Sparring Foundation
Sparring Foundation was launched in 2020, the Foundation supports projects that stand out for their innovative approach and aim at tackling situations of exclusion through actions that also have a positive environmental impact.
Going Beyond Responsible Investing
The Sparring Foundation aims at extending our responsible investment approach and to unite its portfolio companies around a common philanthropic project.
Hosted by the Fondation Agir Contre l’Exclusion (FACE), the foundation is funded by benefactors within our ecosystem.
Projects are selected by our team with a strong focus on respecting both social and environmental principles, while also ensuring careful measurement of the outcomes achieved.
Sors tes Moutons : Cultiver l'inclusion et la solidarité par l'agriculture urbaine
Sors tes Moutons, an association based in Saint-Brieuc, promotes urban agriculture to foster inclusion and strengthen social bonds.
Through sheep farming, vegetable gardening, urban chicken coops, and eco-grazing, Sors tes Moutons welcomes individuals facing difficulties, including those in internships, community service, social reintegration, or with disabilities. The association aims to re-engage these individuals through sustainable agricultural production.
The project is supported by volunteers and local partnerships. In addition to promoting a solidarity-based economy, it aims to sustain its initiatives through participatory and innovative projects.
Banque Solidaire de l’Equipement (BSE): Building a Home After Finding Shelter
The BSE is an initiative by the Emmaüs Défi association, created in 2012 to help people in precarious situations acquire furniture and household appliances at low cost, particularly when moving into their first home. The goal is to combat poverty by providing essential items to promote dignified living conditions.
The BSE operates through partnerships with companies that donate new or surplus equipment, as well as through a network of volunteers and support workers.
To date, the BSE has supported more than 27,000 people, with the help of over 3,000 social workers and the involvement of 50 employees in reintegration programs.
Le Moulin de Pont Rû: A Social and Ecological Third-Place
Le Moulin de Pont Rû is a social and ecological third-place located in the heart of the Vexin region.
It provides support to vulnerable individuals through immersive programs and organizes events to bring together and engage with the local population.
One of its key initiatives is the development of permaculture vegetable gardens, enabling the association to raise awareness about ecological and environmental issues through workshops and training sessions. These include techniques such as no-till raised bed gardening, mandala gardens, forest gardening, aromatic spirals, crop rotation, and plant guilds.
Les Valoristes Bourguignons: combining the fight against precarity with industrial and construction waste recycling
Les Valoristes Bourguignons employ individuals in highly precarious socio-professional situations to collect, sort, and repurpose waste from the industry and construction sectors that would otherwise have ended up in landfills.
Founded in 2017, Les Valoristes Bourguignons supports individuals facing difficulties in returning to employment through skills training and sustainable job opportunities. The organization focuses on collecting, sorting, and repurposing waste that would otherwise go to landfills. It operates two workshops: one in Champforgeuil (Saône-et-Loire) and another in Avignon (Vaucluse), which is set to open in 2023. The Sparring Foundation is aiding the expansion of the program to include victims of domestic violence through a new specialized integration project.
Carton Plein: supporting individuals in rejoining the workforce through environmentally innovative employment opportunities
Carton Plein is a socio-professional inclusion association that accompanies people in situations of exclusion towards employment by training them in ecologically innovative activities: collecting, reusing cardboard boxes and bike removals in Paris.
Founded in 2012 in the Île-de-France region, Carton Plein is dedicated to the social and professional integration of individuals facing exclusion, with a focus on eco-friendly sectors. The organization operates two workshop-boutiques in the 18th arrondissement of Paris and one in Nanterre, providing weekly employment opportunities for sorting and recycling cardboard. With the support of the Foundation, a new integration project was launched in Nanterre at the beginning of 2023, allowing for an increase in the number of individuals supported and an enhancement in the quality of the assistance offered.
Ferme de Moyembrie: Equipping prisoners for successful reintegration into the workforce
The Ferme de Moyembrie is a facility aimed at supporting the professional reintegration of prisoners nearing the end of their sentences through the practice of organic farming.
The Ferme de Moyembrie, founded in the Aisne region in the 1990s, offers social and professional reintegration to prisoners before their release. Growing organic fruit and vegetables, it welcomes around 50 prisoners a year for 9 months. Thanks to the support of the Sparring Foundation in both 2022 and 2023, a permanent position to manage relations with penitentiary centers was successfully created. This initiative has strengthened the farm’s structure, increased its partnerships and optimized grant management.
Fermes d'Avenir: combining agro-ecology and professional integration
Fermes d’Avenir is an association working to accelerate the agricultural transition in France. Its mission is to grow agro-ecological farms throughout France.
Founded in 2013, Fermes d’Avenir promotes agroecological farms, trains future farmers and facilitates the professional integration of refugees. Its 8-month companionship program trains around 30 refugees a year, with the support of 19 partner farms. The Sparring Foundation has financed a 4-day meeting in 2021, enabling the project to be structured and developed.
Andes: combating food scarcity
The ANDES association works to ensure access to quality food for everyone. It collects unsold fruits and vegetables from wholesale markets and redistributes them, through people in professional reintegration programs, to families with modest incomes.
Founded in 2000, ANDES fights against food waste and promotes access to food for people in precarious situations. As the largest network of solidarity grocery stores in France, the association helps over 200,000 people per year through 420 stores. Thanks to the financial support of the Sparring Foundation in 2021, ANDES acquired a 20m² cold room to expand its food recovery efforts. This initiative led to the development of 12 new frozen product lines, some of which are Halal.
Réseau Eco Habitat: Reducing Energy Poverty
Réseau Eco Habitat fights against energy poverty by supporting struggling families through every step of the renovation of their homes.
Founded in 2014 by Franck Billeau, Réseau Eco Habitat maximizes the use of grants to renovate the homes of households facing energy poverty. Through its expertise in public and private aid, it reduces the out-of-pocket expenses for families by helping them finance the renovation work. With the support of the Sparring Foundation since 2021, the association has developed the digital tool “Accèl’air,” which has halved waiting times.
API'UP: Turning Waste into Value through Upcycling
API’UP is an innovative project that offers comprehensive waste management, from selective and customized waste collection to their recovery through eco-responsible recycling and industrial upcycling.
Founded in 2012 by Valérie Fernani, API’UP promotes social reintegration through the upcycling of corporate waste. Controlling the entire value chain, from sourcing to production, it creates designed objects and office furniture, distributed either through traditional channels or via solidarity networks.
Le soutien de la Fondation Sparring depuis 2021 a permis le financement des activités de la recherche-développement d’API’UP, leur permettant d’innover et de développer des nouveaux matériaux comme le granispher.
École des Semeurs: Giving a future to youth who have left the school system
The École des Semeurs association trains young people struggling in the traditional school system in the trade of greengrocery, with a focus on selling fruits and vegetables through short supply chains and organic farming.
Founded in 2018 by Marie-Cécile Pennequin, École des Semeurs trains young people facing difficulties with the traditional education system in organic farming. Offering a CAP diploma after a two-year training program, it ensures a 100% reintegration rate for its students. Supported by the Sparring Foundation in 2021, the school was able to acquire professional equipment and provide financial assistance to students for their essential needs.
