The BNP Paribas Foundation

The BNP Paribas Foundation was established in 2006 to carry out tasks related to the social responsibility of the Bank in 3 crucial areas:

• initiatives related to education: levelling of educational opportunities in vulnerable groups, primarily through long-term scholarship programs;

• social solidarity initiatives: support for refugee youth, partnerships with NGOs, as well as initiatives promoting and strengthening employee volunteering at the Bank;

• initiatives to increase access to culture and art.

Through pioneer programs and cooperation with expert organisations, the Foundation provides equal educational opportunities, prevents the exclusion of the disadvantaged and vulnerable, supports the construction of social capital and the development of civic organisations in local communities.

The chairman of the Foundation’s Council is the President of the Management Board of BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., and members represent key areas of the Bank’s operations from the perspective of the Foundation’s goals.

In 2021, we plan to continue our long-term scholarship programs: „Class”, “Agro-talents”, “Knowledge to the Power” and the „Dream Up” educational program. We will support social organisations and cultural institutions. The Foundation plans to continue the employee volunteering program at the Bank, with particular focus on promoting the idea of individual philanthropy. We will also be promoting employee volunteering at other companies.

“Class” is an innovative scholarship program of the BNP Paribas Foundation. Its goal is to help elementary school graduates from poor families who live in rural areas and small towns. In 2020, we celebrated the program’s 18th anniversary and it is one of the longest-running scholarship programs in Poland. Scholarship holders can attend top high schools in 5 Polish cities. Since 2003, nearly 800 scholarship holders from over 350 towns took part in the program.

In 2020, 26 scholarship holders joined the program. In total, there were 100 scholarship holders in the 2020/2021 school year. Since the beginning of the program, the Foundation has allocated nearly PLN 24 million for this purpose.

The funds donated by the Bank’s employees in the “I support all year-long“ program allowed 40 „Class” scholarship holders to take part in a summer sailing camp at Lake Kisajno.

For details about the program, visit.

“Agro-talents” is a comprehensive program for the development of young talents – a system of scholarships for ambitious youth who see their future in agriculture. The BNP Paribas Foundation and its partners – educational institutions, experts and the Bank’s Customers – cooperate to strengthen agricultural education.

The program is implemented through:

• A scholarship program for the winners of the Agricultural Knowledge and Skills Competition organised by the top 8 agricultural universities. The program’s partner is the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. The BNP Paribas Foundation funds 40 scholarships a year. Thus far, 363 people have received support.
• The Bridge Scholarship Program of the Educational Enterprise Foundation for the most talented students of agriculture after their 3rd and 4th year of studies. In 2020, the BNP Paribas Foundation provided 13 scholarships worth a total of PLN 52.5 thousand.
• Cooperation with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in the field of education, exchange of knowledge and experience.

”Dream Up” is an initiative created and financed by the Fondation BNP Paribas in Paris and it is currently active in 30 countries. In each country, the goal is to educate and prevent social exclusion through art. In Poland, the BNP Paribas Foundation organises music classes with professionals and supports the personal and social development of children and youth in Warsaw’s Praga district in partnership with the Praga Południe Culture Promotion Center.

The second edition of the „Dream Up” program, scheduled for 2018-2021, is addressed to children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 who live in Warsaw’s Praga district. The participants of the first edition can also take part in the 2nd edition. The program includes:

• free music lessons with professionals – musicians with teaching experience;
• learning to sing and play instruments (including flutes, guitars, ukulele, violin, djembe, bongos);

• giving concerts at events in the Praga district;
• a musical ensemble – the Prague Dream Up Orchestra, which plans to record an album.

The BNP Paribas Foundation has been active in supporting diversity and counteracting social exclusion for many years. That is why, since 2016, we have been cooperating with the “Ocalenie” Foundation and helping refugees from Syria, Iraq, the Ukraine and Chechnya. In 2018, both foundations jointly launched the “Knowledge to the Power” scholarship and tutoring program to help young refugees find their place in the Polish education system. Participants of the program benefit from the help of volunteer-tutors and take part in workshops as well as educational and cultural outings and summer camps. The organisers are in close contact with the families of scholarship holders, offering them support whenever it is needed.

Since the beginning of the program in 2018, we have provided individual tutoring to 108 children from 15 countries: Chechnya, Tajikistan, the Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Russia, Iraq, Dagestan, Armenia, Ingushetia, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan. In the 2020/2021 school year, 75 students are taking part in the program, 47 are supported by the BNP Paribas Foundation.

Since 2019, the „Knowledge to the Power” program is a part of the European initiative of the BNP Paribas Group for the integration of young refugees and – thanks to a 3-year grant from the BNP Paribas Group – it will continue until the end of 2021.

The BNP Paribas Foundation supports the third sector in Poland through long-term partnerships with NGOs, but also through active participation in coalitions, committees and working groups. Since 2009, the Foundation has been a member of the Donors' Forum in Poland, a platform which brings together non-governmental organisations, institutions and companies that value philanthropy, charity and support initiatives for the public good. In 2020, the BNP Paribas Foundation became a partner of the Forum of Corporate Foundations for the 4th time. The Forum is the most important event for corporate foundations in Poland.

Since 2011, the Bank has been a member of the Pro Bono Leaders Coalition (formerly the Coalition of Presidents-Volunteers), coordinated by the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy. In December 2020, the 8th Pro Bono Leaders Conference was held, during which the first Employee Volunteering Charter in Poland was presented. The idea behind the creation of the document is to promote and support volunteering among Polish companies. Representatives of the BNP Paribas Foundation participated in developing the Charter.