ABLV Charitable Foundation announces a competition for civic improvement projects in Central Riga

May 31, 2017

“Every year, under the auspices of the New Riga programme, Riga’s urban environment is augmented with the addition of a new object: last year, the fountain in Kronvalda Park acquired a new lease of life, and is now the most modern in Europe. This year, it is planned to execute a unique vision in the Old Town of Riga, with the creation of a children’s playground, a games labyrinth, alongside Riga Cathedral. With the aim of ensuring that next year, on the occasion of the centenary of the Latvian State, Riga has a new adornment to its urban environment, we invite residents to think about civic improvement solutions and to submit their ideas for the competition,” encourages ABLV Charitable Foundation Chairman of the Board Zanda Zilgalve. At the same time, Zanda Zilgalve adds that, next year, work is due to begin within the territory of New Hanza City on the construction of the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art, a project co-financed by the ABLV Charitable Foundation.

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the foundation’s grant competition, applications for funding may be made for projects whose objective is to renovate and develop of objects of public importance, create new cultural objects, as well as make civic improvements to a specific quarter, courtyard, part of a street, or square. More detailed information and the application form are available at the foundation’s website: www.ablv.org in the section “How to receive financing”.

Under the ABLV Charitable Foundation’s New Riga programme, once a year under the auspices of the grant competition, societies of apartment owners and companies of apartment owner cooperatives, as well as State and municipal bodies may submit ideas for civic improvements in Central Riga. The objective of the Urban Environment initiative, one of the realms supported under the New Riga programme, is to facilitate the landscaping of the environment, the development of construction projects of public importance and the arrangement of the grounds adjacent to them, thus facilitating the development of an aesthetically pleasing and safe environment. In creating new cultural heritage, particular attention is devoted to preserving the existing one. Moreover, ideas must conform to Riga’s sustainable development strategy until 2030 and to Riga’s development programme for the period from 2014-2020. This year, under the auspices of its New Riga programme that supports civic improvements in Central Riga, the ABLV Charitable Foundation will invest EUR 50,000 in the creation of the children’s playground and activity area “Labyrinth”. The project will be implemented by the idea’s authors: the NGO “Sineccura” in collaboration with the Riga Cathedral.

About the ABLV Charitable Foundation
The ABLV Charitable Foundation was founded in 2006 by ABLV Bank shareholders Ernests Bernis and Oļegs Fiļs, in order to put their core values into practice in real life and support the responsibility of entrepreneurs towards society and the environment. The Foundation functions as ABLV Bank's main partner in the realm of charitable activity, supporting creative people and outstanding organisations that invest their efforts and knowledge, in order to achieve universally important goals - to create a united, abundant and safe society. From the time it was established, the Foundation has focused its attention on contemporary art, the welfare of children and adolescents, the development of education and civic society. Moreover, ABLV Charitable Foundation is the co-founder of the future Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art, which will open its doors in 2021. It is worth highlighting that a record sum of EUR 1,046,173 was donated to the Foundation's 10th anniversary charitable campaign, of which EUR 810,995 in donations were made under the "New Riga" programme to fund civic improvements in the centre of the capital and to support the establishment of the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art. Over the years, the Foundation has supported 300 projects, allocating co-financing to them amounting to over EUR 3 million.

More detailed information is available from:
Inese Rītele,
Project Manager,
ABLV Charitable Foundation
Phone: (+371) 67281383
E-mail: pilsetvide@ablv.org
www.ablv.org