We began considering this possibility as early as summer 2023. It seemed to us like a natural evolution of the work we had already been doing in the area of corporate social responsibility at the bank, and we believed we were ready for a bigger step and a more structured presence.

Luciana Peres, president of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

Luciana Peres, President of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, shared with Observador her insights on the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal first steps, as well as the first two projects that will be supported by the Fundação.

At the time of its launch, the Foundation is investing €1.5 million, directly allocated by the parent Foundation under the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, which supports scientists studying the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, in two Portuguese winning projects (out of 163 submitted worldwide) — a clear demonstration of the quality of work being developed in this field in the country.

These two projects fall under the strategic area of biodiversity, with a focus on increasing research capacity, and enabling scientists to find solutions that can ideally be scaled up to address conservation and restoration issues related to the marine environment and biodiversity.

Luciana Peres, president of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

Click here to read the full interview.

• With a 40-year success story in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation stems from the will to give back to a country that has contributed so much to the BNP Paribas Group and is now one of its strategic locations.
• The Foundation reinforces the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society, consolidating all philanthropic activities in Portugal under a single, unified vision.
• The Foundation’s motto is “We give power to those who take action!”, embracing networking as its preferred working method and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders, with a view to achieving systemic change in the areas in which it operates.
• Three strategic areas: Solidarity (inclusion through employment), Environment and Biodiversity (restoration and conservation of marine ecosystems), and Culture (access to culture and support for underrepresented artists).
• The investment in the year of launch includes €1.5 million for study and research projects on the impact of climate change on ocean warming and its consequences for marine species living in the Atlantic Ocean.

BNP Paribas announces the launch of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, the 14^th Foundation of the BNP Paribas Group worldwide, with the aim of reinforcing the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society. The Foundation was created to respond to the country’s most pressing social, environmental, and cultural challenges, consolidating all the Group’s philanthropic activity in Portugal under a single vision, in the year in which BNP Paribas celebrates 40 years of activity in Portugal.

At the time of its launch, the Foundation is investing €1.5 million, directly allocated by the parent Foundation under the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, which supports scientists studying the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, in two Portuguese winning projects (out of 163 submitted worldwide) — a clear demonstration of the quality of work being developed in this field in the country:

• Gulf of Guinea: Migration of the Pelagic Marine Megafauna (OCEANPATH)

This project aims to establish a protected offshore marine migration corridor between Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea for blue sharks, mako sharks and whales. Using innovative monitoring technologies and 3D mapping, OCEANPATH seeks to improve predictions of migratory patterns and contribute to large-scale marine conservation.

• Temperature and Early Development of the small-spotted catshark (SHOW-IT)

Conducted in controlled aquarium conditions, this project studies the effects of ocean warming on the early immune and motor development of small-spotted catshark, comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. Its findings will help inform the design of future marine protected areas.

“Acting for the common good to make the world better, more just, and more sustainable is embedded in the DNA of our patronage actions A major player in corporate patronage since 1984, the BNP Paribas Group has a strong presence in the global philanthropy landscape. Providing innovative solutions, protecting, repairing, inspiring, and upholding these ambitions, particularly with the vibrant forces that make up the BNP Paribas Group teams in Portugal, is essential.”

Anne Pointet, Head of Company Engagement for Group BNP Paribas.

“In a fractured and divided world, seeing the emergence of a new foundation in Portugal with the desire to innovate and support visionary actors in solidarity, the environment, and culture is excellent news. It reinforces a coalition now composed of 14 foundations and endowment funds of the BNP Paribas Group.”

Isabelle Giordano, Head of BNP Paribas Group Philanthropy.

With a 40-year history of success in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation reflects the will to give back to a country that has given so much to the BNP Paribas Group, and which is now one of its strategic locations. For several years, the BNP Paribas Group has defined its ambition as having a positive impact on society (“We are serving our customers and the world we live in”), contributing to sustainable development (using the 17 SDGs defined by the United Nations), through an ambitious social responsibility strategy with a strong philanthropic pillar. A company of BNP Paribas’s current scale in Portugal has the capacity to raise awareness and mobilize other companies and organizations—whether partners or clients—as well as, very effectively, its employees, now numbering more than 9,000, in collaborative work capable of generating real change. The Foundation aims to continue working closely with communities, side by side with those on the ground, supporting projects that create real and lasting impact, thereby deepening the bond that already exists.

“We believe in the power of collaborative work and coalition-building to achieve systemic change in our society and our planet. That is why we have adopted the motto for the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation: We give power to those who take action! We will support innovative, challenging, well-founded projects capable of producing measurable impact in their areas of activity. For this reason, we are committed to and will invite employees, clients, partners, universities, and other organizations that share our vision — the development of a more inclusive and sustainable society — to join us in long-term investment in the areas and beneficiaries we have identified as priorities.”

Luciana Peres, President of BNP Paribas Fundação Portugal

An integrated approach to a more inclusive and sustainable society

The activities of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal are structured around three strategic areas:

1. Social, focused on social inclusion through increased employability, particularly among young people, women, and migrants in vulnerable situations;
2. Environment and Biodiversity, aiming to contribute to increased research capacity and the identification of scalable solutions for the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity, with a focus on the Atlantic Ocean; and
3. Culture, committed to increasing access to cultural activities for those who usually do not have that opportunity, and to supporting artists from underrepresented groups in revitalizing Portuguese artistic expressions.

These three pillars will guide the Foundation’s activities and reflect its commitment to contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable, and participatory society.

The Foundation will work side by side with associations, institutions and other partners, strengthening the impact of supported projects through the sharing of knowledge, experience, collaborative networks, and the mobilization of the most appropriate resources for the success of each initiative. BNP Paribas employees will be invited to participate, reinforcing their commitment to the Bank’s social responsibility, as well as their role as citizens engaged in the world in which they live.

With a strategy aligned with the BNP Paribas Foundation, its parent foundation, the strategy of the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation for the 2026–2028 period will greatly benefit from the experience accumulated in Portugal by BNP Paribas’s corporate social responsibility area, particularly in the field of social inclusion, now complemented by projects in the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and by the participation in and revitalization of artistic expressions of cultural identity.

Through the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, the BPNP Paribas Foundation supports scientific research teams internationally who study the interactions between climate and biodiversity. Its goal is to improve knowledge of the interactions between climate and biodiversity to assess the impacts of their disruption on our environment and societies.

Since 2010, the Foundation has supported more than 500 scientists worldwide, a total of 35 scientific research projects with a total budget of €24million.

✅ between 7 and 15 research projects (fundamental and/or applied research)

✅ will be funded over a period of three years (2026–2028)

✅ for a total budget of €7 million.

With the theme “Ocean & coastal ecosystems“, the new 2025 call for projects is open!

Supporting scientific research on climate and biodiversity

As part of its commitment to the environment, since 2010, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been supporting research on climate and biodiversity by working with international research teams.

With a budget of €7 million over three years to fund and promote between 7 and 15 projects, this programme is based on the organisation of a call for projects every three years. During this call for projects, a rigorous selection process led by leading figures in their field of research is put in place to select the boldest, most innovative projects with the greatest impact.

Its objective?

To select research projects aimed at improving knowledge of the interactions between climate and biodiversity and their effects on our societies. It also encourages researchers to identify nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.

In 2023, 8 new international research projects joined the programme. Some of the winning research projects, for example, are looking at ocean acidification, how forests – whether plant or animal forests – capture and store carbon, or the resistance of fruit trees to climate change.

Key takewaways

•  Application phase:  21 January – 4 May 2025
• Evaluation and pre-selection phase: 2 May – October 2025
• Final decision:  November 2025

• The BNP Paribas Foundation has created Dream Up an educational programme with the aim of contributing to the social inclusion of children and young people through the learning and regular practice of artistic expression activities.
• Applications for the programme, which has already supported more than 50,000 children in 29 countries, are open between 15 January and 29 February.

BNP Paribas in Portugal announces the opening of applications for the 4th edition of Dream Up, which takes place from 15th January to 29th February. This educational programme aims to promote the social inclusion of children and young people at risk of exclusion (whether due to social background or physical condition) by learning and regularly practising artistic expression activities, such as music, singing, dance and drama, as a complement to their formal schooling. For this purpose, an annual donation of 20,000 euros will be made over the next three school years, making a total of 60,000 euros, to which can be added other donations in kind and through Corporate Volunteering, carried out by the Bank’s more than 8,000 employees in Portugal, who are available to support both the associations and the children and young people, through study support, for example.

Learning and practising performative and visual activities from an early age favours self-knowledge, communication, creativity and many other essential skills in the training of each person. Dream Up gives the opportunity to access and develop their potential in areas of artistic expression for hundreds of children and young people in situations of social vulnerability. It’s a programme that plays a fundamental role by achieving our corporate social responsibility objectives in Portugal. To this extent, we are very excited to be launching its 4th edition which, in its 12 years of existence, has already supported more than 3,000 children and young people, thus contributing to a society that wants to be more inclusive

Luciana Peres, head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Diversity and Inclusion at BNP Paribas Portugal.

Launched for the first time in 2015 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, Dream Up is an international programme that covers 29 countries and currently has 30 active projects. Its purpose is to take art, origins, stories and culture as a starting point for structured and sustained educational practice, helping participants to develop critical thinking, storytelling, cooperation, teamwork, as well as project management skills that will help them throughout their personal and professional lives.

The BNP Paribas Foundation’s ambition is to provide long-term support for the talents, innovative projects and personalities who will help change the world, giving them visibility and making their projects sustainable, whether cultural, social or environmental.

Apply here.