Swedbank’s mission statement includes the bank acting as a positive force in society. We work with various societal initiatives which contribute to positive impact in areas of our prioritized SDGs.
General education
Education is priceless. The ability to read, write, discuss ideas and calculate gives us something that no one
can take away – our knowledge. Data from the Ministry of Education (2016) shows that 11% of people aged 18-24
have low education levels and are not in education. According to some institutions (EHIS), this number could
reach 20%. That is too much. This is why we have been contributing to improving education in Estonia for a long
time now. We continuously support the Youth to School (Noored Kooli) initiative and the Tartu University Science
School, thereby helping to get students more interested in hard sciences.
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Back to School. In 2006, Swedbank and the Good Deed Foundation (Heateo SA) founded the Youth to School
programme so that every child in Estonia would be able to get a great education. Every year we pick up to 50 capable and
active people from various spheres of life to join the programme and offer them a unique challenge. For two years, participants
of the programme will teach in schools across Estonia, where they have a chance to directly impact the development of each
of their students. The participants will simultaneously be attending a teaching and leadership course, which helps them become
outstanding leaders both in classrooms as well as in the society. With the skills and knowledge acquired from this experience
in schools, participants will be able to lead all kinds of undertakings successfully. We believe in the Youth to School mission
and goals wholeheartedly.
Learn more: www.nooredkooli.ee.
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Cooperation with the Tartu University Science School
Since 2019, we have been working with the Tartu University
Science School on bringing the exciting world of hard sciences to has many students in Estonia as possible.
We support the development and activities of various workshops so that youngsters living in smaller settlements in
Estonia would also be able to take part in interesting science experiments. Swedbankers too help current young folk
understand how knowledge acquired in hard science classes is implemented to complete daily work tasks in the private
sector. This helps ensure that more and more young people choose to study hard sciences in university, thereby also
alleviating the shortage of teachers and experts of these fields in Estonia.
Higher education and science
The success of a state and its society is founded on excellent higher education and investments into science.
The contribution of companies is crucial as it helps shape the content of higher education to meet the needs of the society.
This is why we cooperate with the largest universities in Estonia, both with regard to improving the quality of higher
education and financing research.
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Sharing private sector experiences in higher education. We understand the importance of making sure
that knowledge and experience from the private sector also reaches higher education. This is how the material taught in
universities can be adapted to meet the needs of the labour market, ensuring that students are better prepared for life
after graduation. We contribute to the work of various school staff councils, provide feedback in the development process
of curricula and participate by way of organising workshops and giving lectures.
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Diverse cooperation projects. The cooperation of academics and the business world in an important
prerequisite for economic success. This is why we work on numerous joint projects with students, scientists and lecturers.
Our most extensive cooperation project in the science field so far has been Applied research in smart specialisation growth areas.
We have an office at the Delta Centre of the Tartu University (Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation) and a representation
space at the TalTech Innovation and Business Centre Mektory.
These activities contribute to following goals:
Goal 4: Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and high quality education for all.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Produce and consume goods and resources responsibly.
These days financial literacy is just as vital as writing, calculating, dressing oneself and having basic communication skills.
Financial literacy is a combination of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, which ensure that one makes smart decisions
regarding their financial matters. Financial literacy encompasses family budget planning, basic knowledge of investing
and responsible behaviour with money.
Institute for Finances
However, various studies have shown that there is a discrepancy between the theoretic knowledge that Estonians possess and their actual behaviour.
Although the majority of people have acquired key principles of daily money matters and planning, oftentimes, they do not
follow those principles in their daily errands concerning finances. This is why we find it important to educate our clients
and share knowledge, experience and skills concerning financial wisdom, both during school lessons and via
the Institute for Finances.
The Institute for Finances was established in 2010 to provide independent information and practical advice.
It aims to support people in making economic decisions, offer insight on managing finances and promote financial literacy in Estonia.
Savings journal
In order to further promote financial wisdom and share practical advice on money matters, we have created a
Facebook group Savings journal (Kogumispäevik).
The aim of the FB group is to provide a community of people who wish to learn more about handling their finances
– how to save money, how to find additional income sources, how to get started with investing and improve the financial
well-being of their family! You too can start saving and join the FB group
HERE.
You can also check out our Savings journal podcast,
where we meet up with various interesting guests to discuss financial wisdom topics and practical tips on how to improve
your family’s financial situation.
Back to School
The objective of Back to School is to bring more real-life experience to schools and strengthen cooperation between schools and the rest of the society.
We aim to get more active people involved in education, be it parents, alumni or someone else capable of
enriching the lessons of current students and sharing knowledge that cannot be found in textbooks.
We have been a strategic partner and a true fan of Back to School initiative since 2012.
Our employees have signed up and regularly visit students at schools to share their knowledge on money and digital matters,
and give necessary career advice. We have currently reached 86% of schools in Estonia. You can share your experiences and
knowhow of your profession or hobbies – be it financial analysis or winter swimming.
Learn more on how to inspire Estonia’s future talents: etunnid.tagasikooli.ee.
This helps us contribute to following goal:
Goal 4: Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and high quality education for all.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Produce and consume goods and resources responsibly.
We believe that the secret of a successful country lies in educated and entrepreneurial-minded people.
To do our part in promoting entrepreneurship, we support start-up entrepreneurs in making their first prototypes
so that they can build businesses out of ideas. We also strive to get young people more interested in social entrepreneurship
and help organise the best business festival in the Baltics – sTARTUp Day.
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Prototron
It is difficult to imagine a world without computers or lamps.
But even those things were mere ideas once and required prototypes for changing the world.
In order to continue giving life to excellent ideas, we joined forces with Tallinn University of Technology and
Technopol in 2012 and created Estonia’s first prototyping fund Prototron. Prototron provides financial support to
entrepreneurs for making their first functional product sample – the prototype. Prototron has already helped several
innovative companies – Lingvist, coModule, Sprayprinter, Qminder and Lumebot among them. So far 92 projects have received
financing in the extent of 1,2 mln euros. Prototron teams have raised over 59 million euros as follow-up investments.
Pretty cool, huh? We think so.
Draft up your idea and learn more: www.prototron.ee
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sTARTUp Day
We like passionate people who are willing to do what it takes to bring their ideas into reality.
Founders of sTARTUp Day are living and breathing example of this – in 2016 they laid foundations for the biggest business festival in the Baltics.
Located in Tartu – the city of good thoughts – the festival brings together over 4000 startupers, CEOs,
investors, university students, specialists and enthusiasts from all over the world to innovate, pitch and
discuss topics of business, start-up companies, innovation and future technologies. We are happy and proud to have been
die-hard fans and the gold sponsors of sTARTUp Day from the very start. And to top it off – we are among the co-organisers of the festival as of 2019!
You are welcome to join at: www.startupday.ee.
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Changemakers Academy
In 2019, we joined the organisers of Changemakers Academy to get the young people in Estonia fired up about social entrepreneurship.
Every year, about 120 students from across Estonia take part in the programme to work together and create marketing plans to social enterprises.
Participation in the programme provides youngsters an invaluable opportunity to practice team work, gain knowledge about
entrepreneurship and bring their ideas to life – all this is elevated by getting to contribute to solving a social problem.
The programme also helps to integrate students who don’t share a common first language.
Join here: www.changemakers.ee.
It allows us to contribute to this goal:
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Promote higher productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.
Health tracks
Remember the feeling you get after a brisk jog in the woods, the clarity and energy it brings?
We do and we want more and more people in Estonia to have the opportunity to exercise for free whenever they feel like it.
This is why we joined forces with MERKO and the national energy company Eesti Energia and launched the network
of Estonian Health Tracks in 2005. Since then we have renovated and built more 117 natural trails, totalling over 1100 km in length.
Many of these tracks have lighting so that it is possible to jog from sunset to sunrise – because health tracks,
unlike sports clubs, are always open.
www.terviserajad.ee
The Good Deed Foundation
The Good Deed Foundation helps high-impact social initiatives to become active organisations and social enterprises.
The foundation supports spreading social innovation in Estonia and increasing knowledge about strategic
philanthropy in the private sector. In cooperation with the Good Deed Foundation, we are the only bank in Estonia to offer philanthropy
consultations to our private banking clients, helping them with any single donation, managing an NGO or starting a new foundation.
www.heategu.ee
Donation environment “I love to help”
In 2008, Swedbank and the Good Deed Foundation joined forces to launch a donating environment, which has grown into Estonia’s biggest platform for donations.
The aim of the donation environment is to promote charity culture in Estonia by bringing reliable initiatives and influential charity organisations together onto a single platform,
where donators can learn more about and support the projects and initiatives.
All organisations included in the environment are strong and reliable – this ensures that your donation will reach those in need.
Donating is simple – just pick a project that’s close to your heart and donate money or time.
Learn more: www.armastanaidata.ee.
Donating Our Time network
"Let’s donate time" is a charity network that brings together active, ambitious and innovative enterprises who
understand the importance of contributing to their communities by way of volunteering. The potential of teams lies in
diversity – collectives are made up of people with various skills, knowledge and activity levels; together these people can
find solutions to problems, provide advice and support in situations where it is needed the most.
As of 2015, Swedbank employees have carried out good deed across Estonia every summer. Among other projects, Swedbankers
have participated in clean-up events, opened charity cafés, worked with youngsters, pensioners and our four-legged friends.
We do over a hundred good deeds every summer, involving more than 1,100 bank employees.
Learn more: www.annetameaega.ee.
Our societal initiatives help us contribute to following goals:
Goal 4: Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and high quality education for all.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and end discrimination.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Promote higher productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Produce and consume goods and resources responsibly.
Goal 13: Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Goal 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies.
We conduct strategic cooperation with various powerful and reliable partners in order to bring about positive
social, economic and environmental impact. We value long-term cooperation and prefer to support initiatives
where we can have broad-based impact and involve a significant portion of society. It is also important for us
that the initiatives are in compliance with Sustainable Development Goals and our values.
All cooperation proposals and requests for support are evaluated based on:
- whether or not the initiative is in alignment with Swedbank’s values, the current and future needs of our customers and the society in Estonia;
- whether or not the initiative contributes to areas that Swedbank has decided to support, i.e. education and financial literacy, promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable society;
- the significance of the initiative for the general public, what kind of positive changes it can bring about in society and how it includes the people of Estonia;
- how sustainable the initiative is and what kind of previous experiences the leaders of the initiative have;
- the opportunities for involving Swedbank employees and customers in the initiative.
Swedbank does not support:
- projects that do not align with the bank’s values;
- political and religious associations;
- initiatives that threaten the safety of people or the environment;
- projects that are only beneficial for a single person or a very limited group.
Feel free to send your cooperation proposals to toetus@swedbank.ee.
