The Olly and Uno Donner Fund

Established: 1956
Value 12/2023: 16 508 767,18 €

The purpose of Olly and Uno Donner’s Fund is to support the Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture. The Institute aims to promote and enable long-term research into religion in the broadest sense, including cultural studies where these relate to religion. In accordance with the donors’ wishes, 20% of the net yield is allocated to the Åbo Akademi University.

The Donors Olly and Uno Donner

Olly Donner (1881-1956), née Sinebrychoff, was a multilingual author who wrote books, plays and poetry in both French and Swedish, publishing a total of 32 works. She also mastered English, Russian, and German, and the Donners spent much of the year abroad. Olly was particularly devoted to the welfare of children, a commitment reflected in her founding of the nursing home of Gustavsberg for children in need of mental health care, located on the couple’s estate at Gerknäs in Lohja.

Uno Donner (1872-1958) was a university-educated engineer and an industrial pioneer. He founded Finland’s first worsted spinning mill and later played an active role in several other spinning mills across the country. With a deep interest in philosophy and art, he studied in both England and Germany and painted in his spare time. His spiritual interests led him, in 1923, to establish the Anthroposophical Society in Finland, where he served as chairman for nearly a decade. The couple also maintained a personal relationship with Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the anthroposophical movement.

In March 1956, Olly and Uno Donner made a donation to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. The gift included industrial shares, properties, and land, later expanded through their final testamentary bequest. Together, these contributions laid the foundation for the Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture.

Olly and Uno Donner – pioneers of their time

The Donners’ philanthropic vision is realised through broad support for research in religious and cultural history. The Donner Institute serves not only as a financier of academic projects and events but also as a vibrant centre for research, scholarly meetings, and academic dialogue. As early as the 1960s, well before many of these fields gained recognition in academia, the Institute organised pioneering symposia on themes such as shamanism, belief in fate, and cultural contact. This reflects the Donners’ profound interest in mysticism, esotericism, and the inner life of humanity.

Olly and Uno Donner lived according to a holistic worldview in which science, art, language, and spirituality were closely interwoven. This spirit continues to shape the Institute today, where cross-disciplinary research is encouraged and new perspectives on human cultural and religious expression are fostered. The Donner Institute Library, the largest specialist library in the Nordic countries in the field of religious studies, holds more than 90,000 volumes and serves as an invaluable resource for researchers from around the world. In this way, the Institute’s support for research represents not only the fulfilment of a testamentary commitment but also the continuation of a living vision for a free, inquisitive, and knowledge-driven society.

The donation from Olly and Uno Donner is therefore not only an act of philanthropy but also a testament to their lifelong dedication to spiritual exploration, scientific curiosity, and cultural diversity.