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Unlocking the potential of Europe’s next generation
This year, the UniCredit Foundation relaunched its Purpose and commitment to empowering Europe’s youth by unlocking their potential through equal education opportunities.
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We believe that only by investing in the next generation’s education and progression, can we ensure growth and development across our society.
In line with UniCredit’s ambition – to be the bank for Europe’s future – our Foundation is focused on giving Europe’s next generation the key to unlocking their innate potential and empowering them to become the changemakers of our society.
To do this, the UniCredit Foundation is working towards combating school dropout rates, enhancing employability, encouraging university attainment and promoting study and research. These all directly feed into to the Foundation’s new Purpose: to unlock the potential of Europe’s next generation. The UniCredit Foundation empowers our youth by providing them with the tools and resources they need to become successful in their academic and professional careers.
This is why the Foundation relaunched its Mission: offering equal educational opportunities to Europe’s youth – our future leaders of tomorrow. To pursue this ambitious new journey, the UniCredit Foundation reshaped its governing bodies, electing a new Board of Directors for the next three years, which will be chaired by Andrea Orcel, Group Chief Executive Officer and Head of Italy, and vice-chaired by Professor Giorgio Barba Navaretti. Serenella De Candia has maintained her role as a member of the Board, while six new members have joined: Katharina Gehra, Szilvia Gyurkó, Roberto Kutić, Dorith Salvarani-Drill, Gerry Salole and Klaus Schwertner.
The nine international members aim to ensure there is equal representation both internally (UniCredit Group) and externally outside of the bank. Further, the careful selection of representatives maintains a strong presence of members from all four UniCredit regions, who represent diverse backgrounds, gender, expertise, and philanthropic experience.
Education is essential. It’s a key driver of Europe’s future, and it is our responsibility as an institution to identify, support and empower our youth – those individuals who will lay the foundation for Europe’s progress and success in the years to come. It is our bank’s Purpose to empower communities to progress, and it is our commitment to promoting social advancement, in line with our ESG strategy and strategic plan.
Andrea Orcel
Chairman of the UniCredit Foundation
2022: Year of transition
2022 has been a transitional and evolutionary year for the UniCredit Foundation.
Since 2003, the UniCredit Foundation has always supported projects with relevant social impact and innovation, to better our communities and drive progress for those we serve. We now plan to continue that mission with a focus on European youth with dedicated support for their developmental and academic endeavours.
Silvia Cappellini
General Manager of the UniCredit Foundation
March
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HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY
Our charitable initiatives for Ukraine
A total of 4,170 employees from across the Group came together in unity to donate their personal funds in full support for Ukrainian refugees. All donations were matched (doubled) by the UniCredit Foundation for a final total contribution of approximately €845,000.
May
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HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY
Food For Poverty Initiative
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UniCredit Foundation has taken concrete actions to fight food poverty across Italy and to support organisations involved in the distribution of food to all those in need throughout the Country. To date, the Foundation has donated over €5 million, the equivalent of 3.8 million meals, to 69 non-profit organisations.
June-July
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SUPPORT TO STUDY & RESEARCH
PhD, Master scholarships and Fellowship
UniCredit Foundation launched a series of initiatives to support European university students, in line with its continued commitment to supporting study and research. This includes about 30 scholarships and research grants, with a total value of around €1.5 million.
November
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PILOT PROJECTS IN EDUCATION
Obiettivo Lavoro Project - Orienteering in Vocational School
Together with the Fondazione Ing. Rodolfo Debenedetti, the Foundation acts as a compass, addressing the lack of connections between schools and labour market intermediaries. The ambition is to improve access to employment for young graduates of vocational schools through the implementation and evaluation of the impact of a counselling programme.
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THE RELAUNCH
New mandate and look
This year, the UniCredit Foundation relaunched its Purpose and commitment to empowering Europe’s youth by unlocking their potential through equal education opportunities. The Foundation also presents a fresh look: a brand-new logo composed of a harmonious intersection of lines, shaping the ‘U’ and the ‘F’ with shades of warm colours representing growth, development, and progress. This introduces a new visual identity to bring it closer to its target audience.
December
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PILOT PROJECTS IN EDUCATION
Call for Education
UniCredit Foundation launched an internal call to identify and support educational projects in Bulgaria and Romania for young people in the 11-19 age group (lower and upper secondary school), allocating financial resources up to €500,000, to maximum of 4 wide-ranging projects.
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20 YEARS OF GIFT MATCHING
Gift Matching Program
UniCredit Foundation launched the Gift Matching Program for the 20th year in a row. Through this initiative, the Foundation and UniCredit’s people joined forces in their solidarity commitment. The 2022 edition supported non-profit organisations engaged in activities for children and young people up to the age of 24, doubling donations made by groups of colleagues and recognising an additional contribution to initiatives aimed at fostering educational equality.