ALESSANDRIA – Efficiency, savings, concreteness, transparency, ability not to waste resources were the operational guidelines of the Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation which, at Palatium Vetus, presented to the public the Mission Budget 2023the subject of a 90-page publication which was delivered to the authorities and stakeholders and can be consulted on the Foundation’s website at www.fondazionecralessandria.it.
“If the statutory budget has the objective of giving an account in particular of the “numbers” that characterized the Foundation’s activity in 2023, the performance of its assets, the capacity for rationalization and adequate management of resources, its organizational and management methods governance, – has underlined the president, notary Luciano Mariano – the mission statement aims to make known in a clear, complete, simple and understandable way even to non-experts, an entire year of activity of our Foundation. We have therefore, over time, refined the drafting of this report not only to make the contents qualitatively better, but also to achieve the objective of generating in those who are approaching it the desire to open it, scroll through it, read it, learn more. Even from a quick reading one can realize how articulated, constant and widespread the Foundation’s activity has been throughout the territory of operation and in all sectors of expertise”.
GRANT ACTIVITY 2023: SUMMARYTHE
In 2023, the Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation made resources available to the territory equal to 7,299,014.40 euros which have been divided into sectors of intervention. The highest amounts were allocated to projects in relevant sectors:
- Volunteering, Philanthropy and Charity with 562,366.23 euros,
- Art, Activities and Cultural Heritage with 769,912.79 euros,
- Education, Instruction, Training with621.27 euros,
- Local development Popular housing with427.35 euros,
- Civil protection with 167.76 euros.
Significant interventions were also carried out in permitted sectors:
- Public health, preventive and rehabilitative medicine with 819.00 euros,
- Scientific and Technological Research with 200 euros,
- Environmental Protection and Quality with500 Euros,
- Elders assistance with000 euros.
They were 421 grant applications were accepted by the Foundation during 2023 compared to the 499 submitted.
THE MAIN PROJECTS OF 2023
The progressive transformation of the Foundation, from predominantly grant making entity to an operational entity, autonomous in the conception and implementation of projects, it has ensured the territory an added value in terms of ideation and implementation which has also materialized through the creation of networks in which high-quality institutional subjects have been actively involved for the development of joint initiatives.
- The partnership with Culture and Development Association allowed the implementation of the project MAJOR CALLS: support for planning and training of designers” with the aim of making innovative tools and a team of professionals able to offer them the necessary advice to be able to access PNRR, European, national and regional funding available to Local Administrations and, in particular, small Municipalities; over the first two years of intervention (2022/2023), the Foundation provided funds for approximately 200 thousand euros that they financed 10 of the 60 projects presented by the Municipalities,demonstrating the great interest that the initiative has and the need for professional consultancy to support the Public Administration;
- with the “FARE Fondazione Recognizes Excellence” project, it was renewed the annual agreement with the University of Eastern Piedmont which made it possible to consolidate training opportunities through the teaching activity carried out by contract professors, tutors and visiting professor; the strengthening of educational services and tutoring; the updating of technological infrastructures of the classrooms and the computer laboratory;
- multi-year alliance also with the “A.Vivaldi” Conservatory of Alessandria to promote the diffusion of musical culture and, at the same time, develop a common strategy in order to increase both qualitatively and quantitatively the training offer, developing its excellence;
- every year, on rotation, the Foundation makes available an equipped ambulance in favor of the voluntary associations responsible for the 118 emergency service and, in 2023, the beneficiary was Castellazzo Soccorso which, with the Red Cross and the Green Cross, guarantees first aid activities in the area;
- Collaborations continued with the main institutional players to create important cultural projects and artistic events such as the “Acqui History Award”, the “Michele Pittaluga” International Classical Guitar Competition, the Season of Concerts on Historic Organs, the Perosi Festival, the “L’isola in hill” review, Valenza Jazz;
- in order to encourage the creation of technological solutions with high environmental and social impact, the Foundation supported the PROPLAST consortium, an international competence center for innovation in plastic materials;
- important resources have been allocated to allow the full operation of bodies and associations active in the field of Civil protection with particular regard to the Territorial Coordination of the Civil Protection Volunteers of Alessandria which is the second provincial group in Italy and coordinates all emergency operations in the area.
THE NOTICES
An important role in meeting the needs of the territory was that played by the Announcements which have confirmed that they are an important operational tool to complement Own Projects and Third Party Proposals or Ordinary Contributions.
In 2023, five calls for tenders were activated combined with the relevant sectors of intervention: the A total of 192 applications were admitted to financing in front of 1,345,499.48 euros provided in the territory of the province of Alessandria.
- Music and Surroundings (fund 250,000 euros – 57 projects accepted) – Promotes the growth and valorisation of the artistic and cultural heritage of the area.
- History and memory (fund 350,000 euros – 42 projects accepted) – Promotes the recovery of the historical and architectural heritage, its conservation and enhancement.
- Nobody excluded (fund 400,000 euros – 32 projects accepted) – Supports the condition of women and young people in precarious situations. It aims to improve the quality of life of elderly or disabled people.
- Beautiful lands (fund 250,000 euros – 31 projects accepted) – Enhances social, cultural, tourist and food and wine project initiatives with the aim of revitalizing the territories and respecting the environment.
- Future (fund 200,000 euros – 22 projects accepted) – Promotes innovative projects aimed at helping adolescent students overcome critical issues or developing the quality of school technological equipment.
NATIONAL INITIATIVES
The Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation participated in projects coordinated by ACRI, by the Council of Banking Foundations of Piedmont and Liguria and in collaboration with the relevant Ministries. Among the major system interventions worth mentioning are:
- the amount of support for Foundation with the South, equal to 93,562.07 eurosaimed at promoting and supporting the economic and social development of Southern Italy with interventions aimed at promoting community welfare;
- the contribution to Fund to combat child educational poverty with a share of 308,173.50 euros with the aim of removing economic, social and cultural obstacles that prevent minors from fully enjoying educational processes;
- support for Digital Republic Fund with a share of 370,824.40 euros to accompany people and families who have greater difficulties in accessing digital and increasing their skills;
- the allocation to Single National Fund for Volunteering of 142,931.00 euros.
“We leave behind 2023, an intense and complex year – he concluded President Mariano – during which our Foundation has refined its tools for intervention and feedback on the effects of the resources used and the projects supported, has shown the ability to intercept new needs to respond to without leaving any behind, has made the most of the performance of its assets to optimize and increase its own disbursements. The 2023 Budget is proof that we can and must set ourselves challenging objectives because we are able, with everyone’s contribution and with the loyal collaboration that has always characterized the relationship between the bodies of this Foundation, to achieve them.
A LOOK AT THE FUTURE
The Foundation aims to focus its interventions on Own Projects, i.e. those interventions characterized by having been directly conceived by the Foundation and carried out in partnership with other highly qualified and competent entities, deemed suitable to collaborate to achieve the objective. To the Third Party Projects overall smaller resources will be allocated, in the belief that even small contributions can prove crucial for the continuity and, in fact, survival of initiatives strongly rooted in the traditions of the territory.
They will be re-proposed Announcements and major multi-year initiatives such as agreements with UPO and the “Vivaldi” Conservatorythe organization of exhibitions in the “broletto” of Palatium Vetusattention to the territorial developmentat the environmental Protectionat weaker sections of the populationat the health of citizens. Satisfied with the results obtained, the Foundation will continue to finance its own project in 2024 “BIG NOTICES”. They will be presented soon new projects in response to emerging local needs.
