseken, Mrs M.A. Bax-Botha and Prof. Roy Pheiffer. Piet Westra served as a trustee from 1982 and as chairman from 1984 to 2008, succeeded by Prof. Chris van der Merwe; the current chairman is Prof. Wium van Zyl. The board consists of local experts. The foundation awards scholarships annually to students of direct Dutch descent studying at South African universities, to students wishing to pursue advanced study in the Netherlands, and to students researching Netherlands-related subjects in South Africa. It also supports institutions such as the Dutch library at the Huis der Nederlanden (SASNEV) in Pinelands, the Stichting Nederlandse School te Kaapstad, Stigting VOC, the Van Riebeeck-Vereniging, the Woordfees of Stellenbosch University, and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for its professorship in Afrikaans. Since at least 2016 it has presented an annual Achievement Award to scholars and cultural figures who have strengthened Dutch-South African cultural relations.

The Van Ewijck Foundation was established in Cape Town and has been promoting cultural ties between the Netherlands and South Africa since the early 1980s. Its origins lie in a trust fund established in 1978 by Sippo Johan van Ewijck van de Bilt (1902–1979), a Dutch businessman who lived alternately in South Africa and the Netherlands for about forty years and who nurtured a particular love for South Africa. He and his wife, Mrs T.T. van Ewijck, owned, among other businesses, the Binnehuis shops in Cape Town and Somerset-West, which sold quality furniture. The couple accumulated a valuable collection of blue and white oriental porcelain, Dutch silver, copper and glassware, and furniture in Cape Town. Upon Mrs van Ewijck's return to the Netherlands in 1981, these collectibles were presented to the former South African Cultural History Museum (now the Slave Lodge and part of the Iziko Museums), where the collection was exhibited on the first floor from 1981 to 2003 in a spacious room known as the Dutch Room or the Van Ewijck van de Bilt Room. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Van Ewijck Foundation was held on 3 March 1980. Present were Mr H.C. Sandrock (chairman, lawyer and friend of the Van Ewijcks), Mrs van Ewijck, Dr A.J. Böeseken (a well-known historian), Mrs M.A. Bax-Botha (cultural historian) and Prof. Roy Pheiffer (professor of Afrikaans linguistics). Mr Piet Westra was a trustee from 1982 and Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 2008. He was succeeded in 2008 by Prof. Chris van der Merwe. The current chairman is Prof. Wium van Zyl. The Board of Trustees consists of a number of local experts. The foundation's aim is to provide financial aid to persons and institutions that strive to promote cultural relations in the widest sense between the Netherlands and South Africa, as well as to preserve Dutch cultural heritage in South Africa. Scholarships are awarded annually to students of direct Dutch descent studying at South African universities, to students who wish to study further at an advanced level in the Netherlands, or to students who wish to study a Netherlands-related subject in South Africa. Several institutions also benefit from the foundation's financial support, including the Dutch library at the Huis der Nederlanden (SASNEV) in Pinelands, the Stichting Nederlandse School te Kaapstad, Stigting VOC, the Van Riebeeck-Vereniging, the Woordfees of Stellenbosch University, and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for its professorship in Afrikaans. Since at least 2016 the foundation has presented an annual Achievement Award to scholars and cultural figures who have strengthened Dutch-South African cultural relations.

• 2024

  Achievement Award presented to SASNEV.

• 2016

  Achievement Award presented to Dr Daniel Hugo.

• 2008

  Prof. Chris van der Merwe succeeds Piet Westra as chairman.

• 2003

  Van Ewijck collection exhibition at the museum ends.

• 1984

  Piet Westra becomes Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

• 1982

  Piet Westra becomes a trustee.

• 1981

  Van Ewijck collection presented to the South African Cultural History Museum and exhibited in the Dutch Room.

• 1980

  First meeting of the Board of Trustees held on 3 March in Cape Town.

• 1978

  Trust fund established by Sippo Johan van Ewijck van de Bilt.

A philanthropic cultural foundation dedicated to strengthening Dutch-South African cultural relations and preserving Dutch cultural heritage in South Africa.

• Annual scholarships for Dutch-South African study

• Funding for cultural institutions

• Annual Achievement Award

1. 1Van Ewijck Foundation – Strengthening Cultural Ties Between the Netherlands & South Africaewijckfoundation.co.za
2. 2Van Ewijck Foundation - History & Cultural Legacyewijckfoundation.co.za
3. 3Van Ewijck foundation – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Van Ewijck-stigting – Wikipedia (Afrikaans)af.wikipedia.org