Out of a total of 110 applications received, 4 initiatives have been awarded with total contributions of around 500,000 euros. In coherence with the new Foundation's purpose to unlock the potential of Europe's next generation through equal educational opportunities, this Call has engaged local banks in identifying and supporting projects contrasting educational disadvantage in Bulgaria and Romania, carried out by non-profit organizations in favour of lower and upper secondary school students (11-19 age), with particular focus on:
Tackling early school leaving;
University attainment;
Acquisition of adequate skills to enter the job market.
UniCredit Foundation has launched this first edition in these two countries because, when considering the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment that measures 15-year-olds' ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges, Bulgaria and Romania are among the countries with the lowest PISA test scores in all subjects (slightly above 50% in all subjects, compared to the OECD averages of almost 80%). Romania is also among the countries with the highest share of disadvantaged children.
UniCredit Foundation is thus continuing its major commitment to tackling educational disadvantage. Added to the previous disbursement in March this year of 500,000 euros to non-profit associations in Italy, the total contribution to the cause in early 2023 alone amounts to 1 million euros.