Brest, 19 June 2024

Following its official launch in January 2024, the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund has announced its first call for projects entitled "Sport and Territories". With a budget of €120,000, this competition is aimed at organisations based mainly in the territories of the CMB and CMSO federations. Between 5 and 10 projects will be selected by a jury sponsored by Matthieu Jalibert, international player and fly-half of Union Bordeaux Bègles, the rugby team sponsored by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa.

The Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund has chosen two themes closely linked to the history of the cooperative and mutual group to define its first call for projects. Entitled "Sport and Territories", this competition, open to applications from 19 June to 10 September 2024, is reserved for associations under the 1901 Act, social economy companies with fewer than 10 employees, cooperatives and local authorities.

The projects submitted must be in the field of sport, whatever the discipline, and aim to have an impact on local vitality as well as a societal impact (education, inclusion, disability, health or reintegration). Through this call for projects, the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund wishes to support projects in the group's historical territories, those of the CMB and CMSO federations.

A jury sponsored by a top-level sportsman 

The "Sport and Territories" call for projects will select between 5 and 10 projects for a total budget of €120,000. The project selection panel will be made up of seven members of the Endowment Fund's Board of Directors, including Sophie Violleau in her capacity as Chairman of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund, several directors from Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest, and the Endowment Fund's Managing Director, Bérengère Banquey.

Matthieu Jalibert, fly-half for Union Bordeaux Bègles and an international player, will also be sponsoring the competition. This team, which is sponsored by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, illustrates the ambition of this call for projects: to take concrete action through the implementation of sports projects at local level to promote local vitality and solidarity.

"The aim of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund is to promote solidarity and good living, here and now. By focusing on the theme of sport at the heart of local communities, we wanted to highlight local structures that work closely with their beneficiaries, in line with our local roots in Brittany and the South-West. The aim of this first call for projects is therefore to support sports projects that create local links and take into account various social issues. Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, through the voice of its directors and members, but also through the actions of its local mutuals, is convinced that the region plays a central role in the transitions of tomorrow and that sport is a unifying means of promoting inclusion. We therefore look forward to working with the jury to discover the projects, which will undoubtedly be as diverse as they are committed."

Sophie Violleau, Chairwoman of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund, Vice-Chairwoman of Crédit
Mutuel Arkéa and Chairwoman of Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest

"The launch of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Endowment Fund is an extension of our history of mutual support and solidarity. And this first call for projects provides further concrete evidence of the support given by our group, its entities and federations to those who bring this solidarity to life on a daily basis in the heart of our historic regions of Brittany and the South-West. The sports angle is not insignificant, because we are convinced that sporting activity is a solid vector for building a more inclusive society, by also touching on issues that are dear to our Group as a company with a mission, such as disability, reintegration and health. This conviction is also illustrated by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa's sponsorship activities, and I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Matthieu Jalibert, a sportsman from a team that is passionately supported by our group, for sponsoring this call for projects."

Julien Carmona, Chairman of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne

"I am proud to sponsor this call for projects alongside one of UBB's major sponsors. Sport is not just a passion for me, it's a real source of inspiration and daily motivation. It embodies profound values to which I am intensely attached. But beyond the field, I firmly believe that it's crucial to support local areas and local projects, because that's where the real stories of success and solidarity are built, and that's why the theme of the Endowment Fund's first call for projects is particularly relevant to me. Gironde is a shining example of this passionate commitment to promoting inclusive access to sport, and I'm convinced that the same determination is driving Brittany, the other region targeted by this call for projects. I look forward to discovering the initiatives presented by the applicants and urge you to take part."

Matthieu Jalibert, rugby player for Union Bordeaux Bègles