Over €14 million to fight educational poverty across Europe
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.
Through the Edu-Fund Platform, UniCredit Foundation reaffirms its commitment to building a fairer, more inclusive future by promoting equal access to education and supporting youth potential across Europe. At the start of the new school year, the Foundation is especially proud to highlight the impact of these initiatives, which help young people return to school with stronger opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.
Silvia Cappellini, General Manger at UniCredit Foundation said: "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."
Contacts
Media Relations
e mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu
Winners of the First Evaluation Round
Large-Scale Programme
• Education Without Backpacks (Bulgaria)
Better at Math with Khan Academy: Scaling to 50 more schools in Bulgaria
Mid-Scale Programmes
• Lern-Fair e.V. (Germany, Austria)
Lern-Fair: Scaling Digital 1:1 Tutoring for Educational Equity in Germany and beyond
• ArbeiterKind.de (Germany)
Empower e Connect: Volunteer Role Models Inspire Rural School Students from Non-Academic Families to Pursue Higher Education
• Asociatia Visuri Indraznete (Romania)
"CampioMATE, a national math championship blending gamification and teamwork.
Small-Scale Programmes
• Amigos for Children (Hungary)
Amigos Hospital Program - for equal opportunities
• Queen's Gambit Chess Club Iasi (Romania)
• Chess in School Moldova Region
• PARSEC Cooperativa (Italy)
COMPITI@CASA
• G-LAB (Italy)
Mathematics with Khan Academy
Winners of the Second Evaluation Round
Large-Scale Programmes
• Vienna Hobby Lobby (Austria, Germany, Romania)
Scaling Hobby Lobby for Educational Skills in Europe
• Network of Education Policy Centers (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia)
ARISE: Empowering Schools in Breaking Barriers and Building Equitable Learning Environments
Mid-Scale Programmes
• CIAI ETS - Centro Italiano Aiuti all'Infanzia ETS
Dream Teen: supporting students realizing their full potential (Italy)
• Breaking Grounds - Social Change through Sport (Austria)
Life Goals - Moving for the Future
• META o.p.s. - supporting educational opportunities (Czech Republic)
Potential, Support, Empowerment: Improving Educational Access and Inclusiveness for Children and Youth with Migration Background
Small-Scale Programmes
• Ana si Copiii (Romania)
Growth Mindset
• CISV Solidarietà (Italy)
School4Future
• Real Pearl Foundation (Hungary)
From school to work
• OUI (Croatia)
STEM EduCamp
• EMMAUS (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Future schools of today!
Winners of the Third Evaluation Round
Large-Scale Programme
• Škola dokorán - Wide Open School (Croatia, Hungary, Italy)
Empowering At-Risk Children through Community-Based Learning Hubs
Mid-Scale Programmes
• Asociatia Techsoup (Romania)
Teaching the Future: teaching for critical-creative-computational thinking
• Schola Empirica, z.s. (Czech Republic)
Skills Builder: Supporting Development of 21st Century Skills in VET and secondary schools
• Institut za razvoj mladih KULT (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
EduConnect BiH - Applied Learning for Inclusive Communities
Small-Scale Programmes
• Cultura e sviluppo ETS (Italy - Northwest)
"Insieme per il futuro" co-designs personalized pathways with schools and third sector partners to reduce dropout by 20% among vulnerable students in Alessandria, Ovada, and Novi.
• Associazione Giovanile Salesiana per il Territorio ETS (Italy - Northwest)
Spazio Labs - Laboratorio di apprendimento e benessere
• ArrivalAid (Germany)
DigitalAid
• C.R.E.S.M. - Centro di Ricerche Economiche e Sociali per il Meridione (Italy - Sicily)
Noz Future Labs
• Mentória (Slovakia)
Transforming schools from within - transforming secondary schools into successful learning communities
• Fundatia Romanian Angel Appeal (Romania)
Design for Change Romania
• Közélet Iskolája Alapítvány - School of Public Life Foundation (Hungary)
Enhancing educational opportunities through a critical pedagogy approach
• Association "Nova generacija" Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
"EDU-Secure": Education and Dropout Prevention for Sustainable Futures