RepoRt on - BNP Paribas

nP Paribas foundation:
imaginative and active support
since the merger that led to its creation
in 2000, bnP Paribas has always striven
to combine performance with responsibility,
both in its day-to-day business activities
and in its corporate philanthropy
and partnership policy.
it has long-standing partnerships with
microfinance organisations, telethon
fund-raising organisations in italy and
france, as well as many other associations.
bnP Paribas is also known internationally
for its patronage of the creative
arts, for promoting and preserving cultural
heritage and for its commitment to
researchers and associations involved in
social integration, education and development.
over the years, bnP Paribas
has become a real powerhouse for local
and global initiatives and a true innovator
in corporate social responsibility.
against this background, the bnP Paribas
foundation, which operates under the
auspices of the fondation de france,
has developed substantial expertise
and knowledge of the countries and
cultures where the bank operates. the
foundation has taken on a leading role
in the bank’s corporate philanthropy
policy as a result of its experience, the
advice it provides to business units and
territories in setting up their initiatives, as
well as the projects it has gradually developed
internationally in line with the
values that underpin the group’s social
commitment.
improved governance
the bnP Paribas foundation has
strengthened its activities substantially
in the last few years. the scope of its
efforts has widened to cover new programmes,
and extends far beyond
france. the foundation has also introduced
a new governance structure
suited to its work.
these changes also provided an opportunity
to set out guiding principles for
identifying and supporting partners:
— identifying partners means being
able to pick out projects that fit with
the foundation’s guiding spirit and its
areas of involvement. it also means
looking beyond those projects that
come to it directly. it requires a good
knowledge of corporate philanthropy
areas, a sense of curiosity and the
ability to assess a project’s impact
and reach.
— supporting projects is a core part
of the foundation’s approach.
supporting a project does not simply
mean providing funds for a few years.
just as importantly, it means listening
to the people running the project,
providing input, advising them and
introducing them to useful contacts,
particularly in institutional networks
and the bank’s own networks.
in 2009, the bnP Paribas foundation had
a budget of eur 3.5 million for supporting
its various programmes. Half of the
budget was allocated to cultural, outreach
and health-related projects.
increased network effects
within bnP Paribas, new foundations
have been created, to which the
bnP Paribas foundation provides its
expertise. the fortis foundations have
also been integrated. this shows the
group’s desire to develop its support for
civil society in france and far beyond.
nine foundations have been set up
alongside the bnP Paribas foundation:
the bnl foundation, the bnP Paribas
suisse foundation, the bnP Paribas
brazil foundation, the bmci foundation,
the cetelem foundation and the
fortis foundations in belgium, france,
luxembourg and Poland.
the bnP Paribas foundation has increased
its efforts to co-ordinate this
network, in order to ensure a shared vision
of corporate philanthropy as well
as consistency between each foundation’s
commitments. three main
themes have been identified, around
which each business line and country
can develop corporate philanthropy
programmes depending on their community’s
needs.
in the social field, projects supporting
education, social integration and people
with disabilities will be particularly
encouraged. staff will be encouraged
to take part in solidarity-based projects,
and medical and scientific research
programmes will be financed. cultural
projects will focus on preserving and
promoting cultural heritage, and on
87 <strong>RepoRt</strong> on CoRpoRate SoCial and enviRonmental ReSponSibility
supporting creativity in the performing
arts. thirdly, in the environmental field,
active support will be provided to scientific
initiatives.
scientific research
in the field of healthcare, the bnP Paribas
foundation has for twenty-five years
assisted researchers and physicians
working in both medical research and
applied clinical research. drawing on
the expertise of organisations recognised
by the scientific community, its actions
most often take the form of funding
for newly established teams over a
period of several years. since the programme
was implemented, 19 research
teams have been supported and almost
200 researchers have received grants.
national cancer center singapore
in 2008, the bnP Paribas foundation, in
association with bnP Paribas singapore,
decided to support the regional
fellowship Program, a new research
and co-operation programme set up
by national cancer center singapore
(nccs). the centre has several missions:
treating patients, research, educating
the public and training.
the nccs regional fellowship Program,
which is an internationally renowned
programme for cancer research, treatment
and training, wanted to interact
more with hospitals in the region’s
emerging countries.
in 2009, in order to increase interaction
with these hospitals, the nccs welcomed
three cancer specialists into its
teams with the support of bnP Paribas.
these three young vietnamese specialists
work in hospitals in Ho chi minh city,
and were selected following an invitation
for applications from nccs. with a
budget of eur 90,000 over three years,
this programme, the first of its kind,
aims to develop a network of cancer
expertise, to encourage the sharing of
knowledge and to facilitate the flow
of information about cancer developments
within the region.