The BIC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the BIC Corporation. It was started in 2016 and invests in projects all over the world covering topics including youth activism, ¹ professional development for young women, ² social inclusion, ³ and the arts. ⁴ The foundation states its mission is to “[provide] access to high-quality education that inspires creativity and inclusivity.” ⁵

The foundation’s board is headed by the BIC Corporation’s CEO, Gonzalve Bich. ⁶  Its executive director is Alison James, formerly chief human resources officer for the BIC Corporation. ⁵

Youth Activism

The BIC Foundation works with Curriculum for Life in England on its Voices of Tomorrow project. ¹ This organization created 12 educational lesson plans based around life skills learned outside of school. Some of the topics include global citizenship, learning to collaborate and advocacy in action. ⁷ Curriculum for Life states its guiding principles are diversity and inclusion and “recognizing the urgency if the climate and ecological crisis.” ⁸ The BIC Foundation lists Voices of Tomorrow as one of its projects. ⁹

Professional Development for Women

The BIC Foundation invests in multiple different professional development programs for young women. Two of those projects are Rev’Elles in France and Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y) in India. Although LP4Y’s Professional Training Program include boys and girls, its classes typically favor girls with 82 percent of its 2021 students being female and 18 percent male. ¹⁰ LP4Y states it works to “brings together organizations committed to the professional and social integration of young victims of exclusion around the world.” ¹¹

Rev’Elles’ Reveal Your Potential program focuses on professional development of young women from working-class communities in France. ² Rev’Elles states its mission is to “[fight] against triple determinism [social, gender, and community norms] that young women from working-class neighborhoods have to face in their daily lives.” ¹²

The BIC Foundation lists LP4Y’s professional training program and Rev’Elles’ Reveal Your Potential program as two of its projects. ⁹

Social Inclusion

The BIC Foundation invests in programs which support social inclusion through anti-bullying and social development for the disabled. The BIC Foundation works with in the Terre des Hommes organization in Italy, PICA Catalunya organization in Spain, and Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization in Ukraine to help push social inclusion. Terre des Hommes’ Radio Indifesa program focuses on the impacts of cyber bullying and works to “Promote a cultural change to support gender equality and social inclusion [in Italy].” ³ PICA Catalunya’s Stop Bullying program offers community workshops to stop bullying, as well as psychological support and legal aid to children and families that have been impacted by bullying. ¹³

The Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization’s Circle of Friends program is a youth club for teenagers and young people with down syndrome which helps its students “learn and consolidate the rules and forms of social behavior and receive guidance for self-realization and potential employment.” ¹⁴

The BIC Foundation lists Radio Indifesa, Stop Bullying, and Circle of Friends as projects. ⁹

Arts Programs

One of the BIC Foundation’s main efforts is to increase education through various art programs. It works with Creative Alliance in the United States, Culturespaces Foundation in France, and Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation in Australia. Creative Alliance’s Campaign for Creativity focuses on bring arts programs such as cooking, drawing, dancing, and theater to immigrant communities in Baltimore. ⁴

Culturespaces Foundation’s Immersive Art program focuses on giving disabled children and children living in impoverished communities access to artistic and cultural education. ¹⁵ The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation’s Art Experience Workshops program offers art education by professional artists to help long-term patients become more resilient to their conditions by developing creative outlets. ¹⁶ The BIC Foundation lists Campaign for Creativity, Immersive Art, and Art Experience Workshops as projects. ⁹

1. “Curriculum for Life: Voices of Tomorrow.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/curriculum-for-life.
2. “Rêv’Elles.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/revelles.
3. “Terre Des Hommes: Radio Indifesa.” BIC. Accessed November 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/terre-des-hommes.
4.  “Creative Alliance: Campaign for Creativity.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/creative-alliances.
5.  “Bic Corporate Foundation.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/bic-foundation#TEAMNEW.
6. “Internal Board Members.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/bic-foundation#BOARDNEW.
7.  “Platform.” Curriculum For Life. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://curriculumforlife.com/platform.
8. “Guiding Principles.” Curriculum For Life. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://curriculumforlife.com/guiding-principles.
9. “Bic Corporate Foundation – Projects.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/bic-corporate-foundation-projects.
10. “LP4Y – Impact Indicators.” lp4yglobal. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.lp4y.org/impact-indicators.
11. “LP4Y Initiatives.” lp4yglobal. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.lp4y.org/lp4y-initiatives.
12. “Our Mission.” Rêv’Elles. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://revelles.org/presentation/.
13.  “PICA Catalunya: Stop Bullying- Free-Bullying School.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/pica-catalunya.
14.  “Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization: The Circle of Friends: Youth Club for Teenagers and Young People with Down Syndrome.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/ukranian-down-syndrome-organization.
15. “Culturespaces Foundation: Immersive Art.” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/culturespaces-foundation.
16. “Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation: Art Experience Workshops (ArtEx).” BIC. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://corporate.bic.com/en-us/commitments/sydney-childrens-hospitals-foundation.