mBank Foundation

mBank Foundation (mFoundation), established in 1994, strives to support enhancement in education and quality of life of the society through actions coherent with the image and policy of the Bank.

In 2015, mFoundation continued its involvement in the “m for Mathematics” initiative introduced at the end of 2013 and outlined in the strategy for 2012- 2016. The strategy is centred around activities aimed at supporting mathematics education in Poland and improving its effectiveness.

Through its three main activities the Foundation supports committed teachers and organisers of social activities in their efforts to show young people the interesting and practical side of mathematics so that they can effectively apply it not only in the classroom, but first of all, in their everyday lives. Subsidies, the grant programme “mPower” (“mPotęga”) and the “Masters of Mathematics” (“Mistrzowie matematyki”) scholarships allow for offering interesting educational activities to children, teenagers and students. Parents who want to support children in learning mathematics and teachers eager to upgrade their vocational qualifications in teaching of mathematics were invited to take part in projects subsidised by mFoundation.

In the first half of 2015 mFoundation continued to be the partner to the “Mathematics Counts” (“Matematyka się liczy”) initiative launched by Gazeta Wyborcza daily. As part of this initiative, competitions for students and teachers as well as a mathematical picnic with workshops and lectures about modern and effective mathematics education were held.

Apart from its regular programmes, mFoundation was also engaged in supporting the employee volunteering programmes “Let’s Do Good Together” and “Let’s Run Together for Others”.

Actions in support of mathematics education

mFoundation subsidies offer one-time financial support for development projects related to mathematics. Applications for subsidies are accepted throughout the year and are processed on the last Monday of every month. Non-governmental organisations, schools, libraries and other educational and scientific establishments as well as higher education institutions may apply for the support. In 2015, almost 60 thousand direct recipients benefited from the projects subsidised by mFoundation. The funds of mFoundation enabled the development of 48 mathematical projects on a national and regional scale, among others: 11th edition of the Competition of Secondary School Pupils in Mathematics, mathematical meetings as part of the 19th Science Festival in Warsaw, 6th edition of the international photographic competition “Mathematics in Focus”, or “General Internet Competition for high school students - Mathematics” organised by the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science of the Warsaw University of Technology.

Another key initiative of mFoundation is the grant programme “mPower”. Underlying the programme is a desire to develop mathematical skills in the young generation by inspiring teachers, parents, people with passion for mathematics to look for creative, attractive ways for children and teenagers to get to know the world of numbers. The programme is implemented in cooperation with the Good Network Foundation (Fundacja Dobra Sieć). In 2015, in the second edition of “mPower”, schools, social organisations, cultural centres and public libraries from nine voivodeships (mazowieckie, łódzkie, wielkopolskie, kujawskopomorskie, pomorskie, zachodniopomorskie, warmińsko-mazurskie, lubuskie and dolnośląskie) were eligible for grants. The applicants could enter their original projects in two categories: addressed to 4-6th grade pupils of primary schools, and to secondary school pupils and high school students. Grants ranging from PLN 2 thousand to PLN 8 thousand were awarded to 61 most interesting initiatives. Consequently, ten thousand pupils, parents and teachers benefited from “mPower”.

The programme “Masters of Mathematics” is dedicated to non-governmental organisations whose statutory activities include scholarship programmes. As part of the programme, NGOs can raise funds for scholarships awarded to pupils and university students demonstrating outstanding talents for science, e.g. mathematics. In 2015, mFoundation launched ten scholarship programmes “Masters of Mathematics”. They were implemented among others by local foundations and associations from Kielce, Solec Kujawski, Wieluń and Nowy Sącz. mFoundation funded scholarships for 160 talented young mathematicians.

Employee volunteering programme

mFoundation helps mBank’s employees to take actions for local communities through the support of the employee volunteering programme “Let’s Do Good Together” (“Zróbmy razem coś dobrego”) and the sports volunteering programme “Let’s Run Together for Others” (“Biegnijmy razem dla innych”). In 2015, five projects implemented by 25 volunteers were co-financed by mFoundation as part of the employee volunteering programme “Let’s Do Good Together”.

Cooperation with the CASE Foundation

Since 2005 mFoundation has been cooperating with the Science Foundation CASE (Center for Social and Economic Research), co-organising cyclical seminars and issuing accompanying publications. CASE is an international, independent research and advisory centre, focusing on the transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia, the European integration and the world economy. The seminars cover the key issues of the financial sector, public finances, the monetary union and other current, important questions relating to the economic policy in Poland and in the world. There were six seminars organised within the scope of the cooperation in 2015.

The amount of PLN 2,246,618 was earmarked for the performance of mFoundation’s statutory tasks in 2015 with the following structure of expenses: