Fundacion Ferrer Guardia

What Fundacion Ferrer Guardia does

Fundación Ferrer Guardia (operating as Fundació Ferrer i Guàrdia) is a Barcelona-based non-profit research foundation established in 1987 that conducts applied social research and policy analysis on youth, education, democratic participation, European citizenship, digital rights, and secularism. The foundation serves Catalan and Spanish public administrations — including the Diputació de Barcelona, Generalitat de Catalunya, the Parlament de Catalunya, and numerous municipal councils — by providing evidence-based research, strategic advisory, and program-evaluation services. Additional served audiences include educational institutions (Esplais Catalans, schools, universities), civil-society partners (Fundació Gentis, Nus Cooperativa, Institut Català de la Dona), and secularism/civil-liberties advocates who consume its annual reports and participate in its participatory research projects.

The foundation's core deliverables consist of annual flagship publications (Informe Ferrer Guardia series plus the long-running Laïcitat en Xifres statistical report, in its 13th edition), targeted research programs (ParticipaTIC on digital rights, gender digital-divide surveys), and applied tools including an interactive Early School Leaving data tool that applies Random Forest predictive modeling. Technical infrastructure is deliberately light: an Odoo-based e-commerce shop, standard web analytics (Google Analytics), and the multi-channel "El Altavoz" distribution stack covering blog, monthly newsletter, podcast (Spotify, Ivoox, YouTube), and WhatsApp/Telegram channels. The most externally visible technical contribution is the published quality-criteria guide for the Decidim civic-participation platform, which connects the foundation to a network spanning 450 platform instances and 30 countries.

Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time publication sales priced between €8 and €15, recurring annual memberships in three tiers (€52, €104, €156), and donations. Distribution is hybrid — direct digital e-commerce for publications and memberships plus field engagement (presentations, workshops, traveling exhibitions, parliamentary testimony) for institutional clients. Engagement metrics for 2025 include 85 projects implemented, 18 studies and publications, and 3 youth programs (55% of activity in strategic planning), with programmatic outreach reaching 162 young co-authors of the Digital Rights Manifesto and over 700 participants in the Ès de Conya theater-forum on gender violence.

Name

Fundacion Ferrer Guardia

Legal name

FUNDACIÓ FRANCESC FERRER I GUÀRDIA

Website

https://ferrerguardia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Ferrer Guardia is a Barcelona-based non-profit research foundation established in 1987 that conducts applied social research on youth policy, digital rights, democratic participation, and secularism, producing annual reports, surveys, and policy advisory services for public administrations and civil society in Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Research and Policy Analysis

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Social research
• Policy analysis
• Public policy research
• Strategic planning services
• Participatory research

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: The foundation generates revenue through the sale of published reports, studies, and books including annual Ferrer Guardia reports (Informe Ferrer Guardia), historical publications, and educational materials. Prices range from €8 to €15 per item.
2. Annual Membership Fees: The foundation offers annual membership tiers at €52 (€4.33/month), €104 (€8.67/month), and €156 (€13/month) with quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payment options. This provides recurring revenue and community engagement.
3. Donations: The foundation accepts donations through their shop platform, allowing supporters to contribute financially to their mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fundación Ferrer Guardia is a non-profit foundation that conducts social research, strategic planning, and policy analysis in the areas of youth, education, democratic participation, European citizenship, secularism, and digital rights. It produces annual research reports, longitudinal statistical series, digital divide surveys, participatory research programs, civic engagement programs, and sells publications and memberships through its online shop to fund its mission.

Product overview

Fundación Ferrer Guardia operates as a non-profit think tank offering a portfolio of social research publications and civic engagement services. The core offering consists of annual research reports (Informe Ferrer Guardia series) covering secularism, digital rights, and youth policies, complemented by specialized research programs like ParticipaTIC on digital rights and digital divide surveys. The organization provides educational tools including theatre-forum programs and an interactive early school leaving data tool. Communication services include the 'El Altavoz' multi-channel platform (newsletter, podcasts, social media) and an e-commerce shop for publications and memberships. Technical offerings include the Decidim platform administration guide for civic participation technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Informe Ferrer Guardia (Annual Reports) Annual research publication analyzing a specific theme related to secularism, digital rights, youth policies, or social trends in Spain and Catalonia, with contributions from multiple researchers and priced individually in the foundation shop.
• Laïcitat en Xifres (Secularism Statistics) Annual statistical report series (XIII edition in 2024) providing comprehensive longitudinal data on religiosity, secularization, and laicism in Spain and Catalonia, covering education, taxation, and social trends.
• Digital Rights Studies (ParticipaTIC) Research program examining digital rights of children, adolescents, and youth in vulnerable situations, analyzing digital inequalities and providing recommendations for public policy through participatory processes with young people.
• Digital Divide Survey State-wide survey analyzing digital divide phenomena and gender digital gaps in Spain, with the third edition providing a representative sample for Catalonia, including administrative digital access studies.
• Interactive Early School Leaving Tool Interactive data visualization and consultation tool for early school leaving statistics in Spain, integrating multiple data sources with territorial and gender disaggregation, used to support program evaluation by public administrations.
• Decidim Platform Administration Guide Practical guide for administering the Decidim civic participation digital platform, providing quality democratic criteria, best practices, and real examples for platform administrators managing participatory governance.
• Theatre-Forum (Ès de Conya) Forum theatre initiative using the 'Ès de Conya' play to engage youth in discussions about gender violence, romantic love myths, and digital harassment, deployed in collaboration with municipalities across Catalonia.
• El Altavoz (Newsletter/Podcast/Communication Platform) Multi-channel communication platform including monthly newsletter, podcasts on Spotify and Ivoox, YouTube content, WhatsApp and Telegram channels for disseminating research, publications, events, and public policy content directly to subscribers.
• Online Shop (Memberships and Publications) E-commerce platform on the foundation website selling publications, books, annual reports, and offering tiered annual membership subscriptions at €52, €104, and €156 with quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payment options.
• Early School Leaving Studies Commissioned research on early school leaving with gender perspective, including studies on second-chance educational opportunities and tools for program evaluation, delivered for public administrations and non-profits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85 projects implemented in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundació GentiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on study of female early school leaving in Terres de l'Ebre, with support from Institut Català de la Dona. Fundació Ferrer Guardia conducted research on the phenomenon of female school dropout and access to second-opportunity resources.
• Nus CooperativacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint implementation of theater-forum project 'És de Conya' addressing gender violence, reaching over 700 young people in Catalonia. Content developed in collaboration with research group on Gender Studies from UAB.
• Diputació de BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on research including studies on early school leaving from a gender perspective, digital divide surveys, and administrative digital divide research.
• Direcció General de Societat Digital (Generalitat de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organization of participatory projects on digital rights for children and youth, including the Digital Rights Manifesto. Supported by Xarxa Punt TIC.
• Decidim CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep collaboration on democratic participation platform Decidim, developing the 'Decidim: guía de criterios para la calidad democrática' guide. Platform has 450 instances in 30 countries with 3 million participants.
• Castell de Montjuïc / Institut de Cultura de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal organizers of the 'Revolució Pedagògica de Ferrer i Guàrdia' exhibition in 2018, which has since become an itinerant exhibition traveling to different locations.
• Xarxa Punt TICminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of ICT centers supporting digital inclusion, collaborating on digital rights projects for children and youth.
• Centre Cívic Casa GolferichsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for public presentations and dialogue events including the presentation of Informe Ferrer Guardia 2023 on new spiritualities.
• Parlament de CatalunyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial appearance before the Parliament of Catalonia's Committee on Social Rights to provide expertise on the Proposed Law for Elderly People, contributing expertise on digital divide and participation.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Large international grantmaking and policy-advocacy foundation supporting human rights, democratic participation, and secular governance. Comparable in its advocacy for democratic participation and secularism, and in funding/partnering with civic-tech and research initiatives, but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES): German political foundation affiliated with social democracy, conducting policy research, publishing reports, and managing international programs across many countries. Comparable in its policy-research-and-publication model, government-advisory role, and ideological positioning, though at much larger scale and global footprint.

Direct peers

• CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs): Barcelona-based think tank producing policy analysis on international affairs, security, and governance for public-sector clients. Comparable in its policy-research orientation, publication cadence, and Barcelona institutional positioning to Ferrer Guardia.
• Fundació Carulla: Catalan foundation dedicated to education, culture, and childhood policy with strong publication and program portfolio. Closely comparable mission (education and cultural research), revenue model (memberships and publications), and Catalan institutional focus.
• Fundació Jaume Bofill: Catalan non-profit foundation focused on educational research and policy analysis, with strong government and institutional client base. Most directly comparable to Fundación Ferrer Guardia in mission, geography (Barcelona/Catalonia), and target audience (public administrations, educators, civil society).
• Institut d'Estudis Catalans: Catalan academic and research institution producing scholarly publications on Catalan society, language, and culture. Comparable as a Catalonia-based research entity publishing authoritative reports and datasets for public administration use.
• Fundació Rafael Campalans: Catalan foundation linked to social-democratic research and policy analysis, with publications and policy advisory work. Comparable in policy-research orientation, though ideologically distinct; both serve as think tanks producing analysis for institutional and public-sector clients.

Emerging players

• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): Non-profit focused on digital rights, internet governance, and tech-policy research with a strong publication and advocacy portfolio. Comparable in its digital-rights research focus (overlapping with Ferrer Guardia's ParticipaTIC and Digital Divide work), policy advisory to governments, and thought-leadership publication model.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis on EU affairs, social policy, and digital governance for European institutions. Comparable as a policy think tank producing commissioned research and publications for public-sector clients; differs in EU-wide scope vs. Ferrer Guardia's Catalonia focus.

Regional players

• ISGlobal: Barcelona-based research institution focused on global health with extensive publication output and government partnerships. Comparable as a Barcelona-headquartered research institution with strong publication cadence and institutional client base, though operating in health rather than social-policy research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/f_ferrerguardia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fundferrerguardia
• Facebookfacebook.com/FundacioFrancescFerrerGuardia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacio-ferrer-i-guardia
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacioferreriguardia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundacion Ferrer Guardia