Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ("CPC"), China has continued to promote aesthetic education, emphasizing its positive role in shaping a well-rounded character. From the issuance of the Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Aesthetic Education in the New Era by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council in 2020, to the Ministry of Education's release of the Notice on the Comprehensive Implementation of Aesthetic Education Infiltration in Schools in 2023, the importance of aesthetic education in school systems has become increasingly prominent.

In active response to the national policies on aesthetic education and considering the current scattered aesthetic education resources, M&G Foundation launched the "Art Education Plan" program in 2020. The program integrates social resources and aims to build an industry ecosystem for rural children's aesthetic education, using aesthetic education to promote rural revitalization and improve students' aesthetic literacy.

The program partners with One Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Huochai Box, Shanghai Charity Education and Training Center, and others, focusing on modules such as teacher resource alignment, art lesson plan development, and community-based art classes. These efforts have led to the implementation of diverse projects, making high-quality aesthetic education accessible to more students.

In terms of empowering art teachers, M&G Foundation actively leverages the business advantages of M&G to support philanthropy. In 2023, for the first time, the art teacher training program developed by the M&G Children's Art and Creativity Division was opened to rural art teachers through online live streaming. The program generated a total of 14,000 views, helping rural art teachers enhance their teaching skills.

In the area of lesson plan development, M&G Foundation collaborates with the M&G design team, China Guanghua Foundation, Alibaba Design, E-Youth, and others to launch annual lesson plan competitions, collecting over 1,000 submissions each year.

For aesthetic education resource connection, M&G Foundation works with Shanghai Charity Education and Training Center, Alibaba Design, One Foundation, Hylink Foundation, and others to connect university volunteers with resource-scarce rural primary schools. These partnerships provide both teacher resources and painting materials, enabling more rural children to enjoy quality art education covering basic knowledge, intangible cultural heritage preservation, creativity, and innovation.

In terms of showcasing students' work, in 2023, M&G Foundation and One Foundation jointly launched the first Rural Painting Competition, creating a platform to display rural children's artwork and encouraging rural schools to value aesthetic education. Nearly 120,000 rural children participated. The competition not only assessed students' aesthetic sensibility but also served to evaluate the effectiveness of the art teacher training program.

At the end of 2024, M&G Foundation, in collaboration with China Guanghua Foundation, launched the "Young Pioneers' Patriotism - Art Education Plan" program. Through innovative formats such as artwork collections and exhibitions, the program provided a full-cycle charitable service for course development, implementation, collection, and exhibition, offering rural children a platform to learn, experience, and create beauty.

As of the end of 2024, M&G public art classes had been implemented in 1,076 rural primary schools and 36 community child service centers, generating a total of one million instances of benefit. The "Art Education Plan" program received the "Charity Case of 2024" award from Southern Weekly.

M&G Foundation is dedicated to the growth and social integration of special groups. Since 2017, in cooperation with the Shanghai Charity Education and Training Center, it has launched the Autism Support Program to support children with autism in their daily rehabilitation training through art creation. Through regular coaching, the program enhances their creative and practical abilities, enabling them to express emotions, convey ideas, and open their hearts through creativity. The program has benefited over 2,000 children.

To showcase the talents of children with autism to a broader audience, M&G Foundation, in partnership with M&G Stationery, organizes an annual artwork collection campaign for children with autism. Outstanding works are selected for use on the packaging of M&G products. To date, ten charitable products have been launched. All profits from product sales are donated to support the operation of the program, creating a new model of philanthropy focused on teaching practical skills and promoting self-sufficiency over providing temporary aid.

In 2020, a charitable product—the “Autism Support Program” Art Set, designed by students from Shanghai Changning Special School and produced by M&G Stationery—was included on the Shanghai Gold List Souvenirs. The product was also showcased at major exhibitions such as the China International Consumer Products Expo, China International Import Expo, China Charity Fair, and stationery trade fairs, and was covered by mainstream media.

M&G Foundation emphasizes collaboration with all sectors of society. The Autism Support Program has joined hands with caring enterprises such as Da San Textiles, Yili Chocliz, and RT-Mart to support teenagers with autism. These partners have worked together to industrialize and commercialize the children’s artwork, promoting artistic development for youth with autism. In April 2024, in celebration of the 17th World Autism Awareness Day, M&G Foundation, in collaboration with Gaotu High School, launched a co-branded charitable cultural and creative gift box titled Happy Planet and held a charitable livestream to call on society to give more attention to people with autism.