The slogan of this year’s round – Change Profit Into Good And Good Into Profit. For the Environment, for the Community, for Business – referred to the impact companies can have in their neighborhood.

The winners in individual categories are: Dr. Max, “BAT” Sp. z o.o., Biedronka Foundation, BNP Paribas Foundation, Deloitte Polska Foundation, Empiria i Wiedza Foundation, Hand Made, HENKEL POLSKA, IKEA Kraków, Nationale-Nederlanden, Nokia Solutions and Networks Sp. z o.o., and Pepco Poland sp. z o.o.

For 27 years, the Competition for the Title of the Benefactor of the Year has been awarding firms socially involved and supporting NGOs. It is the biggest and the oldest competition of that kind in Poland.

Since 1997 the competition has been promoting social engagement and social responsibility of enterprises, singling out the most socially active firms, allowing NGOs to thank their donors and business partners in public, inspiring entrepreneurs to take up social activities, as well as informing about the social initiatives and programs implemented by companies.

As President of the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland Paweł Łukasiak notes, the 27th round of the Competition takes place in the year rich in anniversaries that are important for Poland: “2024 is a very special year for our country. We celebrate round anniversaries of important events that have had impact on Poland’s present situation. On March 12 we celebrated the 25th anniversary of joining NATO. On May 1 there was the 20th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the European Union, and on June 4 we had the 35th anniversary of the first free election of 1989. So that is the jubilee year of free Poland.”

Categories and Winners

The firms and corporate foundations could be nominated by NGOs cooperating with them in the following categories: Culture and Education, Local Partnerships, Environmental and Climate Protection, Openness to Diversity, Voluntary and Charity Aid, Healthy Lifestyle, Support for Refugees and Ukraine, Business and NGOs Good Cooperation. Employee Volunteering is the only category that companies may apply to on their own.

The Winners in each of the categories:

I. Culture and Education Category

Fundacja Empiria i Wiedza

For effective work in the area of providing equal opportunities for young people in their access to education through Matura+ and Matma do kwadratu (Math Squared) project, which allowed young people to get above-average results in their exams and teachers to improve their competencies.

II. Local Partnerships Category:

“BAT” Sp. z o.o.

For activities stimulating local activity of citizens through systematic cooperation with local organizations, and in particular for supporting Youth Organizational Team that operates under the Equal Opportunities program in organization of charity picnic for the hospice in Kartuzy, as well as for its engagement in numerous projects benefitting residents of Sierakowice, including support in building the playground accessible for all.

III. Environmental and Climate Protection Category:

Deloitte Polska Foundation

For cooperation and engaging a broad group of addressees in implementation of Be.Eco program, including broadly conceived ecology education for elementary and high school students and providing teachers with reliable and updated knowledge on climate education.

IV. Openness to Diversity Category:

BNP Paribas Foundation

For creating and implementing the Knowledge to the Power tutor and scholarship program supporting children and young people of refugee families in education and development. The program helped them successfully graduate from elementary school and get accepted at high schools, and the high school leavers do well at their final exams. The program also resulted in strengthening the participants’ sense of self-confidence and their self-assessment.

V. Voluntary and Charity Aid Category:

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Hand Made

For participating in creation of six Noble Parcel and the Academy of Future social campaigns which allowed to raise extra funds, volunteers, find people in need and engage companies in volunteering, sharing expertise and making access to experts available.

Large Enterprise: Pepco Poland sp. z o.o.

For financial support for 116 111 Hotline for Children and Youth allowing to cover the cost of 6,000 hours of consultant work, answering 8,5000 children and young people’s calls, including those which allowed over 100 interventions saving children in health or life threatening situations.

VI. Healthy Lifestyle Category:

ex aequo: Nationale-Nederlanden and Henkel Polska

Nationale-Nederlanden: for supporting continuation and extension of U Day action encouraging women and men to take part in regular preventive health examinations and engagement for the eighth time in Mosznowładcy (Scrotum Rulers) campaign aimed at bringing to attention the issues of men’s health and preventing genital cancer.

Henkel Polska: for making information on breast cancer prevention more accessible through support and extension of activities under the Pink Patrol project building the network of engaged women that educate on cancer prevention and offer support to patient diagnosed with a cancer.

VII. Support for Refugees and Ukraine Category:

Local area: Nokia Solutions and Networks

For support in offering equal education opportunities for refugees’ children staying in Wrocław, including assistance in establishing the Ukrainian Education Center that secures children access to experts, intensive courses of Polish, and contacts with their peers.

All Poland: Biedronka Foundation

For assistance to 54,000 residents of Eastern Ukraine through the Parcel for a Family program providing the most necessary products to residents staying in the war area where there are blackouts and water shortages and residents are exposed to enemy’s fire, and for supporting Polish Center for International Aid

VIII. Employee Volunteering Category:

Dr.Max

For creating an employee volunteering program implementing grassroot projects coordinated by volunteers, including organization of the 2nd round of EcoRun, skin cancer prevention, as well as initiating the sport challenge which allowed to offer support to children with cancer.

IX. Business and NGOs Good Cooperation Category:

IKEA Kraków

For establishing a strong partnership with an NGO and supporting its activities in various areas, e.g. engaging funds and volunteers in supporting refugees, as well as assistance in organization of Multi-Cultural Center, Open Place, and Center for Education and Support.

We would like to cordially thank all those who were nominating and who were nominated, and congratulate the Winners. Thank you for your engagement in building a better future for all of us.

The Competition Funders and Partners

The Competition was initiated in 1997 by Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland. The Funder of the Competition for the Title of the Benefactor of the Year is the Polish-American Freedom Foundation that for many years has been accompanying us in promoting the idea of social engagement of firms.

The competition procedures are implemented according to the highest ethical standards and in line with provisions of law and are monitored by EY acting as the competition procedures auditor.

Partners supporting the Competition: Business Centre Club, Donors Forum, Responsible Business Forum, Global Compact Network Poland, The Lewiatan Confederation, Employers of Poland.

Sector Partners: Raport ESG magazine and the following portals: odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl, ngo.pl, raportcsr.pl, oesg.pl, marketingprzykawie.pl, niepelnosprawni.pl, witrynawiejska.pl.