The Saint Nicholas Foundation

What The Saint Nicholas Foundation does

The Saint Nicholas Foundation (Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja) is a Polish non-profit foundation established in 1998 and headquartered in Warsaw/Piaseczno, Poland. Its flagship initiative is the nationwide Stypendia św. Mikołaja (Saint Nicholas Scholarships) program, launched in 2010, which supports talented children from low-income families (income below 2,500 PLN net per family member) through partnerships with 374 Polish schools. Each participating school opens a dedicated scholarship sub-account, runs local fundraising, and selects recipients through a committee process; scholarships of 200-1,000 PLN monthly cover tutoring, sports equipment, musical instruments, language courses, and competition fees. Since inception, the program has disbursed 4,779 scholarships.

The foundation operates a web-based scholarship portal (stypendia.mikolaj.org.pl, built on SilverStripe CMS) that supports online school registration, student applications, donation routing, and reporting. Supporting programmatic lines include Akademia Liderów (a leadership summer school with AI-themed lectures), psychological support services, family foster care assistance, and humanitarian aid for children from Ukraine and Syrian Aleppo. Revenue is generated through individual donations via PayPal, PayU, Przelewy24, and BLIK; 1.5% income tax designations (KRS 0000126602); corporate partnerships; book sales; and seasonal campaigns with matching funds (50% standard; 100% during campaign windows). The Solidarna Szkoła annual competition and December gala at Wilanów Palace, held under honorary patronage of the Polish President's spouse, anchor the foundation's brand and ecosystem.

Name

The Saint Nicholas Foundation

Legal name

Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja

Website

https://mikolaj.org.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Saint Nicholas Foundation is a Polish non-profit operating the nationwide St. Nicholas Scholarship program through 374 school partnerships, awarding talent-based scholarships to low-income students funded by individual donations, 1.5% tax designations, and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Philanthropy / Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Scholarship programs
• Educational philanthropy
• Youth talent support
• Charitable foundation
• School-based giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Piaseczno

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors through the website. Donors can contribute via PayPal, PayPro-Przelewy24, and PayU. Recurring donations are collected monthly via credit card through PayPro. Small contributions (50 PLN for partial monthly scholarship), full monthly scholarships (250-300 PLN), and annual scholarships (3,000 PLN) are offered as options.
2. Tax Donation (1.5% podatku): Polish citizens can designate 1.5% of their income tax to the foundation. The foundation passes these funds to participating schools' scholarship accounts, enabling donors to support specific schools' scholarship programs through their tax returns. KRS: 0000126602.
3. Book Sales: Sale of the book 'Mama w pracy' by Joanna Paciorek (Vice President of the foundation). All proceeds from book sales are directed to the foundation's statutory purposes.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide financial and in-kind support. The foundation displays partner logos on its website and engages in co-marketing campaigns. Partners include Accenture, IKEA, Orange, Pepco, Santander, HSBC, and many others from various industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Saint Nicholas Foundation operates the nationwide Stypendia św. Mikołaja (Saint Nicholas Scholarships) program in partnership with 374 Polish schools, awarding monthly scholarships (200–1,000 PLN) to talented children from low-income families, with cumulative disbursements of 4,779 scholarships since 2010. Supporting offerings include the Akademia Liderów youth leadership academy, psychological support, humanitarian aid for Ukrainian and Syrian children, the Klub Świętego Mikołaja recurring donor club, and the Teologia Polityczna publishing imprint, all funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, the Polish 1.5% tax designation mechanism, and book sales.

Product overview

The Saint Nicholas Foundation operates a unified charitable platform centered on the 'Stypendia św. Mikołaja' (Saint Nicholas Scholarships) program — a nationwide scholarship initiative supporting gifted children from low-income families since 2010. The core digital offering includes the Portal Stypendialny, a web-based platform for school registration, student applications, and donation management. Supporting programs include Akademia Liderów (leadership summer school), psychological support services, and assistance for children from Ukraine and Aleppo. The foundation also runs charitable crowdfunding campaigns, publishes books (Teologia Polityczna), and maintains a membership program (Klub Świętego Mikołaja). Payment processing integrates with Przelewy24, PayU, PayPal, and BLIK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Saint Nicholas Scholarships (Stypendia św. Mikołaja) Nationwide scholarship program supporting talented children and youth from low-income families in Poland, operating since 2010 in collaboration with 374 partner schools. Provides monthly scholarships (200–1,000 PLN) covering tutoring, language courses, sports equipment, musical instruments, school trips, competitions, and computer equipment to academically meritorious (minimum GPA 4.4 primary / 4.0 secondary) and socially engaged students from families with net income below 2,500 PLN per member.
• Scholarship Portal (Portal Stypendialny) Web-based platform (stypendia.mikolaj.org.pl) that enables Polish schools to register for the program, students to submit scholarship applications, school coordinators to manage local workflows, and donors to contribute to specific schools' scholarship accounts. Includes a school finder map, donation processing, and student reporting functionality.
• Akademia Liderów (Leaders Academy) Youth leadership development program featuring a summer school with workshops on communication, project management, and artificial intelligence. Operated by the foundation for young leaders connected to its scholarship and volunteer programs.
• Klub Świętego Mikołaja (Saint Nicholas Club)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,779 scholarships awarded and paid out through the program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AccentureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccenture is listed as a friend/supporter of the foundation, appearing on the partner logos section of the website alongside other corporate supporters.
• Radio 357coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio 357 partnered with the foundation on the 'Rejs ze Świętym Mikołajem' (Christmas cruise) auction, with proceeds benefiting children in need.
• PepcominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPepco appears on the partner logos section of the foundation's website as a supporter of the foundation's activities.
• Orange PolskaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrange is listed among the foundation's partner logos, indicating corporate support for the foundation's charitable mission.
• P4 (PLAY)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPLAY is listed among the foundation's partner logos as a supporter.
• Polkomtel (Plus)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlus is listed among the foundation's partner logos as a supporter.
• IKEAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIKEA appears on the partner logos section supporting the foundation's mission.
• KantarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKantar is listed among the foundation's partner logos.
• Bank Santander PolskaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSantander appears on the partner logos as a supporter of the foundation.
• Allegro CharytatywniminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllegro's charitable arm is listed as a partner supporting the foundation.
• HSBCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHSBC appears on the partner logos section of the foundation's website.
• TVP (Telewizja Polska)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTVP appears as a media partner/logo on the foundation's website.
• Polskie RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPolskie Radio (including Program 3 PR) appears as a media partner on the foundation's website.
• Fundacja LOTOSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLOTOS Foundation appears on the partner logos supporting the foundation.
• Narodowe Instytut Wolności (NIW)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNIW (National Freedom Institute) appears as a partner, likely through the FIO (Fundusz Inicjatyw Obywatelskich) program.
• Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa NarodowegominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMinistry of Culture and National Heritage appears on the partner logos.
• Fundacja BOSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBOS Bank Foundation is listed as a partner of the foundation.
• Fundacja Rozwoju Systemu Edukacji (FRSE)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFRSE appears on the partner logos as an educational foundation supporter.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fundacja Aviva: Large Polish corporate foundation running nationwide grant and scholarship-style programs with employer matching, structurally analogous to the Saint Nicholas Foundation's school-based giving model in the Polish nonprofit landscape.
• Polish-American Freedom Foundation (Fundacja Polsko-Amerykańska Wolności): Long-running Polish foundation focused on education, leadership, and community development programs — directly comparable mission, scale, and Polish geographic scope to the Saint Nicholas Foundation's scholarship and Akademia Liderów work.
• Fundacja BNP Paribas (Dom Otwarty): Corporate-affiliated Polish foundation funding education and youth development programs with structured grant cycles — comparable in donor base, corporate partnership structure, and Polish education focus.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Polska: Large incumbent Polish charitable organization providing social services and material aid — overlaps with Saint Nicholas Foundation's social services (psychological support, family foster care, humanitarian aid) programs at greater scale.
• UNICEF Poland: International NGO operating in Poland focused on children's rights and education — comparable in child/youth welfare mission, individual and corporate donor model, and 1.5% tax recipient status.
• Fundacja PFR (Polish Development Fund Foundation): Polish institutional foundation with substantially larger endowment and broader mandate across education, social, and economic programs — relevant as a broader incumbent operating in the same grantmaking space in Poland.
• Save the Children Poland (Fundacja PAH): Polish humanitarian foundation focused on children's welfare and education access — directly comparable mission around supporting disadvantaged children, with similar donation and corporate partnership infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Fundacja DKMS: Polish foundation with strong individual-donor acquisition model and school/institutional partnership network — comparable grassroots donor mobilization infrastructure, though focused on a different cause area.
• Fundacja Edukacyjna Perspektywy: Polish education-focused foundation running scholarship and talent development programs — closest direct competitor in the education-talent scholarship niche in Poland.
• Ashoka Polska: Polish affiliate of an international foundation supporting young leaders and changemakers — directly comparable to Saint Nicholas Foundation's Akademia Liderów leadership development program for youth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FundacjaSwietegoMikolaja
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacja-%C5%9Bwi%C4%99tego-miko%C5%82aja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Saint Nicholas Foundation