What Fundación Cudeca does

Fundación Cudeca is a private non-profit foundation established in 1992 and headquartered in Benalmádena, Málaga, Spain. It delivers comprehensive palliative care to patients suffering from cancer and other advanced, progressive, and terminal illnesses, alongside psychological, social, and bereavement support for their families. All care is provided free of charge, regardless of patient race or religion, in line with the foundation's stated mission. Its core services are organized into a unified care model comprising a Home Care Programme (the principal channel, accounting for 98% of patient care), an In-Patient Unit for complex symptom management, a Day Care Centre and Rehabilitation unit, and a dedicated Pediatric Palliative Care Programme. The organization's stated 'core technology' is its holistic care model integrating medical, psychological, social, and spiritual support, delivered through multidisciplinary teams of doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and physiotherapists.

The foundation is funded through a diversified non-profit revenue model rather than direct service charges. Funding streams include 29 charity shops selling donated second-hand goods, individual donations and membership subscriptions, municipal grants from town halls across the Costa del Sol (typically €10,000-€40,000 each), corporate partnerships with foundations such as La Caixa, Unicaja, and the Rafa Nadal Foundation, legacy and inheritance gifts, and community-organized charity events. Operations are supported by 1,101+ active volunteers and audited annually by KPMG, with Fundación Lealtad transparency certification. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Charity Retail SLU, manages the retail operation. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (Patronato) chaired by Ricardo Urdiales, with Dra. Marisa Martín serving as Manager and Medical Director, and Antonio Banderas as Honorary Patron.

Customer access is referral-based, channeled through primary health centers or hospital doctors with a full medical report. Coordination with the public Distrito Sanitario Costa del Sol ensures integration with the Andalusian health system. The foundation's research and training arm, the Instituto Cudeca de Estudios e Investigación, trained 550+ students and 75 rotants in 2024 and runs a Master's in Palliative Care with the University of Málaga. In 2024, the foundation served 1,934 families and 22 pediatric patients with 2,000+ interventions, with 54% of patients able to remain at home until end of life. Geographic operations cover Málaga province primarily, with a charity retail footprint now extending into Córdoba and Sevilla as part of a stated plan to open 9 additional shops outside Málaga province over three years.

Name

Fundación Cudeca

Legal name

Fundación Cudeca

Website

https://www.cudeca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fundación Cudeca is a non-profit organization that offers rehabilitation, psychology, and home care services for people with cancer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Hospice care
• Home health care
• Cancer support
• Charity retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Arroyo De La Miel

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Charity Retail Shops: 29 charity shops (tiendas benéficas) selling donated second-hand goods including clothing, accessories, furniture, and household items. All proceeds fund patient care. The foundation operates an expansion plan to open 9 additional shops outside Málaga province.
2. Individual Donations and Membership: Regular donors (hazte socio) and one-time donors contribute through direct payments, bank transfers, and digital collection boxes (huchas digitales). The #SoyCorazónCudeca campaign raised €127,494 for a home care team.
3. Municipal and Institutional Grants: Town halls across the province (Benalmádena, Mijas, Alhaurín El Grande, Torremolinos, Málaga, Estepona, Fuengirola) provide annual grants for specific palliative care projects. Grants range from €10,000 to €40,000 for home care and paediatric programmes.
4. Legacies and Wills: Inheritance and legacy donations (herencias y legados) are a significant but volatile income source. The foundation is working to reduce reliance on this uncertain stream.
5. Charity Events: Community-organized events (galas, concerts, sports tournaments) raise funds. The foundation provides promotional support, event materials, and on-site presence.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fundación Cudeca is a non-profit foundation that provides free palliative care to cancer patients and individuals with advanced or terminal illnesses through a Home Care Programme, an In-Patient Unit, a Day Care Centre and Rehabilitation service, and a Paediatric Palliative Care Programme, serving patients and families across Málaga province in Spain. The foundation complements care delivery with the Instituto Cudeca de Estudios e Investigación for training and research, and funds its mission through 29 charity shops, donations, sponsorships, grants, legacies and member contributions.

Product overview

Fundación Cudeca is a non-profit organization providing comprehensive palliative care services in Málaga, Spain. The organization operates a unified care model comprising four interconnected services: the Home Care Programme (providing 98% of patient care), In-Patient Unit for complex cases, Day Care Centre & Rehabilitation, and a Paediatric Palliative Care Programme. The foundation is supported by a network of 29 charitable shops and the Cudeca Institute of Studies and Research for training and research activities. All care services are provided completely free of charge to patients and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joan By Cudeca: Branded charity shops operated by the foundation for fundraising purposes
• Instituto Cudeca de Formación e Investigación

Products and services

• Paediatric Palliative Care Programme (Programa de Cuidados Paliativos Pediátricos) Specialised palliative-care programme for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Málaga province, providing home-based support, day-centre respite and continuity of care. The service is delivered free of charge in coordination with paediatric and hospital teams.
• Home Care Programme (Programa de Atención Domiciliaria) Multidisciplinary palliative-care teams visit cancer patients and individuals with advanced illnesses in their own homes across Málaga province, providing medical, emotional, social and spiritual support free of charge. The service is targeted at patients who wish to remain at home and is delivered in coordination with the public health system.
• In-Patient Unit (Unidad de Ingresos / Unidad de Hospitalización) Residential palliative-care unit at the Cudeca Centre in Benalmádena, Málaga, providing specialised in-patient care for symptom control, complex needs and end-of-life care that cannot be adequately managed at home. The service is free of charge for patients and families.
• Day Care Centre & Rehabilitation (Centro de Día y Rehabilitación) Day centre providing daytime palliative-care support, rehabilitation activities, social interaction and respite for patients, while giving caregivers a break. Patients attend during the day and return home, receiving clinical, psychological and social support free of charge.
• Instituto Cudeca de Estudios e Investigación (Training and Research Institute) Training and research institute of Fundación Cudeca, delivering palliative-care education, continuing professional development for healthcare professionals and research activities related to palliative and end-of-life care.
• Cudeca Charity Shops (Tiendas Solidarias Cudeca) Network of 29 Cudeca charity shops across Spain selling donated second-hand clothing, accessories and household goods. Revenue from the shops funds the foundation's free palliative-care services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,934 patients and families served in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Antonio Banderas (Patrono de Honor)flagshipOthers · 1 January 2024Antonio Banderas serves as Honorary Patron (Patrono de Honor). He is a renowned actor, director, and Malagueño. Doctor Honoris Causa by the Universities of Málaga and Dickinson College (Pennsylvania), Advisor of the Cervantes Institute of New York, and UN Development Goodwill Ambassador. President of Fundación Lágrimas y Favores, created in 2010 to help university student formation and cancer patients through Fundación Cudeca.
• Distrito Sanitario Costa del Sol (Costa del Sol Health District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health system partner that coordinates with Cudeca's home care teams. Home visits are carried out in close coordination with Primary Health Care teams of the Public Health Service. Cudeca aims to strengthen contracts with SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud).
• Universidad de Málaga (UMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Málaga collaborates with Cudeca through the Master's in Palliative Care (co-awarded the 2019 Albert Jovell prize) and provides students and rotants for training. The Cudeca Institute of Studies and Research trained over 550 students and 75 rotants in 2024.
• KPMG Auditores S.L.minorOthersAnnual external auditor of Cudeca's annual accounts. Provides audited financial statements dating back to 2016 and maintains independence and transparency standards.
• Instituto Cudeca de Estudios e Investigación en Cuidados PaliativoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal research and training institute that develops palliative care education programmes, trains professionals and volunteers, and conducts research in coordination with national and international centres of excellence. Trained 550+ students and 75 rotants in 2024.
• Instituto Pallium LatinoaméricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the European 'iLIVE, buen vivir, buen morir' project of the European Commission. Jointly launched the II Short Story Competition 'Historias llenas de vida' (Stories Full of Life) for European Palliative Care Day.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC): Spain's largest cancer-focused non-profit, providing patient support, research funding, and care services. Comparable to Cudeca as a Spanish cancer charity operating in overlapping patient and family support segments, though AECC is much larger and broader in scope.
• Marie Curie: UK hospice charity providing nursing care for terminally ill patients and emotional support for families, entirely free of charge and primarily funded by donations, charity shops, and legacies. Operates the closest comparable funding-and-care model to Cudeca.
• Helen & Douglas House: UK children's hospice offering palliative and end-of-life care to terminally ill children and family support. Directly comparable to Cudeca's paediatric palliative care programme that served 22 children with 2,000+ interventions in 2024.
• Maruzza Lefebvre D'Ovidio Foundation: Italian foundation dedicated to advancing palliative care for adults and children, including research, training, and advocacy. Comparable as a specialized palliative care foundation with similar scope across care, training (Instituto Cudeca's role), and policy engagement.
• St. Christopher's Hospice: Pioneering UK hospice and one of the founding modern palliative care institutions. Comparable to Cudeca as a hospice offering in-patient, home care, day care, and training, with a similar volunteer- and donation-funded operating model.
• Fundación Porque Viven: Spanish foundation dedicated to paediatric palliative care, supporting children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Directly comparable to Cudeca's pediatric palliative care vertical.
• Hospice Foundation of Ireland: Irish national charity supporting hospice and palliative care services across Ireland. Comparable as a non-profit that funds, advocates for, and educates around palliative care delivery through donations and government engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Large UK cancer charity providing information, financial, and emotional support to people affected by cancer. Comparable to Cudeca's family support and information/counselling services, but operates at national scale with broader scope beyond terminal care.

Regional players

• Fundación Dignia: Spanish non-profit focused on dignified end-of-life care and chronic illness support, with similar palliative mission. Operates primarily in other Spanish regions, making it a regional peer with comparable care philosophy.

Others

• Pallium Latin America (Instituto Pallium): Latin American palliative care organization collaborating with Cudeca on the European 'iLIVE' project and the 'Historias llenas de vida' competition. Adjacent peer in the same palliative care community with formal partnership ties.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cudeca
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/cudecamalaga
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmigosDeCudeca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacion-cudeca

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fundación Cudeca