Crédit Mutuel Arkéa announces the launch of its Endowment Fund. With an annual budget of €3.6 million, it will complement the Solidarités schemes run by the federations and local banks of Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest, in particular by supporting initiatives with a regional dimension.

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa's endowment fund, the apex body, will strengthen and broaden the group's patronage and solidarity activities, complementing the Solidarités schemes piloted and managed by the Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest federations and local banks. The aim is to step up support, mainly in the historic regions of Brittany and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, for families in difficulty and for non-profit associations active in the fields of culture, sport, health, education, social inclusion, disability and food aid.

A further expression of its status as a company with a mission

With the creation of its Endowment Fund, in line with its status as a company with a mission, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa wishes to support and make visible grassroots initiatives in favour of employment, health, inclusion, living together and social and environmental change.

The first concrete results:

• Renewal of the sponsorship agreement with the Fondation de l'Université de Rennes for €150,000 over 3 years. This foundation is actively working to bring the University and businesses closer together to promote and enhance cutting-edge research, improve the professional integration of students, develop international visibility and encourage solidarity within the University. Part of the funding is also earmarked for the creation of a Cyber Security Research Chair.
• The allocation of €90,000 over 3 years to the Océanopolis Acts endowment fund to support the creation of a new children's area as part of the renovation work at Océanopolis, the ocean science centre in Brest. The Group's maritime business is also involved in this new pavilion project, with the creation of an area dedicated to seafaring professions.
• The signing, in association with Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne, of a sponsorship agreement with the Académie de Rennes to distribute 3,000 keyboards adapted for dyslexic pupils in all primary and secondary schools in Brittany. This "Keydys" kit was designed by a young Breton entrepreneur, Ryann Dubois.
• A €100,000 commitment over 3 years from Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest to the Bergonié Endowment Fund to support research projects carried out by the only regional cancer centre in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. This support will enable the Institute to acquire cutting-edge equipment and develop patient support programmes.

In keeping with the Group's governance principles, the Endowment Fund is based on a decentralised organisation. The Board of Directors, chaired by Sophie Violleau, Chairwoman of Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest and Vice-Chairwoman of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, delegates its powers to local and regional committees, drawing on the expertise of the federations. The role of these committees will be to refer potential beneficiaries in their territories and to grant them the donations made available by the group's Endowment Fund.