According to the will of Aristotle Onassis, the Board of Directors’ primary concern is the allocation of funds towards the Onassis Foundation’s institutional programmes and activities, which comprise Educational Scholarships and Grants (addressed to Greek post-graduate students and Ph.D candidates as well as to foreign professors of higher education institutions, researchers, post-graduate students and Ph.D. candidates), the cultural and academic activities of the Affiliated Onassis Foundation in New York, the promotion of Greek Studies abroad and the diverse activities of the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens.

The Onassis Cultural Centre’s  programme has been strategically planned on a long term basis so that it can serve and promote Contemporary Greek and international Culture, Letters and Arts. The benefits derived from its contribution in the field of Culture both on a national and international level are highly reciprocal and affect not only Greeks but all active citizens worldwide, while at the same time, it has already become a major attraction and learning source for the young. As a result, all of the Foundation’s cultural activities are primarily realized through the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens.

The Foundation keeps abreast of needs arising within the areas of its activities and may proceed, to some extent, with the support of independent programs, actions or collaborations that are consistent with its regulations and aims; yet clearly, priority is given to actions directly linked to the Foundation’s formerly established programmes.