Since it was created in 1991, the Cariverona Foundation has supported 21,861 projects in the five provinces in which it operates, with an economic commitment of almost one billion and 800 million. As regards the province of Belluno, 3,059 projects have been financed in thirty years with a total commitment of 176 million euros. The interventions in the field of culture are very important, from the restoration of buildings to that of works of art, but also in the social field and in training, as recalled by the general manager Filippo Manfredi.
Director Manfredi, what are your attention today?
“Three years ago for the 2020-2022 calls we set ourselves some objectives towards which to direct our action: environmental protection, enhancement of human capital and social innovation. Some examples of the projects carried out in the Belluno area will be presented on Tuesday evening at the municipal theater ».
In recent years, the Foundation has had to face many problems, linked to the financial events of the reference credit institutions. There has been a decrease in the funds disbursed. Is your mission changing?
«The Foundation’s mission is to support local policies and this does not change. We will also continue in the province of Belluno with our commitment. What is changing is the method of disbursement of funds: we are moving from non-repayable loans to accompanying projects, to developing ideas. We want to facilitate the birth of companies, start-ups, we focus on training, we are about to present some projects with ITS (higher technical institutes). We have issued tenders on environmental education and social innovation, many of which were then financed in the Belluno area. We always work with the system of calls with which we try to enhance young people, focusing on the creation of partnership networks, financing groups of associations, schools, research centers, no longer just the single body or association ».
Your operations in recent years have been conditioned by external events, the pandemic to name one.
“Surely. They were not easy years, because there have been continuous emergencies, from Covid to the flood in the Marche. We have allocated contributions that were not planned and we had to grant extensions in the implementation of projects slowed down by external events ».
After the three-year activity, also celebrated with the event “We are”, what are you preparing for the future?
«Our work is in continuity with the past also because in many cases they are multi-year projects. The lines of action for the next three years will be presented on 11 November in Verona. There we will reveal the themes of the next calls, we are currently defining the relative resolutions ».