UniCredit Foundation: Over €14 million to fight educational poverty across Europe
- UniCredit Foundation announces the winning projects of the “Edu-Fund” platform
- The cross-border initiative focuses on schoolchildren aged 11 to 19 and supports projects aimed at combating educational disadvantage in Europe
- In Austria, “Vienna Hobby Lobby”, "Breaking Grounds – Social Change through Sports" and "Lern-Fair e.V." are being supported
As the new school year begins, UniCredit Foundation celebrates the programs supported by the 2025 Edu-Fund Platform, its flagship initiative aimed at tackling youth educational poverty in Europe. With a total commitment of up to €14 million in funding, the platform enables bold, high-impact projects designed to reduce school dropouts, improve learning outcomes, and equip students with the skills needed for higher education and employment.
Launched in July 2024, the Edu-Fund Platform is open year-round to non-profit organisations operating across 12 countries where UniCredit is present: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The initiative focuses on students aged 11-19 and supports multidimensional solutions addressing the systemic causes of educational disadvantage, including teacher training, guidance for university access, and employability programs.
Applications have been reviewed quarterly by an independent Evaluation Committee of international experts from the non-profit sector, academia, civil society, and business, who assessed projects against clear and transparent criteria.
Out of more than 500 applications received, 30 projects have been selected a across three tiers – small, mid, and large-scale – enabling both local and multi-country programmes to scale their impact.
With the “Vienna Hobby Lobby”, another large-scale Austrian project has been selected, which will be active in Austria, Germany and Romania in the future with the funding received. The initiatives “Breaking Grounds – Social Change through Sports” (Austria) and “Lern-Fair e.V.” (Germany, Austria) will also receive funding.
Ivan Vlaho, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria: “It is very important for us to support initiatives that are committed to improving educational opportunities in Europe and Austria in order to promote equality. I am delighted that UniCredit Foundation is supporting two important social projects from Austria, ‘Vienna Hobby Lobby’ and ‘Breaking Grounds’, which both offer meaningful leisure activities for children and young people at risk of poverty in order to empower them.”
Silvia Cappellini, General Manager of UniCredit Foundation: “With the Edu-Fund Platform, we aim to support bold, concrete solutions to tackle educational poverty by providing significant resources and placing our trust in those working closely with local communities. At the same time, we are choosing to believe in the potential of every child, helping to break the cycle of disadvantage and open up new possibilities for the future. The selected projects are a powerful reminder that change is possible, showing that social innovation, when deeply rooted in local communities, can create real and lasting impact on the educational paths of children and young people.”
The award-winning projects operating in Austria
Vienna Hobby Lobby provides free leisure activities for children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged social classes who are at risk of poverty and excluded from further education in their free time. Vienna Hobby Lobby offers regular leisure courses and deploys financial and human resources at various locations to help young people develop their potential, recognise their strengths and acquire important skills with the aid of educational concepts. Hobby Lobby also focuses on physical and mental health.
The “Life Goals” project run by the association “Breaking Grounds – Social Change through Sports” transforms the gym into a space for developing potential far away from school assessments. Every child tries things out independently of their abilities and feels their self-efficacy. This leads to a demonstrable increase in motivation to learn, improved skills and better coping with setbacks.
“Lern-Fair e.V.” offers free (online) learning support for disadvantaged pupils in Germany and Austria. With just one hour of learning support per week, the initiative can make a decisive difference in the lives of pupils with limited access to education.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel.: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
Email: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at