Over PLN 3 million for mathematics education, 450 beneficiaries, 35,000 project participants – these are only some of the accomplishments achieved by the mFoundation in 2023. Since 2014, in line with the “m for mathematics” strategy, the foundation has allocated 100% of its funds to supporting mathematics education in Poland. Over the last decade, it has contributed as much as PLN 27 million to this goal. Last year, the mFoundation allocated over PLN 1 million to its flagship initiative, the kindergarten grant programme Growing with Maths (Rosnę z matematyką).

The mFoundation promotes a creative and unconventional approach to mathematics. It supports teachers, educators, social activists and parents who are passionate about developing mathematical thinking in children and teenagers. Some of its projects are also dedicated to university students. The mFoundation runs partnership, grant, subsidy and scholarship programmes, organises educational events and issues free publications.

Maths is believed to be a hard and sometimes even a useless subject. We want to prove that it is a key skill in today’s world and that it can be not only useful, but also interesting. Without maths, there would be no computer games, AI, or space travel; we would have difficulty baking a cake, sewing a suit or building a house. A world would maths simply does not exist, says Iwona Ryniewicz, mFoundation president.

The foundation runs two annual grant programmes supporting mathematics education projects: mPower (mPotęga), for students in grades 4–8 and Growing with Maths (Rosne z matematyką), for kindergarten children. In 2023, within the framework of both programmes, the mFoundation donated over PLN 2 million to almost 400 entities from all over Poland. These include mostly schools, libraries, NGOs and kindergartens from rural areas. This way, the mFoundation helps equalise educational opportunities.

The goal of the subsidy programme, which has a different theme every year, is to fund initiatives integrating maths with other subjects and to demonstrate the practical applications of maths. In 2023 the mFoundation awarded subsidies to projects which combined maths education and ecology. Since October, it has been financing projects dedicated to geometry. In total, the mFoundation has supported more than 50 projects with over PLN 600,000.
The foundation also promotes young mathematical talents. In cooperation with the Association for Mathematical Education, it grants scholarships to the winners of the Mathematical Olympiad and the Junior Mathematical Olympiad who obtained the highest scores in these prestigious competitions. In 2023, 29 math Olympians received scholarships totalling PLN 42,000. As part of the annual competition A Step into the Future, the best papers in mathematics written by students that promote innovative ideas or set new research directions and methods are awarded. Five papers submitted for the competition qualified for the finals of the 2022/2023 edition. The jury composed of renowned mathematicians awarded the main prize of PLN 20,000 and two distinctions of PLN 10,000 each.

The mFoundation’s educational offer also comprises free publications promoting maths. So far, the foundation has issued five such publications: “Matematyka jest wszędzie” (Maths is Everywhere), “Dziecinnie prosta matematyka” (Child’s Play Maths) and “Matematyka na zielono” (Green Mathematics), which are dedicated to families with children aged 0–13, and “Wielcy polscy matematycy znani i nieznani” (Known and Unknown: Great Polish Mathematicians) and “Środek do celu” (Means to an End) dedicated to teachers who want to learn how to make maths lessons more interesting. The e-books are available for a free download from www.mjakmatematyka.pl

In March, the mFoundation will announce its new grant programme, mFactorial, which will replace the flagship mPower.

During the ten years of mPotęga, we awarded more than 1,500 grants in the amount of over PLN 8.6 million and invited 160,000 people to participate in our mathematical programmes. We have also built a community of engaged teachers who support our mission with great dedication. They helped us create the assumptions underlying the new programme during joint workshops, says Iwona Ryniewicz.

The foundation’s plans for 2024 include, among other things, further partnership programmes, publication of new educational materials, and events dedicated to mathematics. For more information about the mFoundation’s projects, visit www.mFundacja.pl.