The story of the foundation and the foundation family.
Villum Kann Rasmussen came from humble beginnings, but possessed drive, ideas, and ambitions that led him first to Sorø Academy and then to Technical University of Denmark (now DTU), where he graduated as an engineer in 1932.
In the photo from 1932, Villum Kann Rasmussen, known as KR, inspects a construction – a roof structure that would later become the object of his vision for daylight, fresh air and a better indoor climate, even on the house’s top floor.
Untapped potential.
The drawing features the logo from 1941, still used in almost unchanged form by VKR Holding A/S, the Employee Foundation, and both VELUX FOUNDATION and Villum Foundation. KR acquired the design for DKK 25.
The logo establishes a connection to our origins and reminds us of the source of our grants: the collective efforts of the company group, both now and over time.
The vision behind the company was as simple as it was groundbreaking. With many unused attic spaces and a housing shortage after the war, KR aimed to create a skylight window that was, in every way, as good as the best facade window. In 1942, the VELUX skylight was born, and the rest is history.
KR was inspired by the light by the sea and the fresh air, and his first business card said ‘Villum Kann Rasmussen, Daylight Engineer.’
However, during and after the war, the economy was strained, banks were reluctant to lend money, and KR decided that he never wanted to be financially dependent on banks.
KR was ahead of his time and had an understanding of how business and values could align. He saw that the best way to do business is in a well-developed society.
As early as 1965, he formulated the model company objective, which became – and still is – a cornerstone of the corporate group:
- The purpose of the corporate group is to establish a series of model companies that cooperate in an exemplary manner.
- By a model company is meant:
- A company that works with socially beneficial products and treats its customers, suppliers, employees of all categories and shareholders better than most other companies.
- A model company earns a profit that can finance growth and maintain financial independence.
During the 1960s, KR began to prepare for a succession. In 1971 he established a non-profit foundation – Villum Foundation – which could take over his role as the majority shareholder in the corporate group. That form of ownership could ensure the long-term survival of the company while paying back to the community he felt had given him so much.
The decision to establish a foundation was thus made with both heart and mind. A character trait that followed KR throughout his life.
As the VKR Group grew in size, revenue and profits, it became clear to KR that the opportunity had been created to establish yet another foundation focusing solely on philanthropic grants, i.e. without an ownership affiliation with the corporate group.
In 1981,this led to the establishment of VELUX FOUNDATION, which actively supports philanthropic purposes through the distribution of funds created partly through return on the foundation’s own tied-up assets and partly a share of the annual profits generated by the corporate group and paid out by VKR Holding A/S.
The photo from 1985 shows KR at the centre of the corporate group management
Today, VELUX FOUNDATION and Villum Foundation share secretariat at Tobaksvejen 10 in Søborg. The building has great company historical value, as it was built by KR in 1963 and originally housed administration and product development for a number of the group companies, including VELUX.
The two foundations moved into 'T10' in 2008 when the group moved its headquarters to Hørsholm.
Next to T10 on Maskinvej 4 – 'M4' – you can find the Villum Window Collection – the world’s only window museum, inaugurated in 2015.
The museum documents and communicates the history and development of the window and its significance for people’s quality of life and access to light, air and views. M4 is also of company historical value, as the buildings in the period from its construction in 1951 to the relocation in 2007 housed both headquarters and production for the VKR Group.
Villum Kann Rasmussen – in brief
