BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation
20 years of cultural and societal engagement
More than 20 years of BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation
BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022. Get to know the key dates of its history, its impact in number as well as its current partners!
BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation is committed
Created in 2002, the BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation has assigned itself the task of promoting dialogue between the bank and its surrounding environment, on issues that are as much cultural, as they are social and environmental.
Going beyond financial support
For BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation it is important to:
- Build awareness on the wealth of Swiss museums
- Encourage young artists and performers
- Support projects in favour of education and social inclusion
- Support research and awareness-raising on climate change.
Our 3 fields of action
Culture
Promoting museum’s heritage in an innovative way and encouraging young artists
For the last few years, the Foundation has participated in cultural mediation programmes that promote an enlarged access to Swiss museums and their heritage, particularly with the use of new technologies and digitalisation.
The Foundation also actively supports young
Swiss artists establishing themselves on the art
scene or experimenting with new artistic directions, both in visual arts and in the field of dance.
Social
Promoting education and social inclusion
Since its creation, BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation supports projects that aim to address all forms of social exclusion, whether they affect the aged, people with disabilities, migrants or teenagers with learning difficulties.
Education, equal opportunities and encouragement of the younger generation remains a key for a fair and sustainable development.
These issues concern us all. Therefore, the Foundation encourages bank employees to get involved in the community by actively supporting solidarity initiatives in which they take part outside their professional lives.
Environment
Supporting research and awareness-raising on climate change
The Group’s Foundation is actively engaged in favour of environmental research via the programme Climate and Biodiversity Initiative. Since 2010, several projects run by research laboratories of an international scope have been supported for a total of 18 million euros. The Group’s objective is to understand the causes and impacts of global warming in order to anticipate the consequences on our environment and on worldwide populations.
It’s within this context that BNP Paribas
Swiss Foundation took a new turn in 2016 and
decided to extend its activities to environmental
philanthropy.
News from the Foundation
The Foundation Board
BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation positions itself as a vehicle for the values of the BNP Paribas Group. Around these core values, we strengthen the sense of belonging while opening up the bank and its employees to new horizons. Its Board is composed as follows :
The art collection
The Art Collection was created in the 1960s and enhanced in the 1980s by a significant acquisition phase that continues today.
The Collection is articulated around Modern European Art (Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Niki de Saint Phalle, Arman, etc.) and Swiss art specifically (Max Bill, Le Corbusier, Louis Soutter, etc.).
Works from the Collection are presented mostly in the entrance halls and client’s reception lounges of BNP Paribas sites in Switzerland. The Collection
is the reflection of the bank’s identity, not only for its employees, but also for its clients and visitors, thanks to the quality and diversity of the works that compose it.
The Foundation’s interest in art and the cultural sphere is also reflected in its partnerships with institutional players, especially leading Swiss museums. Works of art are lent for exhibitions, for example, showcasing the collection outside the bank’s walls. The Foundation is also a member of the International Association of Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art (IACCCA), allowing it to interact with and gain a reputation among other large corporate collections, and consolidating its active presence in the world of culture.
The other Foundations of the BNP Paribas Group
The BNP Paribas Foundation of the Group leads and coordinates the international development of the BNP Paribas Group’s philanthropy wherever the Bank is present. BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation is one of the 9 BNP Paribas Foundations abroad.