Sponsorship and charity

For many years, PGNiG has been involved in a wide range of sponsorship activities, with a major focus placed on sports, culture and education. In November 2004, the Company established the PGNiG Ignacy Łukasiewicz Foundation, of which it is the sole founder and donor.

The mission of the Foundation is to conduct public benefit activities, in particular by promoting and supporting culture as an element of the national heritage, including theatrical plays, musical performances and film screenings in Poland and abroad, scientific and technical research, with a focus on particular achievements in the area of fundamental and technical sciences, R&D activities, and protection of historical buildings and monuments, including in particular those relating to the gas industry.

In 2016, the Foundation focused on two proprietary programmes − ‘To Be Like Ignacy’ and ‘We Warm up Polish Hearts’, and supported a number of initiatives falling within the scope of its mission. It donated funds to the Ignacy Łukasiewicz Museum of Oil and Gas Industry Foundation in Bóbrka, to support the museum’s activities.

The PGNiG Ignacy Łukasiewicz Foundation has long supported initiatives promoting science, education and history, which resulted in a project aimed at promoting science and commemorating Ignacy Łukasiewicz, a petroleum industry pioneer in Poland and the world. Run in cooperation with with PGNiG, ‘To Be Like Ignacy’ is a programme aimed at promoting science among primary school children and, at the same time, teaching them about the life of Ignacy Łukasiewicz. Its main element is a website featuring an interactive comic strip, educational videos showing scientific experiments and an adventure game.

As part of the programme, the Foundation holds a competition called ‘Ignacy’s School of Science’, with more than 150 schools from all over Poland having enrolled to win the Ignaś statuettes. The competition seeks to award schools with the most interesting science clubs set up specifically for the purpose of the project. To assist teachers in running such clubs, the Foundation prepared lesson scenarios for grades 0−3 and 4−6. The programme is run under the honorary patronage of the Speaker of the Sejm and the Ministry of National Education. The official media partner of ‘To Be Like Ignacy’ is TVP ABC.

PGNiG is strongly committed to sponsoring sports. The Company provides comprehensive support to one leading professional sport, namely handball. It is worth noting that the growing professionalism of handball games, commitment of players and the dynamic nature of handball have stirred up Poles’ interest in the sport. This creates an excellent opportunity to uphold and further strengthen our corporate image as a modern and dynamic company. Together with the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, PGNiG launched a dedicated website, www.klubiks.pl, and published a course book on sports marketing for small and medium-size sports clubs. In recognition of the initiatives undertaken in 2016, PGNiG was named the ‘Sponsor of the Year’ in the 82nd prestigious poll organised by the Przegląd Sportowy daily and the Polish Television.

PGNiG’s patronage for the Television Theatre is a fine example of how to tap the potential of economic patriotism by combining culture and business. The three-year long partnership between PGNiG and the Polish Television was the Company’s largest and most prominent investment in Polish culture in 2016. In this way, PGNiG confirmed its commitment to shaping and promoting events, projects and phenomena that represent Poland’s high culture and popularise national history. One of the key cultural events sponsored by the Company was the Gala Concert in memory of the legendary Polish composer and musician Przemysław Gintrowski.

‘We Warm Up Polish Hearts’ is a motto of the Foundation’s and PGNiG’s joint project to raise historical awareness among Poles, preserve national identity and commemorate Polish heroes. As part of the programme, the Foundation supports educational and film-making projects, initiatives to aid war veterans and a variety of cultural activities. A particular focus is placed on reviving the memory and history of the so-called cursed or indomitable soldiers, heroes that fell into oblivion for decades. Under the programme, more than 36 projects for almost 2 million recipients have been implemented or supported by the Foundation. They included 10 film productions, six musical projects (two records were released), seven educational projects and 10 historical awareness projects. Under the ‘We Warm Up Polish Hearts’ programme run together with the PGNiG Ignacy Łukasiewicz Foundation, the Company co-financed the production of Konrad Łęcki’s feature film ‘Wyklęty’ (The Cursed), to premiere in 2017. PGNiG is also the Main Sponsor of the 8th Film Festival ‘Non-humble, Indomitable, Cursed’.