The mission of the Integration Foundation is to support the development of an integrated and cohesive society as a competence centre in the field.
Our activities are aimed at four main target groups:
1. permanent residents of Estonia of other nationalities;
2. new immigrants arriving in Estonia;
3. compatriots living outside Estonia;
4. people returning to Estonia.
As integration is always a multilateral process, the activities of the Integration Foundation are also aimed at Estonian-speaking people and the general public with the aim of supporting attitudes that promote integration and adaptation and involving all groups in society.
Our activities cover the whole of Estonia. The Estonian language houses in Narva and Tallinn have been established to support the learning of Estonian language and culture.
Our core values
Openness. Society changes fast and we must be prepared to change with it. We can only carry out our mission in cooperation with our partners and target group, which is why we are always open to new opportunities, ideas, and challenges. We are open to new approaches, which involves both the right to make mistakes and the responsibility to learn from those mistakes.
Reliability. Competence is the cornerstone of our activities. We approach our work with great thoroughness; what we say and do carries a mark of quality. Our activities are based on knowledge and facts, we take time to go into details and analyse.
Caring attitude. We value respect everywhere and in everything. We have a caring and respectful attitude towards our partners, colleagues, and participants in our activities. We are cohesive and appreciate teamwork. We use the resources entrusted to us in a prudent way.
Performance oriented. We are an organisation dedicated to finding solutions and we focus on achieving the best possible result and long-term impact with the resources provided to us. We value initiative, innovation, and the desire to grow and learn.
Our basis for action
The Foundation was established by the Republic of Estonia, whose founders’ rights are exercised by the Ministry of Culture.
The Integration Foundation is a partner to a number of ministries in achieving the strategic goals in their areas of activity, including the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, etc. Our strategy and activities are based on the goals agreed in national development plans.
History
The Integration Foundation was founded on 31 March 1998 under the name the Non-Estonians Integration Foundation. Between spring 2008 and the end of 2009 it was known simply as the Integration Foundation.
On 1 January 2010 the Integration Foundation merged with the Estonian Migration Foundation, which was founded on 10 June 1992. The joint institution bore the name of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People until 15 March 2017.
As of March 15, 2017, the name of the foundation is again the Integration Foundation.
