One year of partnership between SOMFY Foundation and Acted

Acted's action 

As the leading French NGO for international solidarity, Acted works "at the last mile of humanity" to support more than 27 million beneficiaries through over 600 projects in emergency response, rehabilitation, and development. More than 8,000 employees develop and implement programs aimed at the most vulnerable people. These programs cover a range of topics such as emergency response plans, sustainable access to essential needs and services (food security, access to water, hygiene and sanitation, vocational training and education, etc.), strengthening governance, and environmental protection in line with Acted's new Green Strategy (support for sustainable agriculture, water stress management, ecosystem regeneration, etc.). These projects align with the 3 ZERO strategy: "Zero exclusion, Zero carbon, Zero poverty," in 43 countries, including 15 in common with the subsidiaries of SOMFY Group.

SOMFY Foundation’s object

• Contributes to building a better world for future generations
• Supports projects that enable everyone to have access to healthy and sustainable living environments, with respect for individuals and the environment
• Supports access to emergency shelter for populations living in regions of the world affected by natural disasters or conflicts.

Reminder of the international program "A house is a home"

SOMFY Foundation's international engagement program "A House is A Home" began in January 2014. It allows subsidiaries to identify, together with SOMFY Foundation, a project that supports decent housing for all, to which they will jointly provide financial support, often complemented by Group employees' skills sponsorship.

What have we already done together ?

• 1st meeting with Acted on a partenership launch webinar in April 2023
• Interview with Camille Fourre, Strategy France Manager for SOMFY Foundation’s “an NGO in the spotlight”
• 1st solidarity challenge in November 2023
  • How to increase  notoriety of Acted amongst French population ? and How to create new innovative fundraising levers ?
  • All the ideas were presented to Acted’s managers.
  • Many things are already done but can still be improved
  • Some ideas could become projects, for example : do a partnership with the museums, with lotteries to have a little part of the price going to Acted,  organize a marathon rising money for Acted , do a partnership with water bottle/reusable bottle, organize within a company “skills challenge” to realize some communication tools , do a Zero carbon challenge in company to raise awareness on Zero Carbone and Acted.

Two collaborations around emergency situations in Turkey and Morocco

• Emergency support for the populations affected by the earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023 by the subsidiary and SOMFY Foundation to provide support to 200 households through monetary aid, food, and hygiene items so they can meet their basic needs.
• Emergency support for vulnerable populations affected by the earthquake in Morocco in September 2023, by the subsidiary and SOMFY Foundation to provide 30 households (approximately 150 people) with kits to complement and improve existing emergency shelters.

So, what will be next ?

To continue raising awareness of the NGO among our colleagues in subsidiaries, Acted is proposing a new challenge for international employees to undertake on the coming 28th of November. Acted will benefit from the help of SOMFY employees, wherever they are in the Group, to respond to the following challenge (question): How to develop successful new partnerships with international companies with the goal of diversifying international funding sources ?