Objectives and preamble

The purpose of this manual is to provide clear and concise information about the process of giving, philanthropy at the Warehousing Society Inc.

The manual creates a framework for the board of directors, donors and applicants for financial gifts to feel confident and assured in their giving, and also provides them with information on how these gifts contribute to the greater good and the positive impact they bring to communities or NGOs.

Company for Storage, a.s. aims to motivate and inspire other companies to engage in donation and use their skills and resources to support charitable and public benefit activities through their philanthropic activities. The Manual seeks to create an environment in which giving is seen as a valuable and important activity.

It is important that interested parties have clear and understandable information about the options and processes/procedures for applying for funding. The manual simplifies and streamlines the donation process so that all interested groups have a simple and systematic process from the beginning of the donation to its fulfilment.

The main purpose of the manual is to provide information and describe to the employees of the Warehousing Company how to proceed with the process/administration of the donation process.

Preamble:

Corporate social responsibility is an important aspect of corporate performance that involves activities and initiatives that have a positive impact on society and the community in which they operate. Even a company with a monopoly presence has a strong impact on society and people's lives. Financial support for community service and charitable activities can lead to an improvement in a company's reputation and image. Financial support and cooperation with community projects and organisations contribute to the development and strengthening of the local environment. This creates better conditions for education, culture, sport, the environment and other areas, which benefits the whole community. The company has a moral obligation to invest in the communities in which it operates, here it strengthens relationships and builds trust between residents and local businesses. Such activities contribute to better acceptance of the company and support from the community.

If a company with a monopoly presence supports public benefit activities and charity, it contributes to the overall image and reputation of the whole industry. Such an approach helps to remove negative perceptions of monopoly firms and shows their commitment to society. Investing in community service and charity is a long-term investment in the sustainability of society. By contributing to solving social and environmental problems, the company is contributing to creating a better future for all.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has an important link with the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) in promoting sustainable development and achieving social, environmental and economic goals. The UN has developed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address major global challenges(https://www.minzp.sk/agenda-2030), a voluntary initiative that calls on companies to commit to ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption.

EU and the European Green Convention, has a strong focus on sustainable development and environmental responsibility. The European Green Deal is a strategic initiative of the EU that seeks to achieve climate neutrality and sustainable economic transformation. Companies are encouraged and implement policies and measures in line with the objectives of the European Green Convention The EU adopts regulatory requirements and directives that oblige companies to comply with CSR standards, such as reporting of non-financial information and integrated reporting. These requirements promote transparency and corporate responsibility towards society and the environment. (https://www.minzp.sk/klima/europska-zelena-dohoda/ )

Corporate Social Responsibility is intertwined with the UN and the EU, and this creates an important framework and support for companies that are committed to sustainable and responsible business. Cooperation between business, the UN and the EU is key to achieving the shared goals of sustainable development and a better quality of life for all.

Basic principles and starting points

Openness, transparency and accessibility are important attributes of the financial support of public benefit projects in the Warehousing Company, a.s. Giving is a mechanism to support funding for organizations that allows financial support to be provided in an appropriate and efficient manner.

Openness
‍Wecommunicate openlyabout our financial support and involvement in public benefit projects. Information about our support is easily accessible and understandable to the public on our website https://www.spsas.sk.

Transparency
‍Transparencyis an integral part of trustworthiness. We provide clear and accurate information about how funding is decided, what projects are supported and what the selection criteria are. Transparency allows stakeholders to better understand and assess how a company contributes to the public good.

Accessibility
‍Accessibilitymeans that support for public benefit projects is accessible to the general public and is not discriminatory. We have clear and inclusive procedures for applying for funding. The online environment, is friendly and accessible to all, including marginalised groups and disadvantaged communities.

Openness, transparency and accessibility will help to increase the credibility of financial support. By communicating openly about our activities, we show that we are not only well-intentioned but also interested in achieving real results and making a positive impact. Credibility is key to building long-term relationships with citizens, organisations and stakeholders.

The administration of the donation process presupposes a certain model of implementation, which can be expressed as follows:

Conditions of support for public benefit activities and initiatives → Submission of an application for support → Administrative control → Assessment by the members of the Board of Directors → Decision on the granting of a financial contribution → Completion of information in the required form with the necessary attachments → Electronically, by email submitted application → Technical control of applications → Notification of supported and unsupported applicants → Issuance of a donation contract → Publication of the donation contract in the Central Register of Contracts → Information on the implementation of the supported activity → Informing the members of the Board of Directors → Electronic archiving of the documents
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Glossary of terms

Donor = Donor = Storage Company, Inc., which provides funds for the implementation of a public benefit activity. The donor has defined its mission in the field of public benefit activities.

Call for proposals - each grant programme has a published and described call for proposals. In it, the donor presents its vision of financial support for public benefit projects and activities as a whole. Here it describes the formal and administrative criteria for financial support of projects. It also describes in more detail in the call what types of activities it wants to support and what impact the supported activities should fulfil.

Application =Project =Public benefitactivity, is a time-bound and materially bounded set of public benefit activities submitted by the applicant and to be carried out in order for the applicant to achieve the stated objective. It is a thoughtful, unique one-off or recurring activity that is time-bound and has specified financial, material, human resources.

Applicant = Applicant is a legal entity that submits an application to the Warehousing Company a.s. The applicant meets the basic criteria - it is registered with the relevant ministry or government authority; it has an assigned ID number; it has an established bank account in the name of the legal entity; it has a statutory representative or a person authorized by the statutory representative acting on behalf of the organization.

! The Warehousing Company Inc. does not support applications from individuals, i.e. natural persons. In exceptional cases, applications by individuals will require the unanimous consent of all members of the Board of Directors.

Submission of applications, the applicant can submit the application in hard copy - by post, or in an online version.

Email submission of applications - applications in electronic version in doc. format should be sent to the following email address: sps@spsas.sk

Application evaluation, assessment process - applications submitted are registered and regularly evaluated at the Board of Directors meeting by the members of the Board of Directors of the Warehousing Company, Inc. Board members vote on whether or not to support individual applications based on established criteria published in advance in the call for applications.

Application form for submission when administering a supported application - supported applications must complete a form that provides all the detailed information in a clear structure, including consent to the provision of personal data.

Donation Contract - Approved applicants, upon delivery of the required form and attachments necessary to enter into a Contract, a Contract is drawn up. Once signed by both parties, the funds are provided to the donor's bank account.

Preparation of a final report on the use of the financial contribution - the donor will provide a substantive and financial report. This obligation is declared in the grant agreement.

Intent of financial support

(who we will support, how much, what types of public benefit projects)

We believe that building healthy communities is the best tool for gradual change and that they can make Slovakia a better place to live. We support civic and public service activities that lead to shared interest in what is happening in the community, to finding common solutions to local problems, to strengthening cooperation and partnerships between local entities.  

We provide financial support to active NGOs, municipalities and cities that lead to community development, connecting diverse populations, being responsive to everyday issues, promoting volunteerism and civic engagement to find solutions to local or community-wide problems.

THE FOLLOWING MAY APPLY FOR SUPPORT

• NGOs: civic associations, foundations, non-profit organisations...
• municipalities and towns
• cultural institutions: museums, libraries, galleries, cultural centres, etc.
• sports clubs
• Schools, educational establishments and primary art schools, etc.

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THE OBJECTIVES OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT 

• Motivating an interest in public affairs and fostering a relationship with the environment and the society in which we live,
• promoting volunteering and civic engagement,
• recognising needs and developing local potential,
• spreading the values of tolerance, openness and inclusiveness.

WE WILL SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT MEET THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME, FOCUSING ON 

Community activities with a long-term impact, ensuring sustainability: use and creation of local community spaces, activities that encourage residents to meet, develop good neighbourly relations and reduce anonymity. Creation of green or recreation areas for the community, construction and renovation of sports grounds serving the local community. Creation of meeting places for the local community - areas for summer and winter ice rink, stage for amateur theatre, skateboard area...

Sports activities: implemented in cooperation with the local sports club to improve the conditions for children, youth and adult sports.

Cultural and social activities: activities aimed at preserving cultural heritage and local traditions, local events, activities preserving traditional skills, introducing art, local customs.

Educational and awareness-raising activities: focused on intergenerational education, community activities supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged populations - the elderly, foreigners living in Slovakia, the homeless, the unemployed and other people at risk of poverty and social exclusion, people with health disadvantages.

Environmental protection activities: focused on the protection of protected areas and nature reserves, planting of greenery in public spaces, cleaning and tidying up of public spaces, watercourses and areas. Activities aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of production.

Revitalisation, accessibility and revitalisation of public spaces: beautification and revitalisation of public spaces, restoration of public community spaces. Construction and improvement of sports grounds, recreation areas serving the local community.

Other meaningful public service activities: promoting community development, volunteerism and active involvement of people in community life, activities bringing knowledge on topics of interest to diverse target groups, raising awareness of current events, as well as historical events, inspiring personalities and local places.

Other activities subject to individual assessment by the Board of Directors: e.g. health protection, etc.

PROJECT EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Board of Directors of the Warehousing Company emphasizes the following criteria in the evaluation process:

• public benefit activities with a long-term impact,
• the project intensively involves and activates the local community on several levels, from the identification of needs, their fulfilment to the actual implementation of the planned activities and taking responsibility for their sustainability,
• The project plan is based on the current needs of the community and uses local potential to meet them,
• The project creates space for cooperation between several actors, e.g. with schools, NGOs, local government, cultural institutions, young leaders, local craftsmen and others,
• the project actively involves vulnerable groups,
• A demonstrable level of direct involvement of volunteers and encouragement of their interest in further follow-up activities,
• sophistication of the planned activities - convincing, clarity, substantive link between the project objectives and the individual planned activities,
• the feasibility of the project, the applicant has sufficient capacity to implement it,
• the budget is appropriately set, cost-effective, comprehensible, realistic and linked to planned activities.

WILL NOT BE SUPPORTED IN THE PROGRAMME

• natural persons
• business entities
• informal citizens' initiatives,
• a purpose-built facility of a church and religious society,
• reimbursement of costs incurred
• improvement of private property of natural persons,
• challenging building renovation repairs,
• energy efficiency projects in buildings,
• projects aimed at building infrastructure (gasification of the village, development of the sewerage network, construction of roads, pavements, lighting, etc.),
• research and scientific projects,
• activities abroad,
• ideologically or extremist projects, projects contrary to moral, ethical and correct behaviour.

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THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF THE PROGRAMME

The minimum amount of support per project is EUR 1 000.

The maximum amount of support per project is EUR 15 000.

• The funds may be used for material, organizational and technical support of public benefit activities related to the implementation of the project.
• Funds may also be used for overheads and travel costs.

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METHOD OF SUBMITTING PROJECTS  

Projects will only be accepted electronically via email: sps@spsas.sk, please indicate "Request for Support" in the subject line. 

Each entity may only participate with one application per calendar year.  

Only those applications that are submitted by email and meet all formal criteria - completed application form and attached mandatory annexes - will be forwarded for evaluation.

TIMETABLE 

Applications are accepted continuously throughout the year.

Approval of applications will take place regularly 3 times a year in February, June, October.

Plan activities: plan the implementation of the planned activities well in advance, before signing the donation agreement. The programme does not reimburse activities that have been carried out in the past.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• The Storage Company will enter into a Donation Contract or Financial Contribution Contract with successful applicants.
• The funds will be provided to the beneficiary by transfer to the bank account of the organisation indicated in the registration form. Refunds are not possible. The funds can only be used once the contract has been signed by both parties and has entered into force.
• After the implementation of the supported activity, the supported applicant will submit a short information on its implementation - a final report with a maximum of 5 photographs documenting the course of the activity, , including a summary table of financial disbursement, via email. Accounting documents must be sent by post or scanned.

CONSULTATIONS 

Project consultations are not mandatory.

For further information and consultation please contact:

Contact person: Ing. Michaela Číková, sps@spsas.sk, +421 918 570 428