The “Dzieło Nowego Tysiąclecia” Foundation was established by Episcopal Conference of Poland in 2000. According to initiators’ thought, the Foundation is “an answer of polish Church to the words of Pope John Paul II, which he spoke to his compatriots during the pilgrimage in 1999”. Besides the Foundation has to be the gratitude for Pole-Pope for his service in the name of Church and Fatherland.

During the mentioned visit in motherland John Paul II called for openness to the needs of others, “the cry and the calling of the poor” and emphasized the role of youth in the new millennium. During the greetings at the end of the Mass in Bydgoszcz on June 7, the Holy Father referred to the person of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, and said: Beloved  young people: We believe you, we trust you, we love you and we bless the new millennium of faith. I thank God that today I can confirm these prymaso words and bless you. During the meeting with rectors of universities in Torun Polish Pope stressed the importance of science for the future, the issue of “reconciliation of faith and mind” and concern for the moral conscience and sense of responsibility for a man from the people of science. In retrospect, we know that the greatest impact on the people of the Church who set out to create the “Opus of New Millenium” Foundation had the words spoken by Pope  on June 8 during a Mass in Elk. John Paul II spoke about the manifestations of poverty, which have to shake the conscience of Christians and remind them of the urgent duty of prevention, both individual and social. (…) The cry and the calling of the poor demands from us a concrete and generous response. It calls for readiness to serve the neighbour. We are called by Christ. We are still called. Everyone on a different way. (…) It is not just a passing feeling or immediate action, but real and lasting commitment of care given to the good of the people who are in need and who often have no hope for a better future – convinced the Bishop of Rome. At the end of the meeting with believers, John Paul II greeted the youth wishing them courage and recalled that the future belongs to them.

According to the statute, the Foundation aims at supporting the development of Christian culture, doctrine and media in Poland.  It also promotes the teaching of St. Pope John Paul II.

The Foundation accomplishes its objectives by supporting poorer school and university students coming from small towns and rural areas in access to education, science and culture. It performs this by a scholarship program, whose elements are: financial benefits, spiritual formation, and organized annual summer camps. The Foundation organizes and finances the research work, conferences, seminars, events and contests on Polish territory and abroad. It rewards the people involved in the field of culture and Christian doctrine and Christian media in Poland. The Foundation runs activity of support and information in the field of serving the implementation of its structural purposes. It cooperates with governmental institutions, local governments, private and non-governmental organizations, as well as natural and legal persons in the country and abroad.

The Foundation operates under the Act of 6 April 1984 about Foundations, Act of 17 May 1989 about relations between the State and the Catholic Church in the Polish People’s Republic and the provisions of the statute, as well as a legal person with the status of public benefit organizations, under the Act of 24 April 2003 about public benefit activity and volunteerism.

The organization is headed by the Council composed of ten people and four members of the Board. The Council is leaded by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz and the chairman of the Board is Prelate Jan Drob. The residence of Foundation is located in Warsaw at the Secretariat of the Polish Episcopal Conference. The state supervision over the activities of the Foundation performs the Minister responsible for education and higher education, and – regardless of the state supervision – Polish Bishops’ Conference as the Founder.