The ”la Caixa” Foundation reaches a historic budget of 655 million euros in 2025

In 2024, the Foundation assisted more than 235,000 beneficiaries in Spain and Portugal through direct social intervention programmes. 

Around 60% of the investment in 2025, more than 370 million euros, will be allocated to the development of social programmes, including the fight against child poverty, employment for vulnerable people, active ageing and support for people with advanced illnesses.

Over the past decade, the institution has dedicated a total of more than 5 billion euros to social, scientific, educational and cultural initiatives. 

The chairman of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Isidro Fainé, emphasised: “For over a century, our institution has been working to offer more opportunities to those who need them most. Our commitment to people, today and always, is to build a better future for all. That is why we are increasing the budget to continue promoting social progress, culture and science, education, research and health. We want to provide lasting solutions to improve the quality of life for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Only by exercising responsible and transformative leadership will we achieve the construction of a fairer society with more opportunities for all.”

The budget of the ”la Caixa” Foundation will reach the sum of 655 million euros this year, setting a record in the history of the institution. Over the past decade, the Foundation has invested a total of more than 5 billion euros to the development of social, research, educational and cultural initiatives, aiming to contribute to the betterment of society as a whole and especially of the most vulnerable groups.

In 2024, the overall budget of the ”la Caixa” Foundation was 600 million euros, so the allocation for this financial year has increased by 9%. Since 2008, the institution has been allocating more than 500 million euros a year to social action, and has been progressively increasing this figure since 2017.

Of the total investment planned for 2025, almost 60%, over 370 million euros, will be allocated to the development of social transformation programmes. These include CaixaProinfancia, aimed at combating child poverty; the labour market integration projects for vulnerable groups Incorpora and Reincorpora; the Comprehensive Care Programme for People with Advanced Illnesses, which seeks to improve the quality of care for people at the end of life; and the programme for the Elderly, designed to promote social participation among this group. 

Another 20% of the total investment, approximately 130 million euros, will be allocated to initiatives to disseminate culture and science through the CaixaForum, network of centres, the CosmoCaixa Science Museum, travelling exhibitions and the programme of concerts and lectures, as well as CaixaForum+, the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s own audiovisual platform for cultural and scientific outreach.

The area of research and health will receive an allocation of 105 million euros, accounting for 16% of the total budget. This includes funding for the medical research projects of the CaixaResearch Health and CaixaImpulse Innovation calls, as well as the development of the CaixaResearch Institute, a centre of scientific reference in the field of immunology.

Finally, the remaining 7% of the Foundation’s investment, some 49 million euros, will be directed towards the education and fellowships area. This encompasses grants for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral studies, as well as the EduCaixa programme, which promotes educational transformation with the aim of ensuring quality education through the development of appropriate skills in both students and the teaching community.

The chairman of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Isidro Fainé, emphasised: “For over a century, our institution has been working to offer more opportunities to those who need them most. Our commitment to people, today and always, is to build a better future for all. That is why we are increasing the budget to continue promoting social progress, culture and science, education, research and health. We want to provide lasting solutions to improve the quality of life for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Only by exercising responsible and transformative leadership will we achieve the construction of a fairer society with more opportunities for all.”

Review of activity in 2024

Throughout 2024, the ”la Caixa” Foundation has strengthened its social programmes with more transformative impact. The combined action of these projects makes it possible to support vulnerable people in the different stages of their life cycle and to extend across all areas of Spain to be present in every Spanish province. This direct social intervention has assisted more than 235,000 beneficiaries during the past year.

Addressing social challenges such as combating child poverty, promoting employment for vulnerable groups, caring for people with advanced illnesses and encouraging active and healthy ageing are the strategic action lines of the ”la Caixa” Foundation in the social sphere.

This is exemplified by the development of programmes such as CaixaProinfancia, aimed at households with children and adolescents at risk of or experiencing exclusion. In 2024, it supported 65,845 children and adolescents and 41,849 families. This project spans all 17 autonomous communities, the two autonomous cities and 148 municipalities, collaborating with 467 social entities working in a network to promote equal opportunities in childhood. Additionally, within the framework of CaixaProinfancia, the Family Spaces 0-3 were created in 2024. This socio-educational support initiative is directed at families participating in the programme who have children aged between 0 and 3 years old. 

The Incorpora programme, meanwhile, focuses on promoting the labour market integration of vulnerable groups. In 2024, it facilitated nearly 40,000 jobs in Spain, thanks to the commitment of more than 15,000 companies that embrace social responsibility. The networked collaboration of 411 social entities throughout the country is essential in all the integration processes driven by Incorpora.

Another pillar of the Foundation’s social action is end-of-life care through the Comprehensive Care Programme for People with Advanced Illnesses. In 2024, this initiative supported 36,587 patients and 41,682 family members across all Spanish provinces. Through 65 psychosocial care teams (EAPS) and 176 home care teams, the programme is present in 154 healthcare centres and 169 residential facilities.

Older adults have been a priority group for the ”la Caixa” Foundation since its establishment in 1904. In 2024, a total of 533,080 participants engaged in the 18,417 activities organised by the programme for the Elderly across 635 centres, both owned by the Foundation and in partnership with public administrations. Similarly, the Always Supported project, which supports older adults experiencing loneliness, celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Additionally, the Calls for Social Projects, which marked their 25th anniversary in 2024, have, over a quarter of a century, supported 23,104 projects from social entities across Spain. These initiatives aim to promote equal opportunities and improve the quality of life for 10 million people in vulnerable situations.

In the field of cultural and scientific outreach, conceived as a tool for social inclusion, more than 9.1 million visitors attended the CaixaForum centres and the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in 2024, as well as the travelling exhibitions promoted by the ”la Caixa” Foundation. This represents an overall increase of 12.2% compared to the previous year. The CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona is the centre that received the highest number of visits, with more than 1,181,600. The second most visited was CaixaForum Madrid, with 947,642 visitors throughout 2024.

In 2024, educational action was concentrated on the development of EduCaixa and the awarding of fellowships to outstanding studentsthrough a programme launched in 1982. To date, this programme has provided funding to over 6,000 students and researchers, enabling them to pursue postgraduate studies abroad, as well as doctoral and postdoctoral studies in Spain. It has also supported university education for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the aim of fostering talent and promoting equal opportunities. Additionally, the organisation supports the ProFuturo educational innovation programme in collaboration with Fundación Telefónica, aimed at reducing the global education gap. In 2024, ProFuturo operated in 3,600 schools across 30 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, directly benefiting the training of 251,000 teachers and 940,000 children.

At the same time, support for medical research continues to be a priority for the ”la Caixa” Foundation, with the construction and conceptualisation of the CaixaResearch Institute in Barcelona as its flagship project. This facility will be Spain’s first research centre specialising in immunology and is set to be a benchmark in Europe.

In the international sphere, in 2024 collaboration took place on 47 projects aimed at promoting job creation, improving child survival and providing emergency aid in 31 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia, benefitting 735,000 people. These efforts were carried out in partnership with prestigious international foundations and organisations.

Review of activity in 2024 in Portugal

In Portugal, the focal point of the international activities of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, the organisation strengthens its strategic projects aimed at combating child poverty and social exclusion, facilitating employment for people in vulnerable situations and providing care for individuals in the final stages of life.

In 2024, CaixaProinfancia assisted 964 children and adolescents and 654 families in Portugal, while the Incorpora labour market inclusion programme facilitated 1,746 job placements through 906 companies. Additionally, the Always Supported programme is being implemented in Portugal, aimed at overcoming situations of unwanted isolation among older adults, as well as the Comprehensive Care Programme for People with Advanced Illnesses (Humaniza), which in 2024 provided psychosocial and spiritual support to 6,557 patients and 8,144 family members.

These programmes are complemented by the Calls for Social Projects, which in 2024 supported 133 projects aimed at promoting equal opportunities and led by Portuguese social entities, as well as the calls for support for medical research projects, covering both Spain and Portugal. Additionally, key educational initiatives are being developed in Portugal, including the EduCaixa programme and the Foundation’s international postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships.

For further information: 

”la Caixa” Foundation Communication Department

Marina Teixidó: 608 099 023 / mteixido@fundacionlacaixa.org 

Leticia Gonzálvez: 649 254 091 / lgonzalvez@fundacionlacaixa.org