Fondazione Laps
Fondazione Laps is a philanthropic foundation founded and chaired by Lapo Elkann. The Foundation's vice-president is Joana Lemos Elkann, Lapo Elkann's wife. The Foundation funds the redevelopment of public buildings to be turned into protected shelters for people in conditions of severe vulnerability, with particular attention to women who are victims of violence and their children [1].
The first Casa Laps in Italy
On 4 November 2026 the municipal council (giunta) of Novara approved the resolution for the redevelopment of a municipal building that will become the first «Casa Laps» opened in Italy by the Foundation [2]. The project involves an investment of up to one million euros, entirely borne by Fondazione Laps, which will fund the renovation, energy-efficiency and fitting-out works, with no direct cost to the Municipality of Novara's budget [1]. The building must keep its social purpose for at least fifteen years [1][2].
The project has also been followed from the outset by the Piedmont Region. The Region's president, Alberto Cirio, and the Councillor for Equal Opportunities, Marina Chiarelli, linked the initiative to regional investments against gender-based violence, which include 5 million euros in state funding, of which 2.18 million are allocated to the 23 anti-violence centres and 13 shelter homes in Piedmont, plus about 2 million euros for new centres and help desks, with calls for proposals planned for early 2027 [2].
Lapo Elkann and Joana Lemos Elkann stated: «With Fondazione Laps we want to do our part, creating a space that can represent a new beginning for the women and children who have experienced situations of violence», adding that they are «particularly happy that the first Casa Laps in Italy will take shape in Novara, in Piedmont, a land to which we are deeply attached» [1][2].
Administrative process
After approval of the resolution by the municipal council (giunta), the measure must pass to the Novara city council for the formal declaration of public interest needed to proceed with the works [2].
Chronology
- — The Novara giunta approves the redevelopment of a municipal building set to become Italy's first «Casa Laps», a shelter for women and children who are victims of violence, funded by Lapo Elkann's Fondazione Laps. → ANSA Piemonte NovaraToday
Sources
- ANSA Piemonte — 4 November 2026
- NovaraToday — 4 November 2026