FAES

What FAES does

FAES (Fundación para el Análisis y los Estudios Sociales) is a private, non-profit Spanish foundation established in 1989 and constituted in its current legal form on 11 November 2002 through the fusion of five foundations. It operates as a center-right, liberal-reformist think tank presided by former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, with Manuel Pizarro as Vice President and Javier Zarzalejos as Director. The foundation's stated mission is to promote liberal democratic ideas, counter populism and authoritarianism, and provide intellectual underpinning for center-right policy in Spain and among allied international audiences.

Its product portfolio is content- and event-driven: the Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político quarterly journal; Papeles FAES policy papers; Informes FAES strategic reports; Análisis FAES articles, dialogues, and observatory commentary; biographical and book publications; the Podcast FAES audio series covering the history of political thought; the annual Campus FAES summer campus and conferences; the annual Premio FAES de la Libertad award; the Programa de Formación de Líderes Latinoamericanos (now in its XXIV edition, run in Brussels and Madrid); and the XXXI Seminario Permanente de Derechos Humanos Antonio Marzal, co-organized with ESADE. The underlying technology stack is a standard digital publishing platform for distributing these publications and podcasts, with no disclosed AI, proprietary model, or differentiated technical capability.

FAES is financed exclusively by tax-deductible private donations from individuals and companies under Spanish Law 49/2002 (it does not receive public funding) and operates under the governance of a 10–30 member unpaid Patronato. It distributes its intellectual output for free through its website, podcast platforms, and in-person events, and serves politically engaged citizens, emerging political and civic leaders in Spain, Iberoamerica, Europe, and MENA, and a network of over 30 international partner think tanks (including Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Heritage Foundation, Fundación Jaime Guzmán, Atlantic Council, Atlas Network, and European Ideas Network). Annual budgets, audit reports, and activity reports (Memorias 2018–2025) are publicly disclosed under Spanish Transparency Law 19/2013.

Name

FAES

Legal name

FAES, Fundación para el Análisis y los Estudios Sociales

Website

https://fundacionfaes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FAES is a private Spanish non-profit foundation (est. 1989) that operates as a center-right, liberal-reformist think tank producing policy publications, podcasts, conferences, and leadership programs for citizens and emerging political leaders in Spain, Iberoamerica, Europe, and MENA, funded exclusively by tax-deductible private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Private donations from individuals and companies: FAES operates as a private foundation funded exclusively through private contributions from individuals and companies. Donations are tax-deductible under Spanish Law 49/2002 on philanthropy. The foundation does not receive public funding.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FAES is a non-profit foundation that produces political and policy analysis, publishes a quarterly journal (Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político) and policy papers (Papeles FAES), distributes a podcast on the history of political thought, organizes seminars, conferences, and leadership training programs such as the Programa de Formación de Líderes Latinoamericanos, and awards the Premio FAES de la Libertad. Its activities are aimed at politically engaged citizens, emerging political leaders, and the broader Spanish and Latin American conservative public sphere.

Product overview

FAES (Fundación para el Análisis y los Estudios Sociales) is a private non-profit foundation established in 1989 and presided by José María Aznar. The organization operates as a think tank focused on liberal reformist political thought. Its product portfolio consists primarily of intellectual output and educational programs: Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político (a political thought journal), Papeles FAES (policy papers), Análisis FAES (analysis content), Informes (strategic reports), and biographical publications; alongside its Podcast series on political thought history; and Campus FAES (annual forums and conferences). FAES also runs educational programs including the Programa de Formación de Líderes Latinoamericanos for Latin American leaders, the Premio FAES de la Libertad (annual liberty award), and the XXXI Seminario Permanente de Derechos Humanos Antonio Marzal in partnership with ESADE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campus FAES: Summer campus program featuring seminars and conferences on political, economic, and social topics
• Programa de Formación de Líderes Latinoamericanos
• Premio FAES de la Libertad
• Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político
• Papeles FAES
• Podcast FAES

Products and services

• Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman political foundation affiliated with CDU/CSU. Regular partner in joint events, conferences, and intellectual exchange on European themes and transatlantic relations.
• Heritage Foundation (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading US conservative think tank. Partnership in leadership programs and international policy dialogue.
• Fundación Jaime Guzmán (Chile)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean conservative think tank named after Jaime Guzmán. Partner in Latin American leadership formation programs and regional political network.
• Atlantic Council (USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based international affairs think tank focused on transatlantic relations. Joint activities on European security, NATO, and global affairs.
• Atlas Network (USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of free-market think tanks. FAES participates in network activities connecting liberal institutions worldwide.
• European Ideas NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean center-right think tank network. Joint conferences and policy development on EU affairs.
• Popular Party European Group (PPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with the European People's Party parliamentary group. Joint forums and political events at EU level.
• International Democratic Union (IDU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational alliance of center-right political parties. FAES participates in network activities connecting conservative parties globally.
• International Republican Institute (IRI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS nonprofit organization supporting democracy globally. Collaboration on democracy promotion and leadership programs.
• Club de MadridminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization of former heads of state and government. Joint activities and forums on democratic governance.
• Fundación Hanns Seidel (Germany)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman political foundation affiliated with CSU. Partner in European policy discussions and youth exchanges.
• Fundación Robert Schuman (France)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench European think tank. Joint activities on European integration and Franco-Spanish relations.
• Instituto da Empresa (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese business school affiliated think tank. Partnership in Iberian economic policy discussions.
• Save the Children SpainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report published on child poverty in Spain, demonstrating cross-sector collaboration on social policy issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the CSU and a named FAES partner. Closely comparable as a conservative political foundation running youth exchanges, European policy programs, and ideological publishing.
• Atlas Network: Global network of free-market think tanks and a named FAES partner. Comparable as a hub coordinating liberal and free-market policy organizations across continents through training, networking, and joint programming.
• European Ideas Network: Network of European center-right think tanks affiliated with the European People's Party, and a named FAES partner. Comparable as a coalition of like-minded European policy foundations focused on EU affairs and conservative intellectual exchange.
• Real Instituto Elcano: Spain's leading international affairs and policy think tank based in Madrid. Comparable as a Spanish policy producer focusing on international relations, security, and economics, though ideologically broader than FAES.
• Fundación Jaime Guzmán: Chilean conservative think tank named after Jaime Guzmán and a named FAES partner. Directly comparable as a right-of-center Latin American think tank focused on leadership formation and policy publications aligned with center-right political movements.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the CDU/CSU and one of FAES's most important international partners. Highly comparable as a center-right political foundation producing publications, leadership training, and international dialogue across Europe and beyond.
• Fundación Robert Schuman: French European policy think tank and a named FAES partner focused on European integration. Comparable as a European policy foundation producing analysis on EU affairs and bilateral European relations, including Franco-Spanish dialogue with FAES.
• Heritage Foundation: Leading US conservative think tank and a named strategic partner of FAES. Comparable as a center-right policy organization producing flagship publications, leadership programs, and international policy dialogue aligned with US Republican and global conservative networks.

Broad incumbents

• Cato Institute: US libertarian think tank producing policy research, books, and convening. Comparable as a classical liberal policy organization, though operating at much larger scale and with a broader (US-centric) policy portfolio than FAES.
• American Enterprise Institute: Large US conservative policy think tank with a much broader research portfolio. Comparable as a center-right policy producer publishing books, papers, and convening policymakers, but operating at a substantially larger scale and broader thematic range than FAES.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FundacionFaes
• Facebookfacebook.com/FAESFundacion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundaci-n-faes

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FAES