Sponsorship Policy

AC S.A.'s Sponsorship Policy Guidelines

If you would like to request sponsorship from AC, please download the application form, fill in all the necessary information, and send it via email to marketing@ac.com.pl along with any additional information relevant to the project. The application will be reviewed and evaluated by the Company’s Management Board, and upon approval, we will contact you to discuss collaboration.

Sponsorship Application

Sponsorship Application - PDF

AC S.A.'s Sponsorship Policy Guidelines

This document sets forth the general principles governing sponsorship activities and other similar activities at AC S.A., headquartered in Białystok, hereinafter referred to as the “Company.” The Company defines sponsorship activities as transparent actions aimed at achieving mutual benefits for the sponsor (the Company) and the sponsored entity. This policy is public in nature and will be made available to the public on the Company’s website.

1. The Company conducts sponsorship activities based on this policy, generally applicable laws, and the principles of social coexistence, taking into account the principles of corporate social responsibility.

2. The main objectives of the Company’s sponsorship activities include, in particular:
a) promoting (disseminating and strengthening) and enhancing the prestige and value of AC and the STAG brand by increasing brand awareness and its reach,
b) increasing sales of the Company’s products, achieving profitability, and promoting new Company products,
c) shaping the Company’s image by associating it with positive perceptions of the sponsored entity,
d) supporting promotional and commercial activities, including the positioning and display of the Company’s logo or other trademarks,
e) reaching entities and communities relevant to the Company with its message,
f) building the Company’s reputation, gaining public recognition and goodwill, and improving the Company’s media image.

3. As part of its sponsorship activities, the Company supports specific projects (activities or events) primarily of a local scope, with the main objective being to support initiatives related to the Company’s immediate surroundings. The Company supports initiatives in particular in the following areas:
a) sports and physical activity, including support for initiatives promoting the development of motorsports (automobile racing),
b) culture, including:
- education, including support for educational initiatives in the field of the automotive industry and alternative energy sources,
- safety, particularly in the area of road safety,
c) media—initiatives that strengthen AC S.A.’s image as an attractive employer.

4. The Company’s sponsorship activities may not involve projects of a controversial, political, religious, denominational, ideological, discriminatory, or racist nature, nor those that violate the law or generally accepted social norms. The Company will not consider requests for support for such initiatives. It is recommended that sponsorship activities not be linked to any other business relationship between the sponsored entity and the sponsor, in particular the conclusion of another commercial transaction, such as a contract for the sale of goods and/or services between the sponsored entity and the Company, and that sponsorship not directly or indirectly involve public officials or persons performing public functions, unless separate regulations expressly permit such action. Furthermore, the direct or indirect sponsorship of political organizations is prohibited.

5. When selecting a project, the Company should always take into account its promotional potential, including that related to creating a positive image of the Company, ensuring that such activity yields a marketing equivalent for the Company. 

6. In exchange for providing agreed-upon promotional or advertising services to the Company, the sponsored entity receives in-kind, service, or financial support intended to cover the costs of all or a specific scope of work related to the organization and implementation of the sponsored project. 

7. Decisions regarding the granting of sponsorship support shall be made by the AC Management Board, subject to paragraph 9, upon written request by the interested party in each case. Such a request should include, in particular:
a) the applicant’s details along with their contact information, including a website and Facebook page,
b) detailed information about the planned project, taking into account the applicant’s previous experience in implementing its earlier editions or other similar projects, i.e.: the main idea and objective of the project (social, promotional, etc.), its beneficiaries or groups of beneficiaries, organizational measures taken to implement it, expected results, planned date and schedule for project implementation, total cost and sources of funding, other sponsors supporting the project,
c) type of expected support, including the proposed budget,
d) proposed sponsorship package (e.g., presentation of the Company and its logo in printed materials, on advertising media, in the media, the Internet, in public spaces, or at the project site, and other promotional activities),
e) planned communication activities (i.e., information on how the project will be publicized, which media will be involved in the communication, and the planned scope of the communication), and
f) an indication of the measurable benefits to the Company resulting from the sponsorship.
The requested amounts allocated for sponsorship must be reasonably and substantively justified.

8. Applications for sponsorship support should be reviewed by the Company’s Management Board without undue delay, no later than within 30 days of their receipt.

9. A decision to grant sponsorship support in the form of informational, promotional, or advertising materials with a value not exceeding PLN 2,000 (in words: two thousand zlotys) may be made by the head of the Marketing Department. Support is provided on the basis of a sponsorship application, without the need to conclude the agreement referred to in paragraph 10.

10. Sponsorship benefits shall be provided exclusively on the basis of a written sponsorship agreement, subject to paragraph 9, specifying the detailed scope of cooperation between the Company and the sponsored entity within the framework of a given project, as well as all rights and mutual obligations of the parties, including the obligation of the sponsored entity to perform specific promotional or advertising services for the Company. Such an agreement shall contain provisions entitling the Company to terminate it in the event of non-performance or improper performance of obligations by the sponsored entity. The term of such an agreement may not exceed one year. Agreements must be agreed upon and signed prior to the commencement of sponsorship activities.

11. In sponsorship agreements, the Company (the sponsor) must be guaranteed the ability to immediately cease funding the sponsored party’s activities in the event of a reasonable suspicion of a legal violation within the scope of the agreement, the occurrence of a conflict of interest, the occurrence of corruption, or other circumstances referred to in point 4, as well as in the event of a significant deterioration in the Company’s financial condition. The sponsorship agreement should include clauses enabling the Company (sponsor) to monitor the sponsored entity’s expenditures. In particular, it is good practice to include in the agreements a list of expenditures for which funds received from the Company (sponsor) may be used. Furthermore, the sponsorship agreement should grant the Company the right to inspect documentation related to the performance of the agreement (right to audit), as well as the right to demand the return of any payments related to the performance of the sponsorship agreement in the event of a reasonable suspicion of a legal violation by the sponsored entity.

12. AC S.A. has the right, within a period of 2 (two) years from the date of the benefit’s provision, to verify the progress of the sponsored project, including the manner in which the benefit is utilized (in particular, the compliance of fund expenditures with the purpose specified in the application and/or agreement).

13. A sponsored entity that is not or will not be able to perform all or some of the obligations specified in the application for support and/or the agreement, including the completion of the sponsored project, is required to immediately notify AC S.A. of this fact and, upon AC S.A.’s request, return all or part of the received benefit to AC S.A.’s bank account. 

14. The Company’s sponsorship activities will be subject to ongoing evaluation and monitoring by the Company’s Management Board. In particular, the effectiveness of sponsorship activities will be evaluated. The Company will maintain a list of sponsored entities, in which the material terms of the sponsorship will be disclosed.

15. In particularly justified cases, the AC Management Board may waive the application of this policy.