The Omenaa Foundation has become the first Polish private foundation to establish a formal partnership with UNESCO. Under a three-year framework agreement signed in Paris, the organization has pledged to donate €1 million to projects in the fields of education, culture, heritage, and the creative economy.
The agreement was signed at UNESCO headquarters. Representing the organization were Assistant Director-General Åsa Regnér and Director-General Khaled El-Enany, while the foundation was represented by its president, Omenaa Mensah. Maja Wawrzyk, Poland’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, also attended the meeting; the support of the Polish delegation was instrumental in securing the partnership.
The funds are intended to support three areas of activity aligned with UNESCO’s priorities:
cultural and artistic education for children and youth
revitalization of cultural heritage sites
promotion of contemporary African art and African creators
The partnership is to be implemented in accordance with the UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education, adopted at the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education in 2024.
The Omenaa Foundation was established in 2014 by Omenaa Mensah, a Polish philanthropist of Ghanaian descent. The foundation focuses on building relationships between Europe and Africa by commissioning contemporary art interventions at cultural heritage sites and through scholarship programs, residencies, and mentoring for artists and young people in Poland and Ghana.
Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska – Top Charity
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The organization is part of a broader philanthropic ecosystem established by Mensah, comprising entities such as the OmenaArt Foundation, the Rafał Brzoska Foundation, TOP CHARITY, and the Philanthropic Consortium—a platform connecting Polish and international foundations, donors, and entrepreneurs around joint projects. According to UNESCO data, the TOP CHARITY gala, held since 2022, has raised over €55 million to date and supported 238 projects.
This marks a precedent for the Polish corporate philanthropy sector: never before has a private Polish foundation held a direct framework agreement with UNESCO.
