Aydın Doğan Foundation carries out numerous education, culture and arts projects so as to make a contribution to national and societal development.

Aydın Doğan Foundation was established on April 15, 1996 in order to embark on initiatives for the development of the country and its people in various aspects. Engaged in a wide range of charitable activities, the Foundation makes significant contributions to education, health, scientific research, culture, the arts and sports.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has distributed various awards by organizing national and international competitions; has built sports and educational facilities and has been providing support for high quality education at these facilities. The priorities of the Foundation are to have a strong administrative and financial structure, continue its activities oriented toward its current goals and to reinforce its relations on the international platform.

Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition
Open to professional and amateur cartoonists from all countries, the Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition is a traditional competition in Turkey, is also well-known in the international arena. In 2011, the 28th edition of the Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition was organized with no subject limitations and 897 artists from 79 countries participated with 2,757 submissions. The Selection Committee awarded the first prize to the Ross Thomson from the United Kingdom, the second prize to Ilya Katz from Israel, and the third prize to Werner Rollow from Germany.

Exhibitions
The cartoons that are considered worthy of exhibition from the submissions to the Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition are annually presented to the general public and especially focusing on university students. In 2011, the award-winning cartoons were displayed in 11 exhibitions that were organized in Adana, Istanbul, Eskişehir, İzmir, Bodrum, Ordu, Altınoluk, Ankara and Bursa.

Young Communicators Competition
Aydın Doğan Foundation annually organizes Young Communicators Competition to contribute to the education of qualified media employees and to support continuous development of the communications sector. A total of 136 students from the communications departments of 17 universities participated to the 23rd edition of the Young Communicators Competition with 939 works in the categories of publishing, broadcasting, advertisement, public relations and online media. The selection committees awarded 136 students from 17 universities for 79 projects. The award-winning students were also given the opportunity to join the programs designed for improving occupational knowledge and manners in one of the newspapers, magazines, or television or radio channels of Doğan Group for the duration of one to three months.

Aydın Doğan Awards
Awarded annually in different categories to people who make significant contributions to their fields and to Turkey at large, Aydın Doğan Awards was given in the category of "Turkish Folk Music" in 2011. The Selection Committee, which was comprised of Yücel Paşmakçı, Melih Duygulu, Erdal Erzincan, Zafer Gündoğdu, Doğan Hızlan, Prof. Songül Karahasanoğlu, Arif Sağ, Hasan Saltık and Süleyman Şenel, conducted an open discussion and through elimination awarded Mehmet Özbek recognizing the concerts he performed as a soloist, conductor, choirmaster, arranger and annotator, the pieces he contributed to folk music repertoire, the students he trained, his scholarly publications and numerous services he rendered in several administrative positions.

The Selection Committee also presented a service award to Ege University State Turkish Music Conservatory recognizing its services as an education institution that contributed to arts and culture in Turkey and to Turkish folk music and dance since 1984, the valuable scholars graduated from the Conservatory in the field of folk music, its efforts in compiling and archiving folkloric/ethnographic artifacts in relation to Turkish music culture in Turkey and abroad, and the folk music artists graduated from the Conservatory who significantly contribute to Turkey's recognition in the field of Turkish folk music and dance.

Education
Since its establishment, the Aydın Doğan Foundation has launched many projects that have helped to transform Turkey into a modern and highly respected society. Schools and dormitories that were constructed by the Foundation and donated to the Ministry of National Education are as follows:

• Sema Işıl Doğan Elementary School / Gümüşhane
  
  
• Atatürk University Aydın Doğan Private Elementary School / Erzurum
  
  
• Aydın Doğan Elementary School / Göztepe-Istanbul
  
  
• Yaşar ve İrfani Doğan Industrial Vocational High School / Kelkit-Gümüşhane
  
  
• Milliyet Anatolian Teachers High School / Erzincan
  
  
• Hürriyet Anatolian Vocational High School for Hotel Management / Erzincan
  
  
• Aydın Doğan Vocational High School for Commerce / Istanbul
  
  
• Gümüşhane University Kelkit Aydın Doğan Vocational School / Gümüşhane
  
  
• Galatasaray University Aydın Doğan Auditorium / Istanbul
  
  
• TEGV Sema and Aydın Doğan Education Park / Istanbul
  
  
• Sema Doğan Park / Kelkit-Gümüşhane
  
  
• Aydın Doğan Center for Science and the Arts / Afyon
  
  
• Aydın Doğan Anatolian Vocational High School for Health, Istanbul

Aydın Doğan Foundation continuously supports these schools in order to maintain the quality of education and provides intensive education in English in some of these schools.

Aydın Doğan Vocational Trade High School
Established by the Aydın Doğan Foundation in 1998 and donated to the Ministry of Culture, the name of the Aydın Doğan Anatolian Communications Vocational High School was changed to Aydın Doğan Vocational Trade High School with a resolution by the Ministry of Culture. Holding its 10th graduation ceremony in 2011, the High School provides education in the fields of journalism, radio and television. Aydın Doğan Foundation continues its support in education in English and also awards various presents to the top three successful students. The high school has been, as it was in the previous years, the top school in its field and among those that enrolled were students with the highest points (highest point 428 – base point 383). From those 88 students who graduated in 2011, 83 students were entitled to enroll to a university. In the 2011-2012 academic year, 90 students were enrolled in the high school.

Kelkit Aydın Doğan Vocational School
The foundations of Kelkit Aydın Doğan Vocational School, which is a part of Gümüşhane University, were laid on July 27, 2002 and the school opened with 90 students on September 28, 2003. The number of students studying at the Vocational School reached 1,146 during the 2010-2011 academic year. The associate programs at Kelkit Aydın Doğan Vocational School are: Organic Agriculture, Computer Technologies and Programming, Industrial Electronics, Accounting, and Civil Air Transportation Management. The Organic Agriculture Program, which is in high demand by many students in the region, is crucial to the permanence and sustainability of agriculture in the region.

Aydın Doğan Center for Science and Arts
Aydın Doğan Center for Science and Arts is an educational institution affiliated with the Ministry of National Education, General Directorate of Special Education Guidance and Counseling Services. The Center endeavors to identify gifted or highly talented children on elementary in secondary school level and to make the best of their potential by developing their capacity. Gifted children are educated by specially trained teachers in this field by using special tools and programs. Within the framework of the "100% Support to Education Project", 15 computers were donated to Afyon Aydın Doğan Center for Science and Arts.

In addition, for 11 years the Foundation has given continuous support to Afyonkarahisar's Classical Music and Jazz Festivals, which organize conferences, workshops and discussions in the district and village schools of Afyonkarahisar. As such the children of Afyonkarahisar find the opportunity to get together with prominent figures from the Turkish and global world of arts, music and culture.

In order to develop children's language and communication skills, contribute to their personal and mental development, foster their interest in the arts and educate them in the fields of science and technology, the Foundation organizes educational activities at Sema and Aydın Doğan Education Park.

Sema Doğan Park in Gümüşhane
Established to contribute to cultural and social life in Gümüşhane, the Sema Doğan Park was inaugurated on July 24, 2008. The covered areas inside the Park feature a multipurpose hall that can accommodate cultural and entertainment activities such as wedding ceremonies, concerts and conferences. The covered area also includes workshops where the local citizens, especially women, can hone their craftsmanship and can put their labor in use. It also contains a restaurant to support and develop local cuisine. The open area features an amphitheater, located on the slope of the hill like in ancient times. The area can host films, theater plays, concerts, traditional dances and conferences and has areas for sporting events, picnics or children's games.

Kalender Metin Doğan Community Kitchen
Through Kelkit Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation, Aydın Doğan Foundation supports Kalender Metin Doğan Community Kitchen in Kelkit, where a hundred people on average receive daily hot meals.

Dormitories for Girls
The following girls' dormitories were constructed by the Aydın Doğan Foundation within the scope of the Dad, Send Me to School Campaign and donated to the Ministry of Culture: Nene Hatun High School Aydın Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Erzurum), Aydın Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Erzincan), Hacı Hüsrev Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Kelkit), Aydın Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Kürtün), Aydın Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Köse) and Aydın Doğan Dormitory for Girls (Şiran). The dormitories continue to operate with intense support from the Aydın Doğan Foundation.

In order to support their education and cultural development and to reward the students, the Foundation hosted 18 students living in these dormitories, who were in the top three in their respective schools, together with five coordinating teachers in Istanbul for four days in June 2011 and organized visits to universities, cultural and historical sites.

London School of Economics
Contemporary Turkish Studies Chair at the European Institute of the London School of Economics (LSE), one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, will provide great support for the recognition of modern Turkey globally. The Aydın Doğan Foundation figures among the sponsors of the Chair. The Chair for Contemporary Turkish Studies Advisory Board met in London on January 31, 2011 and in Istanbul on December 19, 2011. Seminars on European and Turkish relations were organized. Participants from the United Kingdom and Turkey attended these seminars.

Education Reform Initiative (ERG)
The Aydın Doğan Foundation pursues "high quality education for all" in Turkey. Together with other prominent foundations, Aydın Doğan Foundation supports educational reforms in Turkey that will boost the social and economic development of the country, as well as research, defense and monitoring studies. In this regard, the Foundation serves as an active member on the Board of the Education Reform Initiative.

Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV)
The Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV) was established in 1993 by 23 civil society organizations including leading foundations and associations in Turkey in order to develop the legal, fiscal and operational infrastructure of the third (non-profit) sector. Today, over 100 trustees of the Foundation collaborate under the roof of TÜSEV. Aydın Doğan Foundation also supports TÜSEV and is a board member.