Corporate philanthropy
2022-06-20
The BNP Paribas Foundation is a major player and expert in corporate philanthropy since 1984. We are convinced that philanthropy can be a crucial lever for transformation, consequently we particularly support initiatives related to innovation and youth. Furthermore, our focus on impact and societal issues leads us to engage in projects that are dedicated more broadly to solidarity, the environment and culture.
In the area of solidarity, the BNP Paribas Foundation structures its actions - in France and abroad - to combat various forms of exclusion in working-class neighbourhoods, to support young people through school education programmes and artistic activities abroad, to combat all forms of violence against women, to promote the integration of refugees in Europe, and to support BNP Paribas employee initiatives.
The BNP Paribas Foundation's commitment to solidarity in 2022
6,37 M€
budget
286
partenaires
Promoting equal opportunities in education
Young people and mentoring
The BNP Paribas Foundation has always been committed to developing actions in favour of young people, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable. Mentoring helps youths to learn, to gain autonomy, in school and to integrate work life.
In this context, we have historically supported:
- Afev (Association de la Fondation Etudiante pour la Ville) which, thanks to its network of student volunteers, provides children with support with their school work at home
- Proxité, which provides young people from priority neighbourhoods with sponsorship by mentors from the world of work
- Entreprendre pour Apprendre (EPA), which develops the spirit of entrepreneurship in secondary and vocational schools.
Entreprendre Pour Apprendre / Innov'EPA
© Sophie Loubaton / CAPA Pictures
The Foundation’s role is also to capitalise on positive solidarity experiences within the Group’s various entities and businesses to consolidate new partnerships. Since 2021, the Foundation has been supporting key players on matters of equal opportunities such as:
- Article 1, which sets up mentoring between students from working-class backgrounds who have received hardship grants and volunteer professionals from the same background;
- Institut de l’Engagement, which identifies young people who have completed a civic service project and supports them to develop their future plans (training, employment, business creation);
- Viens Voir Mon Taf, which enables tenth-year school children in in priority education networks to do a brief internship in a company.
Youth hit hard by the health crisis:
Plan Solidarité Jeunesse
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a heavy impact on young people, with many youths dropping out of school, feeling isolated or losing their bearings, for example.
In view of this concerning situation, the BNP Paribas Foundation launched an exceptional plan in September 2021, the Plan Solidarité Jeunesse.
Its goal? To support 14 associations that are in direct contact with young people and around three pillars: education continuity, precariousness and psychological and/or physical distress, while continuing its long-standing commitment to equal opportunities.
Young people and school trips
Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has financed school trips in partnership with the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris.
Thanks to this Youth Odyssey programme, 50,000 schoolchildren went on 1,200 school trips. In the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, 137 secondary schools took part in this great adventure. School trips make a huge contribution to children’s schooling, and they return from them invigorated and more mature.
These educational trips enable school children to approach topics covered in class from a different angle, while at the same time promoting cultural awareness of concepts such as living together, solidarity and sustainable development.
Young people and art-related projects
Launched in 2015, Dream Up is an international art education programme funded and coordinated by the BNP Paribas Foundation. Renewed in 2021 for a period of 3 years, it is now deployed in 29 countries.
Dream Up aims to support education through artistic practice for children from disadvantaged backgrounds by enabling them to practice various disciplines (music, singing, theatre, dance, or visual arts, for example). Since its launch, 55,000 children have benefited from Dream Up throughout the world.
Stepping up professional and social integration
Promoting professional integration and job creation, encouraging social integration projects and community-based actions in the heart of working-class neighbourhoods, supporting the integration of refugees, and helping people in highly precarious situations are all ways of combating various forms of exclusion.
Micro-credit with Adie
For more than 20 years, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been supporting associations working to promote professional integration. This is how we became the key partner of Adie (Association pour le Droit à l’Initiative Économique) which fights against wasting talent by enabling applicants to develop their own business, irrespective of their resources and diplomas, thanks to adapted loans, or micro-credits.
In 2021, the Foundation made a significant contribution to the development of Adie’s activity by directly supporting the activity of 16 of its branches located in priority neighbourhoods throughout France. By strengthening its local presence, supporting its communication with potential entrepreneurs, and providing it with the means to lead its “neighbourhood” teams, the support of the BNP Paribas Foundation enabled Adie to finance nearly 3,500 people in 2021.
Ma Box à cheveux, supported by Adie
© ADIE
'Cravate Solidaire'
Created in 2012, 'Cravate Solidaire' supports people who are in the process of integrating a job and fights against discrimination in job interviews, particularly those related to appearance. The association assists people in job-integration through Coup de Pouce workshops, which are individual and friendly half-day job interview preparation workshops.
Since 2014, 'Cravate Solidaire' has organised, with the BNP Paribas Group, more than 35 events to collect professional clothing (i.e. 7 tonnes of collections), 60 sorting sessions in the various solidarity clothing outlets, and workshops to raise awareness on non-discrimination.
'Projet Banlieues'
Since 2006, with the launch of “Projet Banlieues”, the BNP Paribas Foundation, in close collaboration with the Bank’s retail network, has supported a number of associations working in the heart of Priority Urban Neighbourhoods (QPV), in a wide range of areas such as education, social and professional integration and to improve “living together”.
Since the creation of the programme, over 1000 local associations were supported throughout France, benefiting 900,000 people. Since 2019, the “Projet Banlieues” programme has widened its scope of action and now covers 80% of the population living in priority neighbourhoods.
Combating women’s precarity
The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified violence against women and increased their vulnerability.
The Foundation supports associations such as SOLFA, Résonantes, Règles élémentaires, Agir pour la Santé des Femmes (ADSF), which provide access to healthcare, housing and basic necessities, and which fight violence against girls and women.
The BNP Paribas Foundation also supports shower facilities for homeless women run by the Paris Samu Social and the Salvation Army’s Terres de Femmes integration programme.
In 2022, the BNP Paribas Foundation will become a permanent partner of the Women’s Foundation, which houses some fifteen associations.
Promoting employee volunteering
Since 2003, the BNP Paribas Foundation in France has supported volunteering by BNP Paribas employees who invest their personal time in solidarity associations.
Today, the programme supporting employee volunteer involvement, Help2Help, is deployed in some twenty countries where BNP Paribas operates.
Every year more than half a million euros is allocated to these projects throughout the world.
Photo header: © nashdoeswork
