Prepositions of purpose and benefit (w celu, na rzecz)

Formal Purposes: "w celu"

When stating the purpose of an action, such as an environmental project or fundraiser, use the compound preposition w celu (for the purpose of). It must always be followed by a noun in the Genitive case.

for the purpose of
w celu

Notice how the nouns poprawa (improvement) and ochrona (protection) change to their Genitive forms (poprawy, ochrony) in these examples:

We are working together for the purpose of improving education.
Pracujemy razem w celu poprawy edukacji.
Are you collecting money for the purpose of protecting nature?
Czy zbieracie pieniądze w celu ochrony przyrody?

Beneficiaries: "na rzecz"

To express who or what benefits from an action—such as a charity or civic initiative—use na rzecz (for the benefit of). Like w celu, it also requires the Genitive case.

for the benefit of
na rzecz
This organization operates for the benefit of adult education.
Ta organizacja działa na rzecz edukacji dorosłych.
This is an initiative for the benefit of the homeless.
To jest inicjatywa na rzecz bezdomnych.

Civic Action and Ecology

When discussing grassroots movements, you will frequently see vocabulary related to civic (obywatelski) projects, funds (fundusz), and grants (dotacja). These elements often pair with w celu and na rzecz to detail the specific goals of a project, like protecting the environment or helping animals.

This fund supports organizations for the benefit of animals.
Ten fundusz wspiera organizacje na rzecz zwierząt.
It is worth collecting plastic for the purpose of environmental protection.
Warto zbierać plastik w celu ochrony środowiska.
Who received the grant for the benefit of technology development?
Kto otrzymał dotację na rzecz rozwoju technologii?
We will plant trees for the purpose of improving the climate.
Będziemy sadzić drzewa w celu poprawy klimatu.