The Crédit Agricole Solidarité et Développement and Crédit Agricole Pays de France foundations and the Fondation pour l'Agriculture et la Ruralité dans le Monde (FARM) share a common mission: to contribute to local and regional development and expand the Crédit Agricole Group's solidarity footprint. Each year, alongside the Regional Banks and Crédit Agricole S.A. entities, they support numerous projects and thus contribute to the vitality of local life.
Restoration of the Saint-Hubert chapel in Amboise © DR.
Supporting local life is one of the hallmarks of Crédit Agricole's identity, and more specifically that of the 39 Regional Banks, which are fully-fledged banks serving their local territories. Their commitment to the common good is reflected in local, regional and national patronage activities.
In response to the challenges facing society and in line with its Societal Project, Crédit Agricole recently decided to strengthen its patronage ecosystem by harnessing three recognised public interest foundations: Fondation Crédit Agricole Pays de France, Fondation Crédit Agricole Solidarité et Développement and Fondation pour l'Agriculture et la Ruralité dans le Monde (FARM). It is supporting the work of these foundations by providing them with additional resources to increase their number of beneficiaries and maximise the impact of the projects they back.
Social inclusion
Thanks to this collective commitment, the Fondation Crédit Agricole Solidarité et Développement leads large-scale initiatives in favour of social, economic and professional integration. In 2021, it gave a total of €2.46 million to support 90 projects. It recently renewed its call for projects to improve the care journeys of young people and seek to reduce “post-COVID” physical and psychological effects. It has also reiterated its support for the Sport dans la ville organisation and the Entreprendre pour apprendre federation.
Care journeys for young people post-COVID
Preserving our heritage
The Fondation Crédit Agricole – Pays de France supports projects to preserve and enhance cultural heritage carried out by local players, organisations and the public sector. The Foundation is driven by the strong belief that heritage contributes to the socio-economic development and attractiveness of a region. The territorial network of the 39 Regional Banks and their 2,500 Local Banks provide it with a powerful network of correspondents on the ground. The Regional banks detect and select projects and transmit them to the Foundation. These strong local roots make the Foundation a preferred partner of local authorities, local organisations and cultural establishments that work on a daily basis to keep their heritage alive. In 2021, the Foundation conducted its first call for projects focused on the relationships between people and their environment, entitled “Preserving the natural heritage of our territories together”, for which 127 projects have been received to date.
Julien Taulard, in charge of the 7 hectares of gardens at Talcy Castle © DR.
Local and regional roots
Crédit Agricole’s Regional Banks roll out sponsorship initiatives addressing the problems and needs of their territories. Most Regional Banks have their own patronage structure, be it a company foundation, endowment fund or organisation, which works in conjunction with national foundations. The Regional Banks also directly back numerous projects each year. This organisational structure reflects the DNA of a group created in 1885 on the basis of a cooperative model. For over a century, the Group’s local and regional entities have been engaged in the life of their territories.
Crédit Agricole is more than just a banker. It is at the side of all those carrying out projects with the potential to bring our regions to life in all their richness and diversity.
Crédit Agricole’s main patronage entities
