Through monthly contributions of between €5 and €30, made from early childhood throughout their children’s formative years, low income families in Piedmont (with an ISEE [Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator] of €15,000 or less) of 2,000 children aged 0 to 6 will be able to gradually build savings dedicated to their children’s higher education.
With an initial endowment of €10 million (€5 million from Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and €5 million from Intesa Sanpaolo), the savings accumulated by eligible families will be matched with an equivalent contribution. This increases the potential value of the savings while encouraging shared responsibility and investment in children’s futures, as well as promoting financial literacy and helping to address educational poverty. Fondazione Ufficio Pio is responsible for implementing the project, drawing on its extensive expertise in supporting vulnerable families and its established experience in managing incentivised savings programmes.
“Scelte Future” will be launched in Piedmont with a pilot phase in the second half of 2026, with the possibility of expanding the initiative to other areas in 2027.
The initiative is one of the first structured applications of the asset-building model to education across the full course of child development. It builds on Fondazione Ufficio Pio’s previous initiatives, including Will Torino and Percorsi, which were limited to the Turin area and specific target groups.
“Promoting equal access to educational and higher education opportunities means investing in the future of individuals and communities. Long-term investment in human capital, social mobility and the ability of future generations to meet tomorrow’s challenges helps reduce inequality while strengthening the country’s growth and competitiveness”, said Marco Gilli, Chair of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. “With Scelte Future, we aim to advance both of these objectives, which are also the two priorities set out in our Foundation’s 2025–2028 strategic plan. The project is the result of a partnership between Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Ufficio Pio and Intesa Sanpaolo, bringing together social expertise, a philanthropic vision, and innovative financial tools to create a sustainable, replicable model that can meaningfully expand access to educational opportunities.”
Carlo Messina, Managing Director and CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, said: “One of the cornerstones of Intesa Sanpaolo’s social commitment is tackling educational poverty among young people. Today, we are strengthening that commitment through a major initiative developed with a partner of particular importance to us: Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, our long-standing shareholder and a key contributor to the Bank’s growth… With Scelte Future, we aim to support communities across Piedmont through a long-term initiative that will help today’s children grow into well-educated adults, equipped to shape their own futures, build fulfilling family and professional lives, and contribute to the country’s development.”
«With Scelte Future, we are bringing to fruition an ambition that Fondazione Ufficio Pio has pursued for many years: to provide families with practical tools to plan their children’s futures from the earliest stages of life by combining financial support, financial education and guidance throughout their developmental journey. Since 2010, we have promoted incentivised savings programmes linked to education and training, driven by the conviction that investing in education is one of the most effective ways to reduce inequality and expand people’s opportunities. Over time, the outcomes and evaluations of our initiatives have led us to intervene earlier and earlier, extending our support to progressively younger children. With Scelte Future, thanks to our partnership with Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and Intesa Sanpaolo, we are taking another step forward by helping families imagine, plan and build their children’s futures from birth” said Davide Porporato, Chair of Fondazione Ufficio Pio.
This asset-building initiative is designed to promote access to higher education and combat educational poverty by encouraging and supporting families’ long-term investment in their children’s educational development.
“With Scelte Future Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo is strengthening its long-standing commitment to investing in early childhood as a strategic means of addressing educational inequality”, said Alberto Anfossi, Secretary General of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. “It is during this stage of life that future opportunities begin to take shape. The project is based on the principle of progressive universalism: educational tools available to all families, combined with enhanced support for those who are most vulnerable, to expand opportunities without creating stigma. It is a model with strong potential for growth through collaboration with Third Sector organisations, which play a key role in reaching families and supporting them through the initial stages of joining the programme”.
The Scelte Future programme includes a structured digital training and support pathway for the entire family, following a progressive approach tailored to the different stages of child development. To help build trust, Intesa Sanpaolo is making its branches available as initial points of contact where families can receive information and be referred to Fondazione Ufficio Pio.
In Italy, only 31.6% of people aged 25 to 34 hold a tertiary education qualification, compared with a European average of 43%. This structural gap has its roots in early childhood, when families’ socioeconomic circumstances begin to shape expectations and reinforce inequalities that later become difficult to overcome.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”sdg-list-wrap”][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTVCbW9zdHJhU0RHUyU1RA==[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”sdg-list-wrap”][vc_column][vc_raw_html css=””]JTVCU2V6aW9uZV9Eb2N1bWVudGklNUQ=[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]