• The aim of the “Call for Education – Bulgaria & Romania” initiative is to fund projects fighting educational poverty across the two countries

• Eligible organizations from Bulgaria and Romania are invited to apply by 31.03.2023 and 4 projects will be awarded funding per country

• This funding will equip disadvantaged 11–19-year-olds with the tools they need to succeed and is in line with the Foundation’s mission to unlock the potential of Europe’s next generation

UniCredit Foundation has launched the "Call for Education – Bulgaria & Romania” initiative to fund educational projects. A total of 500,000 euros will be awarded to non-profits in both countries.

The key focus of the Foundation is to identify projects aimed at combating school dropout, enhancing the employability, and encouraging university attainment across Europe. This is aligned with the overall mission to unlock the potential of Europe’s next generation.

The aim of the “Call for Education” is to identify and support projects which will help fight educational poverty in Bulgaria and Romania, with a particular focus on lower and upper secondary school students (11-19 age group).

It will support non-profit organizations that tackle early school leaving and provide students with the support they need for success in the academic and professional world.

“Many students in Bulgaria and Romania are leaving school early, or are unable to acquire the skills they need to study at university, or enter the job market. This is leading to rising inequality and schools are an essential in combating this, especially for those who are most disadvantaged. This is why we are looking for innovative projects to address these topics in Bulgaria and Romania”, commented Silvia Cappellini, General Manager of UniCredit Foundation.

"Education is a key driver of Europe's future. At UniCredit we consider it 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 purpose as a bank to empower communities to progress and we are committed to promoting social advancement through education, in line with our ESG strategy and strategic plan," commented Teodora Petkova, CEO of Eastern Europe for UniCredit.

The Foundation’s donation of €500,000 will be assigned to four projects per country. They will be selected on the basis of their mission and if they align to the Foundation’s criteria.

This includes aligning with the objective of the initiative to fight educational poverty, having the relevant geographical scope and being able to demonstrate an innovative approach to promoting education.

The projects can be a duration of 18-36 months and more than one initiative can be proposed by the same organisation.

Eligible organisations are kindly invited to apply by 31.03.2023 here.