Commitments and impact

Discover how we’re working to build a sustainable future

Read our lastest Sustainability Report

 

Commitments and impact

Discover how we’re working to build a sustainable future

Sustainability at National Bank

Sustainability is an intrinsic part of our strategic planning. We consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters in our business and operational decisions. 

As such, we’re committed to identifying, understanding, and effectively managing the ESG factors that matter to our stakeholders. 

The principles, adopted by our Board of Directors, demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Picto of a leaf in a circle

Supporting a sustainable economy

Picto of a handshake

Enriching communities

Picto of a magnifying glass

Ensuring National Bank’s sustainability

Environment: supporting a sustainable economy

We want to be a key player in the fight against climate change and to support Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

To achieve our climate ambition, we formalized 3 priorities:

1. Achieve net-zero by 2050

2. Support our clients

3. Exercise our thought leadership

Social: enriching communities

We believe that people are the foundation of our success. That’s why we’re committed to our clients, team, and community.

Our clients

Our employees

Our commitment towards communities

Indigenous Peoples

Governance: ensuring National Bank’s sustainability

Ensuring cybersecurity

A closer look at our initiatives

Learn more about initiatives and engagements in our most recent Sustainability Report.

Our reports

Browse our reports, and codes and commitments for detailed information on our economic, social, and environmental impacts.
 

Through our philanthropic efforts, we're able to give back to the community. We support many organizations in a variety of fields, selected according to strict guidelines.

Little details that matter

Want to apply for a donation? Follow the steps below if your donation request is for:

  • An annual fundraising campaign

  • A major fundraising campaign

How to request a donation:

  1. Review the eligibility criteria below to see if your application is eligible for funding. Please note that eligibility does not guarantee funding. Each application follows an evaluation process and financial support is granted according to the available budget and National Bank's objectives.
  2. Once your online application is submitted, you'll receive a confirmation email. Please allow three months for a response. The timeline may be longer if we receive a very large number of requests or if yours is incomplete. If this happens, we'll contact you for more information.

The selection process is guided by our donation policy, which serves as a tool in the evaluation of applications received. This process is designed to be as fair and transparent as possible and to maximize the impact on the community.

Eligibility criteria

For National Bank to consider your application, it needs to meet the following criteria:

  • Come from a non-profit organization

  • Address National Bank's priority sectors, as described in the donations section. These include health, education, community support, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, inclusion and diversity, and the environment.

Exclusions

At National Bank, we believe that all not-for-profit organizations deserve support. Unfortunately, we can't fund all the requests we receive, no matter how worthy they are. To standardize our approach, we prefer to focus our philanthropic efforts outside the following areas:

  • Organizations that are not registered under federal law

  • Organizations that receive financial support from United Way/Centraide

  • Provincial campaigns for organizations that we already support at the national level

  • Social clubs

  • Political parties, political organizations, or interest groups promoting a political ideology

  • Lobby and special-interest groups

  • Individual projects

  • Private foundations

  • Private elementary and high schools

  • Projects taking place outside Canada

  • Annual conferences and meetings

  • Audio, video or web productions

  • Charity auctions

Donation management

National Bank applies these criteria to all eligible requests, and the selection of organizations that receive financial support is based on those criteria. We consider the following:

  • Nature of the request and financial objective of the campaign

  • History of donations already made to the requesting organization

  • Value of our commitments in the requesting organization's sector

  • Analysis of comparable donations made in the same sector

  • Commitment of our employees to that cause or organization

Other types of donations

The majority of National Bank's contributions to organizations may be of a financial nature, but donations can sometimes take another form.

Equipment donations

Occasionally, National Bank will donate furniture and equipment that it is no longer being used. 

Responding to urgent needs

In addition to concerted action and our donation program, National Bank's in-branch fund raising efforts have been put to use to relieve urgent humanitarian needs and support on-the-ground operations of the Canadian Red Cross.

Certain information contained in this section relates to National Bank's targets and commitments in terms of sustainability, and the measures it will take to achieve them.

National Bank cautions readers that these are not guarantees of future performance, as such information is based on our current expectations, estimates and intentions and is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond National Bank’s control and the effects of which are difficult to predict. These factors, risks and uncertainties are described in more detail in the Sustainability Report.

1. The Bank uses the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) Standard to calculate its financed emissions from its financing and investment activities. For more details, see the most recent Climate Report.