Buraco Quente II, Dionisio Gonzalez 2006

Cultural sponsorship

Objective :
  • Support the development and promotion of music and modern and contemporary art
Highlights in 2009 :
More than € 8,4 million devoted to cultural sponsorship in 2009
Two main areas of interest :
1. Classical music (since 1987) :
  • Set up in 1987, Société Générale Group's Mécénat Musical Société Générale (MMSG) is an association governed by the French law of 1901. The organisation works to support classical musicians, and constantly adapts its policy and actions to four different areas :
- Young musicians - Chamber music - Compositions and 20th & 21st century music - Promotion and distribution
  • Société Générale has been the main sponsor of the Salle Pleyel auditorium since it reopened in autumn 2006.
2. Modern and contemporary art (since 1995) :
  • Société Générale began building its company collection in 1995/96 and has enriched it every year since 2004 (new acquisitions),
  • The Group also sponsors institutions (museums) presenting exhibitions and displays.
Budget (excluding subsidiaries and business lines)
  • Yearly subsidy of € 1.5 million paid to MMSG,
  • Yearly subsidy of € 0.6 million paid to the Salle Pleyel
  • Average budget of € 0.3 million per year set aside for SG's art collection
  • Average budget of € 0.4 million per year for exhibitions and displays (museums, etc.)
Most music sponsorship programmes set up by the MMSG in France run over several years to ensure their long-term success. On average, programmes last for a period of 5 years but can be extended in certain cases (€ 1.3 million in grants for the prestigious Cycle de Perfectionnement program at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon since 1988).
Cultural sponsorship around the globe
Société Générale's two main areas of interest when it comes to cultural sponsorship are also promoted by the Group's networks and subsidiaries, both in France and abroad, using their own budgets. Moreover, the networks and subsidiaries also sponsor other forms of culture, particularly those that match the passions and interests of a specific customer segment or country (e.g. sponsorship of Unifrance by the Group's Private Banking business in order to promote French cinema abroad).