Area di intervento: Environment Area

Creative Climate is a cross-sectoral project launched in 2024 on the basis of the collaboration between the Foundation’s Environment and Arts & Culture Areas, with the aim of promoting education in environmental sustainability at secondary schools through the use of artistic and creative vernaculars. The project leverages the role of the school as a social laboratory and as a community of participation, by stimulating students to take a leading role in the development of cultural projects that can raise awareness of environmental issues in local areas. 

Through the call for proposals of the same name, 51 projects have been supported, involving 102 cultural and environmental institutions, 51 schools and about 1,800 students. The projects, lasting two school years, provide for the creation of educational pathways that intertwine environmental sustainability with creativity, through co-design workshops, training, artistic practices and creative output (shows, videos, podcasts, exhibitions, etc.) with an environmental theme. To support the institutions and schools that benefited from the first edition of the call, a community of practice facilitated by the Department of Human Sciences at Bicocca University, Milan has been activated: a space for discussion and learning aimed at encouraging dialogue between different professions, trialling shared ways of working, exchanging experiences and skills and developing interdisciplinary educational networks.

The environmental issues covered by the projects funded range from climate change and its effects on local areas (drought, extreme weather events), to circular economy and sustainable consumption (fast fashion and plastic pollution), but also agro-ecology, protection of biodiversity and dealing with the issue of sustainability in relation to economic, energy and gender disparities and climate migration. The artistic workshops planned are based on different languages including theatre and acting, including behind-the-scenes work (dramaturgy, direction, sound and light design, tailoring, screenwriting and set design), singing and music production, photography, painting, writing, citizen journalism and even forms of expression such as podcasts, videomaking, social communication, graphics and web design. 

At the end of the educational courses, two final events will be held to display the schools’ final products, whereas the work of the community of practice will be used to draft guidelines for the dissemination of the methodology developed during the project.


Redesigning the Future programme

The Programme – promoted under line of mandate 4 “Creating the enabling conditions for strengthening of communities” – provides for a multi-year structure to respond incrementally to organisations’ requirements of strengthening and organisational development.  

It began in 2022 and was designed on the basis of the lessons learned from various capacity building programs promoted by the individual philanthropic areas over time, culminating in the cross-sectoral and multi-level Cariplo Social Innovation programme launched in 2017, which combined innovation, capacity building and social finance.  

The working guidelines and support for non-profit organisations taking part in the Redesigning the Future programme are as follows:

  1. Distance learning Through Cariplo Social Innovation Lab, aimed at providing organisations that sign up on the platform with a digital location hosting a broad catalogue of training resources and insights. In particular:
    • a section focusing on issues relevant to the non-profit world (strategy, design, digital, fundraising and regulations)  
    • a section entirely dedicated to Fondazione Cariplo’s own themes/content (e.g. Minimum Environmental Criteria, Reporting, Member area for organisations)
    • a section of best practices, including video interviews with organisations recounting their experiences of organisational change, some implemented with the assistance of Fondazione Cariplo
    • a ‘self-assessment questionnaire’ that users fill in when registering on the platform, aimed at identifying the macro-areas of skills to be strengthened (and at providing the Foundation with an overview of the ‘starting-point’ skills). 
  2. Mentorship Expert creation of support and mentorship pathways, aimed at acquiring greater mastery and working tools for improved performance in:  
    • initial organisational analysis (needs analysis) for improved guidance of decisions when making changes 
    • monitoring and impact assessment in an organisational transformation project.

Video recordings of the online workshops have been made available, for free and on demand, on the Cariplo Social Innovation Lab platform. 

  1. Call for proposals The call is intended to support the organisational development of non-profit organisations working in the environmental, cultural and human services fields, to strengthen their role as a major lever of resilience and cohesion in our communities, by increasing the effectiveness of their work, leveraging their human capital and expanding their respective communities. 

To date, three calls have taken place, in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Among the objectives, extra attention was paid to promoting and facilitating change within organisations and to encouraging a leading role for young people at those organisations. 

AttivAree

60% of the Italian territory consists of smaller, often very small towns and villages. The reasons are mainly due to the specific topography of the land, but also to history, resulting over time in complex settlement dynamics. 
For the most part, these centres are distant from urban areas, nestled among mountain reliefs or spread off the plains: places that once, when people lived almost exclusively on agriculture, were flourishing and populated, but which with the reversal of the economic situation have begun to undergo progressive depopulation. People have begun to migrate towards cities in search of more viable and comfortable work and life opportunities. 

The abandonment was slow and inexorable, initially affecting the most isolated hamlets, followed by villages and finally entire areas: the marginal areas. Distant lands, both geographically (because they are far from the most heavily developed urban centres and organised in terms of services and opportunities) and from a cultural point of view, due to their ‘distance’ from a social evolution that has radically changed people’s needs. 

These were times of transition conditioned by an economic recovery that seemed unstoppable and which took people to the cities, where a better life was on the cards, far from rhythms dictated by nature, “calluses on the hands” and the “phases of the Moon”. 

All this, however, has now changed and a new phase has begun. Within a couple of generations, a new awareness of the relationship with the land has arisen, and people learned in technology and knowledge that makes the difference return (backwards) to tread in the footsteps of their forerunners who started off in the same places… 

In rural areas and villages scattered throughout Italy, the spotlight and hope have now been re-ignited. There is a renewed focus on these locations as ideal bastions that have preserved our history, representing – with their unique environmental, cultural and social attractions – an important part of our heritage. 
A market now also exists, with promise and preparedness to leverage this heritage, which must therefore be systematised and looked at in a new way, to transform what was once a reason for abandonment into a resource and to transform what has been handed down and has remained in people’s experience. 

This look at the unexpressed potential of these areas has encouraged Fondazione Cariplo to promote AttivAree, the cross-sectoral program that aims to reactivate marginal areas in the Foundation’s catchment area and increase their appeal towards residents, potential investors and the relevant urban hubs, by leveraging the resources of the communities. 

Objectives  

The watchword is regeneration of local areas through a process of change that favours social, cultural and economic growth, to be achieved by: 

  • encouraging participatory processes 
  • enhancing the role and skills of the third sector 
  • adopting cross-sectoral approaches that integrate environmental, social, cultural, economic and research opportunities 
  • developing fruitful interactions between inland and urban areas 
  • reusing existing buildings that do not involve further land consumption. 

 Local areas  

The AttivAree programme is funding two projects for the “renaissance” of inland areas selected based on the project ideas submitted by 11 local areas in Lombardy and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola during the call for proposals phase that ended on 30 June 2016. The projects, which cover the inland areas of the Oltrepò Pavese and the Trompia and Sabbia valleys in Brescia province, have grasped the idea of the development and structured consolidation of an imaginary bridge to the city and the larger urban centres, not in terms of subordination or loss of identity but of complementarity and exchange of know-how and services. Likewise, they have shared a reinterpretation of the role of agriculture in more modern environmental, social and scientific terms. 

Projects 

Nel  progetto Oltrepò(BIO)diverso, promosso dalla Fondazione Sviluppo Oltrepò Pavese, si punta  sulla biodiversità come fattore di competitività, connessione, sviluppo e ripopolamento, un  progetto che si può definire di “rigenerazione rurale e comunitaria”. La biodiversità è intesa anche in senso sociale, culturale e interculturale, attribuendo un rinnovato ruolo all’agricoltura e al paesaggio anche come ambiti di applicazione di ricerca scientifica. L’accesso alla terra è un elemento fondamentale per promuovere l’attività agricola multifunzionale e per questo si intende lavorare per il superamento della frammentazione fondiaria e per la valorizzazione del patrimonio di biodiversità (ad esempio, la ricchezza di specie di farfalle presenti in Oltrepò è  pari a quella dell’intera Gran Bretagna). Collegata a questa visione, è l’idea di aprire la comunità locale a giovani e migranti e di sviluppare nuovi servizi che favoriscano il ripopolamento rurale e la conciliazione lavoro-famiglie e quindi una maggiore occupazione femminile, nonché la riattivazione di luoghi che rafforzi il processo di identità culturale collettiva. 

Nel progetto “Valli Resilienti”, proposto dalle Comunità Montane di Valle Trompia e Valle Sabbia, l’idea di rilancio è basata su una strategia articolata su diversi ambiti tematici, che punta a valorizzare le esperienze e competenze del territorio, insieme alle opportunità offerte dalle nuove tecnologie. Vi è inoltre un buon equilibrio tra il “dentro” e il “fuori”: da un lato servizi di prossimità agli abitanti gestiti in rete attraverso cooperative sociali e azioni di valorizzazione di prodotti locali, dall’altro efficienza amministrativa per attrarre nuovi investitori o accoglienza specializzata per target sociali fragili provenienti anche da altri territori. La leva che si intende utilizzare si basa sulla volontà di collaborazione e reciproca contaminazione tra i partner, scambiandosi buone pratiche e replicando quelle che funzionano. 

Environment Portal

To promote the dissemination of the wealth of knowledge and experience generated by funded projects in the environmental field, the Foundation has developed these websites:

UbiGreen

Covers the mapping and achievements of the projects funded under the calls: “Sustainable water management” (2004-2006), “Protecting water quality” (2008-2011), “Protecting and enhancing biodiversity” (2007-2011), “Achieving ecological connection” (2012-2016) and “Natural Capital” (2017-2019).

OPR Observatory on Resilience Practices

Surveys the resilience practices carried out mainly in the Foundation’s catchment area.

AgriECO Portal

Collects, documents and provides access to the projects and initiatives promoted by the Environment Area in the field of sustainable and social agriculture.

Rete biodiversità

The Parco del Ticino and the Parco del Campo dei Fiori, located in western Lombardy, are protected areas of high naturalistic value, identified as Nature 2000 sites by the European Commission and Priority Areas for Biodiversity, as well as first-level elements of the Regional Ecological Network by the Lombardy Region. The land between these two parks, in the province of Varese, includes various smaller areas that are also of considerable naturalistic value, interspersed with urban areas and linear infrastructure such as roads, highways, railways and overhead cables.

In this area, Fondazione Cariplo carried out the “Biodiversity Network” project (2010-2016), based on a multidisciplinary study the aim of which was to verify the level of ecological connection between the two protected areas. This study, entitled “The ecological connection for biodiversity”, considered naturalistic, urbanistic, technical and social issues and saw the involvement of various professionals such as botanists, zoologists, engineers, architects, lawyers, communication and participation experts. It was therefore possible to verify how the two parks are ecologically interconnected along two ecological corridors located in this part of Varese province, and to identify the critical points (known as “gates”) where the corridors are narrow or require improvement or defragmentation.

Subsequently, a participatory process conducted with the municipalities adjoining the study area resulted in the signing of a “Network Contract” by the vast majority of the municipalities involved.

The results obtained from the study eventually made it possible to access EU funding under the LIFE+ programme for the “TIB – Trans Insubria Bionet” project; between 2012-2015, the latter undertook the most urgent interventions to improve the state of conservation of the ecological corridors between the two parks.

Finally, in March 2012 the “Only those who move can live – Ecological networks for the conservation of biodiversity – Science, politics and citizens in discussion” conference was held, where the publication relating to the methodology used during the project was presented.


F2C – Fondazione Cariplo for the Climate

With the F2C – Fondazione Cariplo per il Clima project, the Foundation has been supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation in its local areas since 2019, through interventions to reduce climate-changing emissions, mitigate the impacts of extreme weather phenomena and increase natural capital. F2C also aims to increase institutional and citizens’ knowledge and awareness of climate change by funding, on the one hand, of scientific analysis and research, and of cultural and dissemination activities on the other.

Climate Strategy call for ideas

The main tool whereby the purposes of F2C are achieved. Aimed at partnerships made up of municipal administrations or their groupings, parks and non-profit organisations, it supports eight groupings in the definition and implementation of Climate Transition Strategies (CTS) at local level.

What is a Climate Transition Strategy?

An operational tool that provides an analysis at local level from a climate perspective, indicates adaptation and mitigation objectives and plans a medium and long-term vision for local areas. The CTS also includes a number of actions to be taken, including:

  • appointment of a Climate Transition Manager
  • review, harmonisation and integration of the CTS with local planning tools
  • capacity building pathways for public employees
  • adaptation interventions with specific reference to the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods or areas
  • actions for the protection and development of natural capital
  • interventions for the establishment and launch of Solidarity Renewable Energy Communities
  • purchasing decisions aimed at replacing fossil fuels
  • engagement and activation of citizens and schools
  • identification of funding for the implementation of the actions set out in the CTS
  • networks for local weather monitoring
  • local agreements for the Climate Transition between public and private entities.

To this end, the Foundation has provided a Technical Assistance service delivered by qualified consultants and a grant for the implementation of the adaptation and mitigation interventions identified by the CTSs: urban forestation, soil depaving, nature-based solutions, redevelopment of wetlands and energy efficiency of buildings, stimulation of sustainable mobility, but also revision of urban planning tools, capacity building for municipal technicians, engagement of citizens and climate monitoring.

The total cost of the eight projects is €34.2 million, including €11.3 million of grants from Fondazione Cariplo, €4 million from the Lombardy Region and €18.9 million of the beneficiary entities’ own resources.  

Lead partnerTotal costFC coverageRL coverageOther bodies’ coverage
Municipality of Brescia€6,112,000€ 1,850,000€ 1,400,000€2,862,000
Municipality of Cesano Maderno€2,480,000€1,020,000€440,000€1,020,000
Municipality of Bergamo€8,522,849€1,300,000€1,100,000€6,122,849
Municipality of Mantua€3,580,736€637,000€1,050,000€1,893,736
Municipality of Lentate sul Seveso€3,586,461€1,540,000–€2,046,461
CM Valli del Verbano€4,434,000€1,790,000–€2,644,000
Municipality of Monza€2,812,840€1,600,000–€1,212,840
CM Valle Seriana€2,687,350€1,600,000–€1,087,350
TOTAL€34,216,236€11,337,000€3,990,000€18,889,236

Since 2024, a Community of Practice of the selected projects has also been active, with the aim of encouraging the exchange of best practices and strengthening the skills of the CTS entities in the field of climate change. 

Finally, on 2 December 2024, the event “Climate Transition Strategies: cities and local areas in leading roles” was held at the MEET Digital Culture Center in Milan: the conference served as an opportunity to discuss the concrete actions to be taken to combat climate change and how best to communicate them, with interventions by national and international experts and case studies. The day included in-depth analysis of local projects, technical sessions and debates with journalists, researchers and activists, as well as a digital exhibition of the photographs that participated in the 2023 F2Click – Climate Objective competition led by the Foundation in the local areas involved in F2C.
Videos are available to watch the morning and afternoon sessions.


Projects supported through the “Climate Strategy” call for ideas, 2020-2025

Capofila: Comune di Bergamo, in partenariato con il Parco dei Colli di Bergamo, Legambiente Lombardia ed ERSAF. Il progetto intende attivare un processo di trasformazione e consapevolezza urbana in grado di cogliere le opportunità che i servizi ecosistemici offrono per affrontare gli impatti sul territorio del cambiamento climatico: eventi estremi di pioggia, rischio idrogeologico, ondate di calore. Sarà individuata una strategia di mitigazione e adattamento che introdurrà le molteplici e complementari competenze dei partner: decisori politici, enti di tutela del capitale naturale e società civile.

Capofila: Comune di Brescia in partenariato con Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), AmbienteParco, Parco delle Colline di Brescia. Il progetto si prefigge di rispondere a tre bisogni principali: ondate di calore, siccità e perdita di habitat realizzando una sorta di “CITTÀ OASI”; aumento significativo dei fenomeni piovosi estremi realizzando una “CITTÀ SPUGNA”; bisogno di naturalità dei cittadini creando una “CITTÀ PER LE PERSONE“.

In particolare, le azioni di adattamento e mitigazione proposte sono collegate da un unico filo conduttore: l’intenzione di incrementare il capitale naturale e la biodiversità in ambiente urbano. Altro tema fondamentale è la partecipazione: comunità resilienti partecipino alla progettazione degli interventi di miglioramento del microclima urbano e che si prendano cura dei nuovi spazi

Capofila: Comune di Cesano Maderno (MB) in partenariato con i Comuni di Bovisio Masciago, Meda, Varedo, Parco delle Groane e della Brughiera Briantea, Agenzia Innova21 per lo sviluppo sostenibile, Fondazione Lombardia per l’Ambiente e l’Associazione di volontari della Protezione Civile di Cesano Maderno. Il progetto intende rafforzare la capacità di risposta di una rete di enti locali agli impatti dei cambiamenti climatici, con un’azione coordinata e sovracomunale. Oltre alla realizzazione di interventi diffusi sul territorio, si prevede la revisione degli strumenti urbanistici e attività di formazione per il personale comunale, oltre alla promozione di buone pratiche di adattamento e mitigazione presso la cittadinanza

Capofila: Comune di Mantova in partenariato con i Comuni di Curtatone, Marmirolo, Porto Mantovano, San Giorgio Bigarello, Parco del Mincio, Unione Colli Mantovani e Alkémica Cooperativa Sociale. Il progetto intende superare le criticità climatiche che compromettono la situazione idrogeologica locale con ripercussioni sulla sicurezza (allagamenti, ondate di calore), sulla qualità ambientale e sul sistema produttivo (siccità e eventi estremi distruttivi). Si lavorerà al contempo sulla mitigazione (efficientamento, transizione energetica), mettendo in atto azioni ed interventi strutturali (regolamenti, norme) che agiscano sul costruito, sul comparto produttivo e incentivino comportamenti virtuosi.

Capofila: Comunità Montana Valli del Verbano in partenariato con Parco Regionale Campo dei Fiori; Centro per un Appropriato Sviluppo Tecnologico – CAST; Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli ODV; Centro Geofisico Prealpino – Società Astronomica G.V. Schiaparelli; Università degli Studi dell’Insubria. Il progetto intende elaborare delle efficaci linee guida per la pianificazione forestale e delle aree naturali e realizzare interventi di adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici su fiumi, versanti montuosi e habitat di interesse per la biodiversità e per la funzionalità nell’ambito della rete ecologica e una campagna di sensibilizzazione dei cittadini e  formazione di tecnici progettisti nella diffusione di buone pratiche energetiche e comportamenti sostenibili.

Capofila: Comune di Lentate sul Seveso in partenariato con il Comune di Barlassina, Parco Regionale delle Groane e della Brughiera Briantea, Agenzia Innova21. Il progetto intende porre l’attenzione sulla mobilità sostenibile e sul ruolo del verde e delle aree agricole nel contrasto ai cambiamenti climatici. Le azioni sviluppate nel progetto affiancano a importanti opere di mitigazione e adattamento una pianificazione locale ambiziosa e innovativa, oltre a specifiche attività di coinvolgimento degli stakeholder locali. AgriCiclo 2030 si integra in modo sinergico alla Strategia di Transizione Climatica “La Brianza Cambia Clima”, sostenuta con la prima edizione della Call “Strategia Clima”.

Capofila: Comune di Monza in partenariato con il Comune di Bellusco, il Consorzio Villa Reale e Parco di Monza, il Parco regionale Valle del Lambro, l’Ente Regionale Servizi Agricoltura Foreste della Lombardia (ERSAF) e Legambiente Lombardia. 
La strategia che il partenariato intende definire si concentrerà, principalmente, su azioni per la riduzione degli impatti causati da eventi climatici estremi (alluvioni, ondate di calore, siccità) attraverso l’utilizzo di Nature Based Solutions e l’abbattimento delle emissioni climalteranti attraverso interventi di efficientamento energetico del patrimonio pubblico e la realizzazione di Comunità Energetiche Rinnovabili.

Capofila: Comunità Montana Valle Seriana in partenariato con il Parco delle Orobie Bergamasche, la Cooperativa Eliante e l’Università degli Studi di Milano. La strategia si focalizzerà principalmente su azioni per il miglioramento della gestione del bosco, per aumentarne la capacità di assorbimento di carbonio e per la limitazione del rischio idrogeologico, e l’attivazione di processi di governance innovativi e partecipativi, in particolare capacity building per i funzionari pubblici e coinvolgimento dei cittadini. 

Progetto AgriECO

Launched in 2021, the AgriECO project was created to encourage the ecological transition in agri-food systems, integrating environmental and social objectives. Through a multi-year strategy, the project aims to: 

  • enhance the competitiveness of agricultural systems from a sustainable perspective and improve working conditions in the local areas involved 
  • facilitate farmers in the conservation and protection of habitats linked to production activities and, more generally, in the management and care of the land 
  • encourage approaches inspired by agro-ecology and the circular economy, oriented towards the protection of agro-biodiversity. 

AgriECO pathway

In the first year, AgriECO supported training initiatives for farmers and young agronomists, contributing to the launch of Accademia Ca’ Granda and the course to become an environmental agricultural trainer. 

Since 2022, with a budget of €500,000, the strategy has focused on the sustainable development of agricultural districts in Fondazione Cariplo’s catchment area. In Lombardy and in the provinces of Novara and VCO, agricultural districts occupy a significant share of mountainous areas and used agricultural land (UAL), involving a significant proportion of livestock farms in the region. 

To explore the territorial framework further, the Foundation has funded an analysis of the districts by the CREA Centre for Policies and Bioeconomy, highlighting needs and opportunities for intervention, including: 

  • improvement of the connection between districts and other economic entities in the supply chain 
  • acknowledgement of the added value of agricultural production 
  • promotion of climate change adaptation strategies 
  • strengthening of supply chain co-operation and reward systems.

In October 2022, the first call to action was published, which selected two agricultural districts: the Casalasco Viadanese organic district and the San Colombano hill district. Since March 2023, these organisations have embarked on a pathway of support to define intervention plans aimed at sustainable development, with attention to agricultural multifunctionality, enhancement of ecosystem services and strengthening of competitiveness. The plans, approved by the Foundation, kicked off in March 2024 and will be implemented over the course of two years. 

AgriECO 2.0 and new lines of work

New opportunities have emerged from many years of experience:

  • to improve the integration and coherence of the philanthropic strategy in the agricultural sector
  • to enhance the interpersonal capital built
  • to strengthen collaborations and synergies between the various entities working in the environmental and agricultural fields.

In 2024, phase 2 – AgriECO 2.0 – began, focusing on organisations with experience in training, raising awareness and policy advocacy in the agricultural sector. Through a call for expressions of interest, key players will be selected to take part in a participatory planning process, aimed at:

  • facilitating the emergence of collaborative proposals between bodies active in the agricultural and environmental sectors, thus strengthening co-ordination
  • fostering the integration between different visions of agriculture and sustainability-oriented practices.

Continuing to this day, interventions are in development, aiming to:

  • enhance training and knowledge transfer with agro-ecology in mind
  • construct national dialogue between agricultural networks, environmentalism and civil society to guide agri-food choices and policies
  • promote more sustainable farms and animal welfare.

Updates 2025–2026: work in progress on phase 3

Since 2025, the AgriECO project has witnessed the launch of its third phase, which focuses on three lines of work that integrate environmental and social objectives:

  • Food districts: a new stage of support for two food districts, to define intervention plans consistent with the Foundation’s lines of mandate, to strengthen the sustainability of production and improve the organisation of supply chains with sustainability in mind.
  • Social agriculture: network analysis to identify needs and resources, development of skills for operators and new support tools to ensure stable local networks. The results will be presented at Metropoli Agricole 2026.
  • Work in agriculture: initiatives to promote decent employment, improve conditions and protection, and combat distortions that weaken the quality of work.
AgriECO portal

Online since November 2025, the AgriECO portal adds structure to returning the results of the initiatives supported by Fondazione Cariplo in the agricultural sector. It offers an overview of the projects promoted, the strategies adopted and the tools provided to strengthen the environmental and social impact on local areas.

Discover the AgriECO portal

Co-financing of European projects

Between 2010 and 2025, the Foundation supported several partnerships of entities interested in applying to the main European programmes in the environmental field (LIFE, Interreg, Alpine Space, Erasmus, etc.): as many as 22 projects were awarded a grant by the European Commission, of a total of approximately €65 million, in areas ranging from the protection of biodiversity, both land- and water-based, adaptation to climate change, as well as awareness-raising activities for citizens and stakeholders.  

In addition to the financial support (about €5 million of total grants approved), the Foundation provided support for participation, organising a pathway on European planning with experts to illustrate the various initiatives and funding opportunities at European level.

Since 2025, a cross-sectoral approach has been adopted for this tool and also extends to the Arts & Culture Area; participation is therefore also opened up to non-profit organisations interested in applying for the main European programmes in the cultural field, to encourage experimentation in intersectoral collaborations that are better suited to respond to the complexities of contemporary challenges.
The tool offers a gentle support service for entities developing a project consistent with European calls for tender, and also provides co-financing to cover part of the budget to be submitted for their chosen European call (only if and to the extent that the European grant does not fully cover the project costs). In the event that the project does not obtain European funding, any grant approved by the Foundation will be revoked.
The European programmes where this approach can be used include:
• the Creative Europe Programme (CREA), which aims to enhance both co-operation between Member States (creation of partnerships for the development of ideas, festivals, performances) and the circulation of artists and content, as well as co-productions of the latter
• the Erasmus+ Programme, strongly focused on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions and encouraging young people to participate in democratic life
• the DEAR Programme, which supports social, economic and environmental development projects by promoting the understanding of complex aspects related to sustainable development.

The “Guide to European Planning” (also as a podcast) has additionally been made available for orientation in the system of directly and indirectly managed EU funds and participation in European calls and programmes. The Guide is the result of the collaboration between Fondazione CRT, Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo, in partnership with other banking foundations (Fondazione di Trento e Rovereto, Fondazione Perugia, Fondazione Cariverona, Fondazione Firenze, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano-Sparkasse, Fondazione Sardegna) and ACRI.


School & Green Jobs

Fondazione Cariplo identifies the promotion of green jobs among young people as a potentially important response in terms of both employment and repercussions on the environmental sustainability of the productive structure. To encourage young people to take green jobs, Fondazione Cariplo has worked closely with local stakeholders and experts in the sector, through meetings and working groups. The various bodies involved include: Lombardy Region Schools Department; Assolombarda Confindustria Milan, Monza and Brianza, Lodi; Chamber of Commerce of Milan, Monza Brianza, Lodi; Confcommercio Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza; Città dei Mestieri, Milan and Lombardy; Green Jobs Desk; ACTL Internship Desk; Altreconomia; Climate-KIC.  

The aim of the project, active from 2015 to 2023, was to raise young people’s awareness of the opportunities, skills and profiles required by green jobs and to develop the cross-sectoral skills increasingly required by the green economy.  

Specifically, over the course of the eight editions, Green Jobs has consolidated and proposed two pathways to Year 12 students in the Foundation’s catchment area.  

  • The orientation course in green jobs (2015-2023), aimed at increasing students’ knowledge and awareness of the educational and professional opportunities offered by the green economy, to guide young people towards more conscientious and sustainable choices. Conducted in conjunction with Green Jobs Hub, it included meetings to present green jobs, testimonies from green economy professionals and individual interviews with expert guidance counsellors and occupational psychologists.    
  • The green self-employment pathway (2015-2021), aimed at promoting the development of cross-sectoral skills related to the issues of entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability increasingly required by the green economy. Conducted in conjunction with Junior Achievement Italia and InVento Innovation Lab, it has integrated environmental and entrepreneurial issues to create a green mini-enterprise in the scholastic environment. The students went through all the stages, from identification of the environmental issue and conception to drawing up a business plan and the development of a green product or service.   

From 2018 to 2021, the training course in green self-employment was extended to other Italian regions, made possible by the participation of various banking foundations belonging to theACRI Sustainable Development Commission, including: Fondazione CRT, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Carispezia, Fondazione Caritro, Fondazione Cariparo, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia, Fondazione Tercas and Fondazione Carisal.    

From 2015 to date in Lombardy:    

  • 890 classes taking part     
  • 17,200 students involved    
  • > 6,000 individual orientation interviews     
  • over 200 testimonials from business experts    

At the end of the project, a handbook was drawn up to describe the training protocols and their evolution over time, as well as an analysis of the international literature and of the project’s impact in terms of green academic choices made by the students participating in the course. Guidelines for teachers and trainers were extracted from the handbook as a tool to promote educational activities related to sustainability in schools. 

Quaderno

Consulta il Quaderno 50: PROGETTO “GREEN JOBS” | Protocolli e risultati a confronto

Consulta

Scuola 21 

Issue

To face the complexity of the present day, there is a need for schools that can develop both knowledge and skills in students. These skills assist students in grasping global issues systemically, in building relationships of connection between apparently distant phenomena, in contextualising personal experience in a broader and shared scenario, and in strengthening critical faculties and the sense of belonging to their local area. Such skills are essential to avoid a superficial approach to the issue of environmental sustainability. However, the Italian education system lacks teaching proposals that stimulate the development of these skills. 


Objectives

Through the SCUOLA 21 project, Fondazione Cariplo has contributed to the improvement in the educational offering at secondary schools and vocational training centres. It proposed the dissemination of an interdisciplinary curricular didactic and training methodology, oriented towards the development of key citizenship skills. This methodology is applied by addressing specific environmental issues (energy, biodiversity, environmental quality in local areas and climate) in the local context in which students live or study. 

Methods of intervention 

The methodology proposed by Scuola 21, developed during the trial phase of the project in conjunction with teachers and experts in teaching and the environment (2008-2011), provided for the establishment of educational pathways split into four stages (exploration of the topic, problematisation, collation of essential data, final intervention) to be carried out over the course of two subsequent school years. 

Results achieved 

Thanks to the four editions of the SCUOLA 21 call for proposals (from 2011 to 2014,) the Foundation: funded 106 schools and VTCs; involved 212 classes, about 1270 teachers and 4200 students; created a dedicated website where the tools developed by the Scuola 21 Project, the projects carried out in schools, the press review of the project (with over 150 articles), videos of the activities carried out and the testimonies of students and teachers can be downloaded; activated a community of practice involving some of the teachers responsible for the projects; facilitated the collaboration of schools with over 150 bodies active in the environmental field. 

Join Nature

Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are two of the main environmental risks to be faced in the coming years. The impact on environmental quality is combined with the economic aspect: over 50% of global GDP, equal to $44 trillion, is generated by economic activities that depend on nature and its services (The Global Risks Report 2023, World Economic Forum), but the decline in ecosystem services could lead to a contraction of up to $2.7 trillion by 2030 (The Economic Case for Nature, 2021, World Bank).

Faced with this scenario, investing in biodiversity conservation projects results in the generation of economic value: the economic benefits from such investments are estimated at around €70 trillion at European level by 2050 and every euro invested in biodiversity can generate a return of €14.70 in the form of benefits for the community (benefits from ecosystem services such as carbon storage and sequestration, water quality regulation, pollination and the production of renewable raw materials) (Impact assessment study for the European Commission to support the development of legally binding EU nature restoration, 2023, Trinomics, IEEP, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN).

The objectives of restoring biodiversity are ambitious and to achieve them, public-private partnerships, networking and creation of spaces for collaboration are necessary, including with the private sector. As part of this challenge, Fondazione Cariplo can play the role of aggregator, facilitating the creation of relationships and the systemisation of human and economic resources between local areas and businesses.

In 2023, the Join Nature project was founded, with the aim of involving companies in the protection of natural capital and biodiversity.

By participating in the call to action (see attachment at the bottom of the page), companies operating in Fondazione Cariplo’s catchment area (Lombardy and the Piedmont provinces of Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) can co-finance nature redevelopment interventions. The interventions (e.g. planting and forestation, habitat redevelopment, reintroduction of native animal and plant species, enhancement of land-based and river ecological corridors, river redevelopment, etc.) are collected in a constantly updated portfolio (see attachment at the bottom of the page); for each intervention, this includes a summary sheet with the main information. It is also possible to search for interventions in the areas where the plants of the companies concerned are located.

In addition, another important aspect characterises Join Nature and constitutes its value proposition, again thanks to the local contacts of Fondazione Cariplo, non-profit organisations, (social co-operatives, sports associations, environmental training bodies) and local institutions will be activated, to encourage the active involvement of citizens and the community: Join Nature represents the opportunity for shared and participatory projects for the protection and enhancement of biodiversity, as well as for use of land.

Fondazione Cariplo contributes to the implementation of the interventions identified in the portfolio with a total budget of €1,000,000, in the form of a grant to the managing bodies of the natural areas identified. 

To date, the following collaborations are active:

  • Edison for the “Terraces with a View” project by the Terraviva Fondiaria Association
  • CAP Group for the “Apistrade”, “Apistrade 2” and “Redevelopment of the Seveso” projects by Parco Nord Milano
  • Bolton Food for the “Arrangement of the nature trail in the Seveso Valley” project by the Parco delle Groane
  • Crédit Agricole Creditor Insurance for the “Redevelopment of the Villoresi Forest in the municipality of Carugate” project by the Parco Agricolo Nord Est
  • A2A for the “Redevelopment of wetlands in favour of Ardea cinerea and Rana latastei” project by LIPU.