Community service, charity and sponsorship

Bank Pekao S.A.’s charitable activities are carried out mainly through the Bank Pekao S.A. Foundation. In addition to the activities carried out through it, the Bank directly cooperates with selected public benefit organizations, to which it makes donations to support their statutory activities. The key internal regulation of the Bank defining guidelines in this area are the Rules for Donation and Sponsorship by Bank Polska Kasa Opieki Spółka Akcyjna. The regulation included, among other things, the establishment of a Sponsorship and Donations Committee to support the Bank’s Management Board in its decision-making process regarding the Bank’s involvement in sponsorship projects or in the Bank’s allocation of donations. In accordance with the Policy of Counteracting Corruption in the Pekao Group, a risk analysis (due diligence) is carried out before the donation or conclusion of the sponsorship agreement, which allows to minimize the risk of corruption and reputation risk.

Bank Pekao S.A. Foundation (hereinafter: “Foundation”) was established by Bank Polska Kasa Opieki S.A. in 1997. Its activities are governed by the contents of the Articles of Association adopted in the same year. The Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance to the needy in difficult situations, and its goal is to carry out public and socially useful activities for the benefit of:

The Management Board of the Pekao Foundation monitors incoming applications for funding and decides whether to support specific aid initiatives. In 2022, the Foundation implemented 93 donations. The areas covered by the requested projects were consistent with the Foundation’s statutory goals.

In response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Bank Pekao Foundation joined in providing immediate aid to Poland’s neighbors across the Ukrainian border. The focus was mainly on supporting initiatives related to providing aid to refugees from Ukraine and saving lives and health. Among other things, the donation was made to the Polish Red Cross for the purchase of dressing materials, first aid kits, food for border crossers, field beds, sleeping bags and other equipment for the injured. Support was also given to Caritas Poland for the ongoing needs of refugees under the organization’s care.

The Foundation also provided support related to the maintenance and dissemination of national tradition, cultivation of Polishness and development of national, civic and cultural awareness. Book publications on historical topics were financed, in cooperation with the Warsaw Uprising Museum, among others. Dedicated donations were also made to associations and organizations carrying out activities for veterans and repressed persons.

Support was also given to projects in the area of health protection and promotion by retrofitting hospitals with specialized medical equipment.

The Bank Pekao Foundation also financially supports projects in the grant competition “We are close” which involve local communities and serve to promote education, culture, historical heritage, among others. As a result, it was possible to provide equipment and necessary materials to schools, childcare facilities and people with disabilities, local associations and homeless animal shelters. Volunteers helped children from childcare centers, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. They also supported animals under the care of shelters. They promoted reading, youth sports activities, as well as culture, including classical music and theatrical ventures, and Polish history. In addition, volunteer leaders carried out a number of pro-health campaigns and undertook activities to counteract the social exclusion of various groups of people at risk of functioning outside society.

The Bank Pekao Foundation also focuses on areas of activity: financial education and the promotion of volunteer work. To promote the idea of volunteering, the Foundation prepares brochures summarizing activities in bank volunteering. The publication presents good practices in the area of volunteering in the bank in connection with the values of #straightforward, #together, #boldly and #responsibly, as well as profiles of volunteer leaders.

The policy implemented by the Bank and the Pekao Group in the area of sponsorship and charitable activities is aimed at strengthening the image of the Bank and entities of the Pekao Group as open and modern institutions close to customers and communities in which the Bank and the Pekao Group operate. There is no single policy at the level of the Pekao Group in the charity and sponsoring area.

When selecting initiatives, the Bank departs from activities based on one-off donations and a reactive response to requests for support to the benefit of long-term social involvement based on partnership with respectful organizations with social trust. In particular, the Bank gets involved in projects in such areas like: responsible economic development, promotion of national brand and Polish values, support for culture, sport, aid to children in need, or environmental protection. The Bank provides its support at two levels: nation-wide, where the Bank sponsors events having a material impact on Polish culture, and locally to support initiatives dedicated to local communities.

The Bank was once again the title sponsor of one of the largest tennis tournaments in Poland – the Pekao Szczecin Open. Cooperation with the Polish Basketball Association (PZKosz) and the Polish Basketball League S.A. (PLK) was also continued. Thanks to the cooperation, the Bank, as an official sponsor of Polish basketball, is present at all levels of games supervised by PZKosz and PLK. In addition, the Bank supported the Polish national team in its struggles during EuroBasket 2022. In addition, Bank Pekao S.A. has become involved in a major new sponsorship project – Pekao S.A. “Warszawska Dycha”, which was organized in September 2022 on the occasion of the Warsaw Marathon, the largest running event in Poland, and was very popular among the running community in and around Warsaw.

Supporting significant economic initiatives was an important element of the Bank’s activity as well. In 2022, the Bank was present at the 590 Congress, the Corporate and Investment Banking Congress, and the Economic Forum in Krynica, among others.

Bank Pekao S.A., which since the beginning of its history not only cares about the finances of Poles, but also aims to promote Polish cultural heritage at home and abroad, made its art collection available to the general public in November 2021 through the virtual Art Gallery of Bank Pekao S.A.

The Bank’s collection, which includes nearly 1,200 valuable artifacts, includes works by early artists such as Jan Matejko, Stanisław Wyspiański, Wojciech Kossak, Julian Fałat, Józef Mehoffer and Zygmunt Waliszewski, as well as works by contemporary artists, including Tadeusz Dominik, Jerzy Nowosielski, Jerzy Duda-Gracz, Franciszek Starowieyski and Bożena Biskupska. The Bank’s collection also includes sculptures and furniture, lamps and clocks – from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The first stage of digitizing the artworks covered about 170 exhibits. In 2022, work continued in this area, so that another 350 works of art were recorded electronically so that they could be publicly accessible on the Gallery’s virtual website the following year.

In addition, three publications related to the promotion of art were prepared and published in 2022. These are: “Bison on Wall Street” – an album documenting the poster competition in connection with the 25th anniversary of Bank Pekao’s Private Banking, “Historic Tenements of Bank Pekao S.A.” – an item documenting the architectural monuments where the Bank’s branches are located, and an album “Between Art and Commercialism” on the Bank’s archival advertising materials, whose authors were prominent Polish visual artists.

For many years Bank Pekao S.A. has also been involved in the protection of Polish bisons. The financial support provided by the Bank is earmarked, inter alia, for the diversification and development of the population, caring for herds and subsidizing scientific and educational undertakings promoting the protection of this exceptional and unique endangered species. Bank Pekao has supported the implementation of the statutory tasks of the Białowieża National Park for two decades, as a sponsor and partner of the park. The funds donated by the Bank cover part of the park’s expenses for monitoring bisons in the wilderness, buying food for the winter and winter inventory. Thanks to Bank Pekao S.A.’s support, it was possible to modernize the Bison Show Reserve – the most visited tourist site in the Białowieża National Park – and retrofit the educational pavilion that is part of it. The Bank also supports the activities of other facilities that provide care for bison, including, among others, the Pszczyna Demonstration Bison Enclosure. Nature lessons are held at the facility, and there is a chance to learn about the bison family and other animal species during a walk.

Another place where the Bank directs financial assistance is the Warsaw Zoo. Pekao donates funds to the Panda Foundation, which operates at the facility and helps care for the Warsaw bison herd, which numbers nine individuals. Another entity supported by the Bank is the Bison Lovers Association, which promotes knowledge about the bison species and carries out a number of initiatives in this regard. In 2022, the Bank began cooperation with the VARIA Foundation for the Humanities of the University of Warsaw to support the foundation’s publication titled “Protection of the European bison in Poland in the interwar period. Role of the National Natural History Museum”. The purpose of the study is to collect scientific, popular science information and documents that contributed to the establishment of institutional protection of the bison in Poland and Europe. The book is also a contribution to the discussion of the need for a National Natural History Museum in Poland.

Bank Pekao and entities of the Pekao Group, as responsible organizations and active participants in social life, also comply with the guidelines included in “The Best Practice for GPW Listed Companies 2021” issued by the Warsaw Stock Exchange in 2021, including principle 1.5 to the extent of undertaken charitable and sponsorship activities. In 2022 Bank Pekao and entities from the Pekao Group implemented a number of initiatives to support culture, sports, charitable institutions, media and social organizations. As a general rule, Bank Pekao and entities from the Pekao Group do not provide support in the form of sponsorship or charitable activity to trade unions and political parties. The list below shows expenditures borne in this respect in 2022 and mentions key initiatives.

The expenditures of the Bank by areas included in recommendation 1.5 of the Best Practice for GPW Listed Companies in 2021 (gross):

As a general rule, Bank Pekao does not provide support in the form of sponsorship or charitable activity political parties, politicians and similar institutions. The provisions of the Principles for granting donations and sponsoring by Bank Polska Kasa Opieki Spółka Akcyjna do not provide for involvement in events that raise ethical questions, are contrary to applicable law, harm human rights or are not consistent with the activities carried out to enhance the Bank’s image. The Bank does not make donations, or provide any funding, to political parties, does not sponsor their activities, and is not involved in any lobbying activities.

Total value of support for political parties, lobbying activities – 0 PLN.