RWE TRANSGAS Fund

For five years already, we have been running a joint project with one of the most eminent sponsors in the Czech Republic: RWE Transgas. We much appreciate the fact that this company, which had been looking for a time-tested and renowned charity with a focus on working with children, senior citizens, and handicapped citizens, chose to cooperate with the Barriers Account in the last-mentioned area of interest.
The amount of the fund which we jointly administer is 5 million crowns, which makes RWE Transgas a truly substantial donor in the non-profit sector. Our Foundation brings experience, professionalism, and transparency to the table. Through the fund, we provide humanitarian aid to non-profit organizations and individuals.
How does this cooperation work in practice? The Foundation collects the petitions from the sponsor, reviews them for eligibility, and consults the focus of the project and the submitted budgets with the sponsor. RWE Transgas trusts the professional experience of the staff at the Barriers Account and accepts their recommendations or comments. The administrative aspects of the entire project are handled by the Barriers Account.
The substance of our cooperation is constantly developing. We are meticulously redefining our goals and support truly interesting projects with a strong focus on social issues. The list of these projects provides a panorama of successful organizations with good governance who offer a quality concept and quality services to handicapped people.
Owing to the company’s interest in sports, a large segment of the funds is devoted to projects whose main goal is an active and independent life for handicapped people and which are often related to their sporting activities. Financial aid went e.g. to the top paralympic athletes Anna Kulíšková (a skier), Jan Ježek (a cyclist), Zbyněk Švehla (the only Iron Man among the wheelchaired athletes in the Czech Republic), or Otakar Hrdlička (a deaf bodybuilder), as well as to organizations that provide disabled persons with the opportunity to active pursue sports and physical activities, among them the Czech Tennis Federation of Wheelchaired Athletes, the Center of Handicapped Skiers, or the citizens’ association Contact Without Barriers. Regarding petitions submitted by individuals, the Fund gave preference to those that were aimed at improving the quality of life of the handicapped petitioners or their families who take care of them. The fund provides financial assistance for the purchase of expensive rehab or compensatory aids, the disability-friendly refitting of buildings, or for hiring personal assistance. Four families with handicapped children received monetary aid that allowed them to buy a personal car – an indispensable item for them to be able to care for their children (e.g., trips to doctors or schools etc.).