Stichting Dorna · founded 2026 in Amsterdam

Art and culture for a more connected world.

Dorna (درنا) is the Persian word for crane. Cranes return every spring, carrying an old promise that what we lost will come back. From them grew the tradition of folding paper, a thousand paper cranes for a single wish. The wish was never in the last crane but in the thousand. That is our philosophy! Every small thing we make, a story translated, a poem read aloud, a book placed in a child's hands, drifts outward like a dandelion seed on a single breath, lands somewhere unseen, takes root, and grows. Enough of them, and the world becomes a little kinder.

Our mission

Positive change through literature and art

The Dorna Foundation works to bring about positive social and cultural change through literature and art and to promote cultural activities for children and adults. We promote access to meaningful literary and artistic experiences, and foster connection, creativity, imagination, and education within and among diverse communities.

More about the foundation

Our programmes

What we are building

Each Dorna programme connects literature, art, and community. The flagship is the Children's Magazine, an international magazine made by and for children; alongside it we run a Children's Book Programme, literature initiatives like Narvan Magazine and Unedited, and an art-donation pipeline with Doost Art Gallery.

Financial transparency

Public benefit,
publicly accounted.

Annual reports and financial statements will be published after the close of our first reporting year.

Total expenses · 2026€ 1.562

With you

Three ways to be part of this.

Whether you bring a book budget, a quiet hour each week, or a school's worth of readers, there's a way to walk with us.