SOCIAL FUND
From left to right: Nicole Schroedel (BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking), Dr. Sarah Tapp (Foundation University of Mannheim), Sabrina Scherbarth (Managing Director Foundation University of Mannheim, Serafin Schefold (Scholarship Holder), Frederic Krahn (BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking), Sarah Seidl (Overall Coordinator Sportstipendium MRN), Larissa Schilde (Dual Career Advisor University of Mannheim) in front of the Mannheim Castle.
New sponsor for the social fund of the Elite Sports Scholarship Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region
A support from the Social Fund, financed byBNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Bankingall scholarship holders can applyif they have to bear extraordinary expenses themselves, for example expenses for competitions, equipment or training camps. A sum of €25,000, distributed over five years, is available for this purpose.
"For us and our customers, the values of performance, security and freedom are of particular importance. That's why we chose this sponsorship, because it reflects both our values and the characteristics of an elite athlete," saysMarcel Becker, Head of Private Banking Germany at BNP Paribas. "With our contribution, we want to give elite student athletes a little more security so that they have more freedom to train and thus achieve their elite performances."
Sarah Seidl, overall coordinator of the Sports Scholarship MRNandDual Career Advisorof theUniversity of MannheimOur scholarship holders have a monthly financial burden that is approximately 300 euros higher than that of students who do not participate in competitive sports.Often, the material, the travel to and from competitions as well as training camps can no longer be borne by the clubs. That's why we are very grateful that, with the support of BNP Paribas Private Banking, we can help our scholarship holders financially with their dual careers."
Foundation of the social fund in 2015 together with Bethmann Bank AG
The Social Fund,which has been in place since 2015, was initially endowed with2,000 eurosanually from theBethmann Bank AGBecause"Clubs and associations have fewer and fewer financial resources at their disposal. They are therefore increasingly passing on costs to the athletes", explained theOverall CoordinatorSarah Seidl. In some cases, training camps and travel to and from competitions have to be financed by the athletes themselves. In recent years, this, but also compassionate grounds, for example, have already brought several scholarship holders into great hardship.
To prevent students from dropping out due to financial worries or dropout from competitive sportthe social fund was set up for the scholarship holders. The 2,000 euros provided annually by Bethmann Bank AG for this social fund were available in full exclusively to top athletes studying at the universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg, the Mannheim Business School and the Heilbronn universities.
From left to right: Klaus Greinert (Shareholder and Managing Director of Spitzensport-Stipendium MRN Rhein-Neckar gGmbH), Markus Heilig (Branch Leader Stuttgart Mannheim Bethmann AG), Sven Klotz (Investment Advisor Bethmann Bank AG), Henrik Westerberg (Dietmar Hopp Stiftung).
The sponsorship in detail
One scholarship holder reports:
"In the context of the U23 European Championships 2019, I incurred financial costs that were not covered by the corresponding German sports federation. These costs consisted of the immediate preparation for the competition as well as the travel to and the stay at the competition site. Unfortunately, my club at the time did not provide any financial support, so I had to cover the entire costs privately. As an athlete who is not sponsored by Sporthilfe, whose only financial support comes from the Elite Sports Scholarship Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, such large sums of money present a great challenge. This additional burden makes the athletic career of a young athlete enormously difficult. For this reason, it was a great relief for me to receive financial backing."
Background
What may look like a no-brainer from the outside, hides many worries and burdens that come to light precisely when an athlete is about to take the big and decisive step of trying to make it to the national top. This important step is made possible by such individual support as the Social Fund. As a result, athletes do not have to end their way to the top for financial reasons, but have the chance to focus completely on their actual task - delivering outstanding performance.
Application modalities
Top student athletes who would like to apply for support from the Social Fund should contact the responsible top athletes' representatives
Larissa Schilde
(University of Mannheim),
Kathrin Igel
(University of Heidelberg) or
Jan Willner
(Heilbronn Universities)
On request, you can find out which documents have to be submitted in detail.
Elite Sports Scholarship MRN meets BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking
Since 2015, scholarship holders who find themselves in exceptional financial situations have been able to apply to the scholarship's social fund for cost coverage. BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking has been supporting the social fund since 2020: "With our contribution, we want to give elite student athletes a little more security so that they have more freedom to train and perform at their best," says Marcel Becker, Head of Private Banking Germany at BNP Paribas.
We would like to express our sincere thanks for this fantastic opportunity to support athletes in exceptional situations in a needs-oriented and timely manner.