Faissola Foundation

What Faissola Foundation does

Faissola Foundation is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1193143, company number 12247374) founded in 2020 by Michele Faissola, a former Deutsche Bank investment banking executive with over 30 years in capital markets and asset management. The foundation was created in memory of his father, a school headmaster in Liguria, Italy, and in honor of his mother, a school teacher, with the stated objective of addressing child poverty and educational inequality across Europe. Eurostat data cited by the foundation indicates approximately 24.8% of children in the EU (~20 million) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, which frames the organization's addressable problem.

The foundation's core offerings consist of three program lines: (i) scholarships for disadvantaged A-Level students, anchored by a 2022 strategic partnership with the London Academy of Excellence (LAE) in Stratford that funds 10 students annually with mentoring, career development, and educational trips; (ii) a planned network of physical learning centres in repurposed spaces managed by churches and municipalities, with the first centre in Taggia, Italy providing after-school study support and access to online materials for children aged 11-18; and (iii) night schools for adults seeking digital and financial literacy. In June 2024, the LAE partnership was extended with an annual university-style residency programme at UWC Atlantic College in Wales. The foundation does not operate a proprietary technology platform; programme delivery relies on volunteer instructors (including tech and finance professionals) and donated or shared physical spaces.

The foundation is privately funded through donations and fundraising initiatives led by the founder, with no disclosed institutional investors, grants, or operating budget in the public record. Its governance team is small (1-10 employees per firmographic data) and includes the founder, a chairman (Maria Faissola), and two directors with civil engineering and legal backgrounds. Marketing is limited to a bilingual website (English/Italian), a LinkedIn page, founder-authored content on Medium, and occasional press releases distributed via PR Newswire and GlobeNewswire. Beneficiaries do not pay for services; the unit-economics question is therefore one of donation inflow per beneficiary served and partner co-funding rather than pricing.

Name

Faissola Foundation

Legal name

Faissola Foundation

Website

https://faissolafoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Faissola Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded in 2020 by Michele Faissola that addresses child poverty in Europe by funding scholarships, learning centres, and night schools for disadvantaged youth, delivered through partnerships with schools, councils, churches, and the London Academy of Excellence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Education Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE)

Keywords

• Charitable education support
• Student scholarship programmes
• Youth learning centres
• Adult night school courses
• Educational equity initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: As a charitable foundation registered in England (Charity Number 1193143), Faissola Foundation generates revenue through donations and fundraising initiatives led by founder Michele Faissola. The foundation uses capital allocation to fund scholarships, educational centers, and programs for disadvantaged children and young people.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Faissola Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation that provides educational support to disadvantaged children and young people in Europe. Its offerings include funded scholarships for A-Level students, a network of physical learning centres offering after-school study assistance and courses in technology, English, and financial literacy, night schools for adults seeking digital and financial education, and annual university-style residency programmes for selected scholars.

Product overview

The Faissola Foundation operates as a single unified charitable mission focused on addressing child poverty through educational support. Its core offerings consist of scholarships for disadvantaged students, network of learning centres for children aged 11-18, and night schools for adults. The foundation partners with institutions like the London Academy of Excellence (LAE) for its scholarship programme, while its own learning centres in Italy provide technology, English, and accounting courses. The LAE Faissola Scholars Programme represents an annual residency offering for selected students from low-income backgrounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LAE Faissola Scholars Programme An annual university-style residency programme for selected London Academy of Excellence students from low-income households, chosen based on contextual factors and academic achievement. The programme provides a residential educational experience supplementing the foundation's scholarship support.
• Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Scholarships funded by the foundation for underprivileged children and young people, covering educational resources, mentoring, career development services, and educational trips for A-Level students at partner institutions such as London Academy of Excellence.
• Learning Centres for Children and Young People Refurbished educational spaces managed by volunteers, offering children aged 11-18 a safe place to study after school with online materials, educational guidance from teachers and industry professionals, and workshops in technology, English, and accounting.
• Night Schools for Adults Evening educational programmes for adults aged 18+ seeking to add digital and financial studies to their professional skills, operated at the foundation's learning centres during evening hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students supported at LAE have received offers from Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor, core and supporting.

• UWC Atlantic CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2024UWC Atlantic College in St. Donats Castle, Wales served as the venue for the first annual university-style residency programme for LAE Faissola Scholars in June 2024. The partnership provides a unique residential educational experience for scholarship recipients.
• London Academy of Excellence (LAE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Strategic partnership supporting students from low-income households at LAE in Stratford, East London. The foundation funds scholarships for 10 A-Level students annually, providing mentoring, career development services, educational resources, and trips. In 2024, the partnership was extended to include an annual university-style residency programme for Faissola Scholars. First cohort included students now studying at Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE.
• Local Municipalities and CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local councils and municipalities to identify and utilize abandoned or empty spaces for conversion into educational centers. The foundation works with these entities to ensure community needs are met and local children and young people receive appropriate support.
• Local Churches and Religious InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with churches and religious institutions of all denominations to utilize their empty spaces for educational centers. These partnerships provide physical locations for the foundation's learning centers and after-school programs.
• Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with schools to coordinate educational support, reach students in need, and ensure alignment with existing educational programs. The foundation works with school systems to provide supplementary education and resources.
• Tech and Finance ProfessionalssupportingOthersProfessionals with successful careers in technology and finance who volunteer to offer in-person or remote courses and workshops based on their experience. They provide expertise in technology, accounting, and financial education to foundation beneficiaries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Brilliant Club: UK charity placing PhD researchers in non-selective state schools to support disadvantaged pupils' progression to selective universities. Comparable in its evidence-led approach to widening access for low-income students.
• The Sutton Trust: UK education charity focused on social mobility through research, programmes, and partnerships with universities and schools. Comparable in targeting educational inequality and producing measurable university-access outcomes.
• IntoUniversity: UK charity operating physical local learning centres and university-access mentoring for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Highly comparable to Faissola's centre-plus-scholarship model targeting underprivileged UK youth.
• Future First: UK charity building alumni networks in state schools to support students' career and higher-education aspirations. Comparable in its focus on long-term mentoring and disadvantaged-youth progression.
• The Access Project: UK charity providing tutoring and mentoring to disadvantaged students to help them win places at top universities. Comparable in its disadvantaged-youth-to-university mission and partnerships with state schools.

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Major UK charity supporting disadvantaged young people aged 11-30 across education, employment, and training. Comparable target demographic but much broader remit and substantially larger scale than Faissola.
• Teach First: Major UK education charity placing graduates in schools serving low-income communities to address educational disadvantage. Comparable in mission (educational inequality) but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Compagnia di San Paolo: One of Italy's largest philanthropic foundations, active in education, social welfare, and cultural initiatives. Comparable in being a grantmaking educational foundation operating in Italy, though at materially larger scale.
• Fondazione Cariplo: Major Italian philanthropic foundation funding education, social services, and research. Comparable as a large Italian grantmaking foundation addressing educational disadvantage, though with a significantly broader mandate.
• Fondazione Con il Sud: Italian philanthropic foundation supporting social inclusion in southern Italy through grantmaking to third-sector organisations. Comparable as a foundation-driven educational and social-inclusion model in Italy, the foundation's other operational geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faissola-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Faissola Foundation