Annual Report - BNP Paribas

½ Les Colporteurs
The history of the modern circus troupe Les Colporteurs is linked to the history
of its creator, Antoine Rigot. Ever since he fi rst stepped onto a steel cable
with his wife Agathe Olivier, this tightrope walker has never looked back. This
demanding, lyrical activity has become his lifeblood, source of strength, and
way of life, and his work has had a signifi cant impact on the history of contemporary
circus. In 2007, the BNP Paribas Foundation sponsored the troupe’s
new performance, Fil sous la neige, featuring three musicians and seven
tightrope walkers. The show was once again an enormous success, performances
were scheduled at more venues, and, thanks to the Foundation,
new artistic creations took shape. In addition to touring and producing,
Les Colporteurs are also working on setting up a centre that will offer opportunities
for training, research, production, as well as performances. This
centre is scheduled to open in 2008.
Medical research and volunteer activity
As part of its support for healthcare and research, the BNP Paribas Foundation
assists researchers and physicians working in both medical research and
applied clinical research. In this area, the Foundation works with pre-eminent
scientifi c institutions to select benefi ciaries. Funding generally takes the form
of multi-year grants which are awarded to new research projects.
As part of its volunteer efforts, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been involved
in a number of pilot projects aimed at promoting social cohesion and
combating all forms of exclusion. These include Projet Banlieues, launched
at the end of 2005, and the “Coup de pouce aux projets du personnel”
programme, which in four years has helped fund associations in which
employees are involved on a personal basis.
Two successful years for Projet Banlieues
At the beginning of 2006, with the support of its Foundation and the collaboration
of its retail banking network in France, BNP Paribas launched the ambitious
Projet Banlieues project. With a budget of EUR 3 million over three years,
this project is dedicated to creating jobs and cultivating social cohesion in
disadvantaged neighbourhoods, as well as to tutoring students in diffi culty.
Projet Banlieues focuses on three main areas: supporting economic
development and business creation through microcredit with ADIE (see
above “Microcredit: a commitment in favour of social integration”); tutoring in
disadvantaged areas in partnership with AFEV (see above “Partnerships that
nurture culture and education”); and supporting community projects by local
associations (see above “Solidarity and outreach programmes”).
BNP Paribas Annual Report 2007 /////// Corporate social responsibility
BNP Paribas Foundation:
Grand Mécène prize
from the French
Ministry of Culture and
Communication
In 2007, the BNP Paribas
Foundation was awarded
the Grand Mécène (literally:
“major sponsor”) prize
by the French Ministry of
Culture and Communication
for its longstanding
commitment to corporate
sponsorship. The award
was presented to Baudouin
Prot, and the BNP Paribas
Foundation was praised for
the impact of its far-ranging
patronage policy, which has
been in place since the early
1980s.
BNP Paribas Real Estate:
a patron of architecture
As the benchmark player in
corporate and residential
real estate services in
Europe, BNP Paribas Real
Estate has launched a
patronage programme
to support architecture.
To get the programme
underway, the entity
sponsored the fi rst major
exhibition organised by the
Cité de l’architecture et du
patrimoine at the Palais
de Chaillot in Paris, called
Avant après ou l’architecture
au fi l du temps (Before and
After: Architecture Through
Time).
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