The Stavros Niarchos Foundation fulfills its commitment to make Breal's Silver Cup, presented to Spyros Louis, accessible to the general public

- Acropolis Museum to display Cup for one-year period starting September 2012

ATHENS, Greece, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has the pleasure of announcing that, from September 2012 and for a one-year period, the Breal's Silver Cup will be exhibited at the new Acropolis Museum, where thousands of visitors from all over the world, as well as the numerous students that visit the Museum every day, will have the opportunity to see the historic Cup up close, and learn about its history and symbolism. The exhibit will include audio visual and printed informational material on the Cup, to help enhance the visitors' experience and understanding.

On April 18th, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced that it had acquired in auction Breal's Silver Cup, which was presented to Spyros Louis during the first Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The announcement was accompanied by the Foundation's public commitment to make the Cup accessible to everyone, by placing it on permanent display at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), which is expected to be completed in 2015.

In line with its principal intent of making the Cup available to the public, the Foundation immediately embarked upon a process of evaluation and selection of suitable temporary exhibition venues across the country. In particular, the Foundation conducted a series of visits, in order to identify venues that could serve as temporary homes for the Cup. The basic criteria in selecting potential venues were the Cup's safety while on display, and its widest possible and free accessibility to the general public.

Throughout the Cup's display at the Acropolis Museum, the Foundation will continue its efforts to locate other suitable venues across the country, which could be considered as temporary homes for the Cup after it leaves the Acropolis Museum and before 2015.

After 2015, the Cup will be on permanent display at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which the Foundation will donate to the Greek State, and will be open and fully accessible free of charge to all its visitors. 

For more information on the Cup, please visit:
http://www.snf.org/index.php?ID=news_EN&Rec_ID=5215

About the SNF

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) is one of the world's leading international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and medicine, and social welfare. The Foundation funds organizations and projects that exhibit strong leadership and sound management and that have the potential to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact. The Foundation also seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as effective means for serving public welfare.

From 1996 until today, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has approved grant commitments of euro 983 million ($1.28 billion), through 2,305 grants to nonprofit organizations in 109 nations around the world. Excluding SNF's largest single gift, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (euro 566/$790 million), the Foundation's grant commitments so far have been split evenly between projects in Greece and internationally.

In response to the ongoing socio-economic crisis in Greece, the Foundation recently announced a grant initiative of euro 100 million ($130 million) over the next three years to help ease the adverse effects of the deepening crisis. Since January 2012, and as part of the initiative, the SNF has committed grants totaling euro 28 million ($36.4 million) in support of numerous not-for-profit organizations around the country, and is the process of approving a number of additional grants.

The Foundation's largest single gift (euro 566/$790 million) is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens. The project is approaching the beginning of the construction phase, with excavation works already in progress at the site. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation firmly believes that the project is of national importance, even more so under the current socio-economic conditions. It remains a testament and a commitment to the country's future, at a critical historical juncture. It is also an engine of short- to mid-term economic stimulus, which is essential under the current circumstances.