The Valores Foundation was established in 2014, yet the concept behind it emerged well before.
Initially, the community of private equity and venture capital (PE/VC) professionals within PSIK, the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, explored ways to leverage their industry expertise for charitable activities. They drew inspiration from the pioneers of the venture philanthropy movement and noticed that social purpose organizations (SPOs) encounter challenges like those faced by business firms. This led PSIK to form a venture philanthropy committee and launch the Social Business Accelerator (SBA) program.
The SBA program is a mentoring initiative in which senior professionals from the private equity and venture capital sector assist SPOs in tackling critical issues related to strategy, operations, financial management, HR, and fundraising. Through this program, it became clear that SPOs needed not just mentoring but also funding that was not restricted to a specific project. Such funding could drive their organizational development and amplify their social impact.
The Valores Foundation was established to address this need and provide SPOs with flexible funding that could amplify the mentoring support. The foundation raises its funds solely from individuals connected to the wider private equity and venture capital community, ensuring that its financial resources are closely tied to a commitment to driving social change.