The Francesca Rava Foundation was founded in 2000 by Mariavittoria Rava, in memory of her sister Francesca, who died very young. The aim is to offer support to children and teens in difficult situations, vulnerable women and families living in hardship in Italy and overseas.

One of the Foundation's most impactful projects is the one based in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. Here, the Foundation has built and continues to support the NPH Saint Damien Children's Hospital, the only paediatric centre on the island. Every year, the centre cares for 80,000 children and assists 4,500 mothers and babies. Thanks to twinning projects with leading Italian hospitals, the Foundation also offers medical training to local Haitian personnel. The Francesca Rava Foundation is the Italian representative of NPH, a well-established international humanitarian organisation which has supported Latin American children living in extreme poverty for over 60 years.

The Foundation also runs many solidarity projects in Italy. One example is "In Farmacia per i Bambini", a project that collects medicine for over 47,000 children experiencing health poverty every year. Another project is "Ninna Ho" (in collaboration with the KPMG Network), a project that combats neonatal abandonment and infanticide. Other initiatives, such as "SOS Spesa" (SOS Groceries), "SOS Scuola" (SOS School) and the various healthcare education programmes, are aimed at children's homes, residential centres and supporting the elderly.