1993 – 2023: More than 250 people gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the FDJ Corporate Foundation at the legendary Studio 104 of the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique (Paris, France). A look back at this event through images and video.
The evening began with a concert by Démos, the socially-driven orchestra of the Philharmonie de Paris.
Charles Lantieri, President of the FDJ Corporate Foundation and Deputy CEO of the Group, then took the stage to thank the board members and employees involved in the Foundation’s projects. He mentioned the 30% increase in the Foundation’s budget, which aims to fund more projects with greater impact, in support of equal opportunities.
Isabelle Delaplace, General Delegate of the FDJ Foundation, along with Flavie Deprez, Founder of Carenews media and host of the evening, reflected on the impact strategy adopted by the FDJ Foundation: “We commissioned a study that revealed that for every 1 euro of support from the FDJ Foundation to associations, the social value created amounts to 3.4 euros.”
The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the seven winners of the 2023 Call for Major Projects. This was the opportunity to hear from representatives of the association 1001 mots, a 2023 winner. Attendees also enjoyed insights from the association Comme les autres, which won the 2021 edition.
Among the winners of the 2023 Call for Major Projects was the association Rêv’elles, which inspires, motivates, and supports young women from underprivileged neighborhoods in their personal and professional development. Two young girls, Elona and Inaya, were on stage to demonstrate their oratory skills alongside their coach.
Another key moment of the evening was the focus on the Solidarity Retailer Springboard. Since 2012, the FDJ Foundation has offered its 30,000 retail partners the opportunity to sponsor a local association. The reward: a 3,000-euro grant to fund a solidarity project. Over the past 4 years, 380 associations have received support for their projects through this program. Active members of the commercial network were present that evening, and Mrs. Valérie Thomas, a retailer from Saint Brieuc, along with the director of the Altygo association, winner of the 2022 springboard, took the stage to share their experience.
Stéphane Pallez, Chairwoman and CEO of FDJ, closed the evening by sharing her vision of corporate philanthropy and the essential role that companies must play in solidarity, particularly towards young people: “When we are called La Française des Jeux, solidarity means that the value created must be redistributed. It’s the foundation of our model, and this founding solidarity is reflected today in our purpose, which has been written into our statutes since 2020: gaming is our profession, contributing to society is our drive, and responsibility is our demand.”
The evening celebrating the 30th anniversary of the FDJ Foundation ended with a speech from a distinguished guest: Yannick Noah, President of the “Fête le Mur” association, founded more than 25 years ago to support the integration of young people from priority neighborhoods through sport, and supported by the FDJ Foundation for the past twenty years.
