Social commitment

As an institute of the Savings Banks Finance Group, DekaBank has a special obligation to be involved in society and public welfare. DekaBank fulfils its public mandate by providing financial and non-material support for various projects in all areas of social life. Objectives, activities and current projects regarding the social commitment of DekaBank are described in the following.

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2024

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2024. 


Supplementary information 

The focus of DekaBank’s social commitment is on supporting the socially meaningful work of universities, museums, social organisations and other institutions. The central objective is to enable all social groups to participate in the wide range of offers. The funding of cultural education is accorded particular importance, as it fosters intercultural understanding and an open-minded world view, alongside social integration. Open-mindedness can help to create a diverse and dynamic environment in which innovative processes are instigated and new ideas are generated. 

Out of conviction, DekaBank pursues longstanding funding partnerships and is involved in the areas of social events, sport, education and science, art, music and architecture. On the one hand, DekaBank supports renowned institutions at the Frankfurt am Main headquarters. On the other hand, it enters into nationally important partnerships in association with other institutes of the Savings Banks Finance Group and supports projects that can only be realised through the partnership. The DekaBank partnerships are characterised by intense cooperation and trusting communication. This commitment is supplemented by the Deka art collection and the historical archive with the “Dekarium” exhibition.
 
 

Further information

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2024

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2024. 


Supplementary information 

The focus of the DekaBank social commitment is on the following areas:
 

• In the area of education and science, DekaBank seeks to forge links between theory and practice by sponsoring scientific institutions and endowment chairs, in order to enable a productive sharing of knowledge and exchange of ideas. An example of this is IQAM Research, the institute for capital market research of DekaBank, which improves links between practice and academic research, promotes quantitative research and fosters networking among experts. The cooperations enable DekaBank to set practice-related research focuses and to provide impulses for the further anchoring of relevant topics on the financial market, especially those that are related to sustainability. In addition, through the contact with scientists, academics and students, DekaBank has an opportunity to present itself as an attractive employer and to acquire a qualified new workforce.
   
• In the field of art, music and architecture, DekaBank promotes numerous projects, enabling visitors to exhibitions and concerts to become actively involved on different levels with a wide range of cultural developments that influence society. An example of this is the longstanding partnership with the National Youth Orchestra of Germany, with the aim of fostering talent and setting high standards in youth orchestra work. The cooperation is prolonging the decades-long partnership of the Savings Banks Finance Group with the competition entitled “Youth makes music”. The goal of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany is to enable access to the world of music and to foster an open-minded approach to differing music traditions for everyone, regardless of their social or ethnic background. Since 2020 and as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Deka together with other institutes of the Savings Banks Finance Group has also been sponsoring the Leonard Bernstein Award for young stars of the classical scene, in order to give them the necessary momentum and boost for an international career. With the International Highrise Award (Internationaler Hochhauspreis, IHP), DekaBank is providing impulses for the sustainable building of the future.
   
• In the area of social work, the DekaBank sponsorship allows the cooperation partners to continue to offer their services for the benefit of economically and socially disadvantaged demographic groups, especially children and young people, thereby improving their educational and life opportunities and enabling them to be part of society. DekaBank is currently focusing its efforts in this field on supporting the organisation Freundeskreis Arche Frankfurt am Main e. V. The purpose of the partnership is to support the developmental and educational opportunities of affected children and young people, as well as their families, opening up new perspectives for the future. 
   
  Social projects are also the focus of the two campaigns “Deka – Engagiert vor Ort!” (Deka – Making a local commitment) and “Restcent”. They widely incorporate employees of the Deka Group or are significantly supported by their efforts. With "Deka - Engagiert vor Ort!", DekaBank promotes the social engagement of its employees, as it often supports organisations, in which the employees themselves are involved. The appreciation for the volunteering staff expressed by DekaBank through its support also increases the loyalty and motivation of employees.
   
• Sport represents wide social integration and participation. The Savings Banks Finance Group, with contributions by DekaBank, therefore sponsors not only elite sports in the German Olympic Sports Association and the German Disabled Sports Association, but also grassroots and youth sport as a national sponsor of the German Sports Badge and as a main sponsor of the elite sports schools. DekaBank identifies with sports values, as well as the Olympic and paralympic principles. How sport can be combined with social commitment is shown by DekaBank’s support for a charity golf tournament series for the benefit of the German Cancer Aid Foundation (Deutsche Krebshilfe, DKH).
   
• The social commitment is rounded off by the Deka Art Collection and the Historical Archive, which shows the history of DekaBank and its predecessor institutes and places them in a general historical and social context. “Dekarium”, an interactive exhibition on Lyoner Strasse, provides members of the Savings Banks Finance Group and Deka Group employees with insights into the history of Deka and of the savings banks and fosters identification with the Savings Banks Finance Group.
   

 
Further information 

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2024

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2024. 


Supplementary information 

In 2024, the Deka Group donated a total of 520,165.00 euros (2023: 721,271.34 euros). It gave the highest individual donation to the “Arche – Kinderstiftung Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk e. V." children's foundation.
 
In principle, the Deka Group makes donations to charitable institutions that are entitled to issue tax receipts for donations. Many of the longstanding partners receive the funding as a donation. Donations to political parties, political foundations, employers` associations or trade unions are prohibited in principle.
 
Donation enquiries to the Deka Group are processed by the Sustainability Management Department and are recorded in the central donations register at DekaBank. The finance, compliance and tax departments can view the donations register at any time. The granting of donations by the Deka Group is governed by the “Donations management” regulation. The aim of the regulation, which was last updated in 2021, is to ensure transparency and safe handling of the granting of donations.