ACdP

What ACdP does

Asociación Católica de Propagandistas (ACdP) is a private, Madrid-headquartered Catholic lay association founded on 15 November 1908 by Padre Ángel Ayala S.J. with young university students from the Congregación mariana de los Luises. Under its first president, Ángel Herrera Oria, it built Spain's first major Catholic daily (El Debate, 1911), Editorial Católica (1912), Spain's first journalism school (1926), and the Centro de Estudios Universitarios (1933), laying the institutional groundwork for what is now a national ecosystem of works. ACdP operates through a federation of more than 20 local centres across Spain and a portfolio of wholly-owned institutional works spanning higher education (Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU, Fundación Abat Oliba CEU, Fundación San Pablo Andalucía CEU), media (El Debate, with nearly 2 million daily readers as of June 2024), publishing (CEU Ediciones), a university residence (Colegio Mayor Universitario de San Pablo), a think tank (CEU CEFAS), a documentation and research centre (CEDINFOR), and cultural and advocacy foundations.

ACdP's core activity is formation of lay Catholics and advocacy for Christian values in Spanish public life. Its revenue model is not publicly disclosed; the association is funded through member contributions, donations (with Spanish IRPF tax-deductible giving to its foundations), and activity of its associated works. There is no disclosed pricing model, no public subscription, and no commercial product portfolio at the central association level. Distribution is hybrid: physical (centres, congresses, regional jornadas, summer courses in Covadonga and Málaga, Fiesta de la Resurrección at Plaza Cibeles), digital (El Debate, social channels acdp_es on X/Facebook/YouTube/Instagram, email newsletter), and editorial (books, bulletins, La Antorcha magazine).

The association is governed by an Assembly; José Masip Marzá was elected president on 18 July 2026, succeeding Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza (2018–2026). ACdP pursues a regulatory and legal advocacy agenda via the Comisión Jurídica Nacional por la Libertad de Educación (filings at the European Parliament and European Commission against Spain's LOMLOE education law) and participation in coalitions such as the Asamblea por la Vida, la Libertad y la Dignidad (150+ associations opposing the Euthanasia Law). ACdP does not employ AI/ML as part of its core activity; only standard website analytics (Google Analytics) is disclosed as a technology integration.

Name

ACdP

Legal name

ASOCIACIÓN CATÓLICA DE PROPAGANDISTAS

Website

https://acdp.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Asociación Católica de Propagandistas (ACdP) is a Spanish Catholic lay association founded in 1908 and headquartered in Madrid, operating a national ecosystem of educational, media, and cultural works that forms lay Catholics and advocates for Christian values in Spanish public life.

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, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ACdP is a Catholic lay association that organizes formation, advocacy, media, publishing, educational and cultural activities for lay Catholics and the Spanish public. Its core offerings include El Debate (a national digital newspaper defending Christian values), CEU CEFAS (a think tank producing policy analysis), CEU Ediciones (a publishing house), the Colegio Mayor Universitario de San Pablo (a university residence providing integral Christian formation), the annual Congreso Católicos y Vida Pública congress and regional jornadas, summer formation courses, the La Antorcha spiritual magazine, and CEDINFOR (a documentation and biographical dictionary center). Members and supporters fund the association primarily through donations.

Product overview

ACdP (Asociación Católica de Propagandistas) operates as a religious civil association with a diverse portfolio of interconnected products and services centered on Catholic education, media, and cultural promotion. The core offering includes El Debate (a digital newspaper with nearly 2 million readers), CEU CEFAS (a think tank for Christian political analysis), CEU Ediciones (publishing house), and the Colegio Mayor Universitario de San Pablo (university residence). Supporting products include La Antorcha (spiritual magazine), the Boletín ACdP (association bulletin), the annual Congreso Católicos y Vida Pública, CEDINFOR (research center with biographical dictionary), and cultural events like the Fiesta de la Resurrección and summer courses. These offerings work together to advance the association's mission of promoting Christian values in Spanish public life through education, media, research, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• El Debate

Quantifiable outcome

• El Debate newspaper reached nearly 2 million readers in a single day (1,942K) in June 2024, positioning it among Spain's top five digital newspapers.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CEU CEFAS (Centro de Estudios, Formación y Análisis Social)coreOthersCEU CEFAS is a think tank operating under ACdP that proposes national regeneration based on Christian humanism and conservative principles. It analyses issues in depth, forms people committed to Truth and public service, and promotes the Church's Social Doctrine in cultural and political spheres.
• Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEUcoreOthersThe university foundation operating CEU institutions in Spain, including Universidad CEU San Pablo (Madrid), Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (Valencia), and Universitat Abat Oliba CEU (Barcelona), as well as schools and other educational centres.
• Colegio Mayor Universitario de San PablocoreOthersA formative residence of ACdP, affiliated to Universidad CEU San Pablo, providing comprehensive cultural, human, and Christian formation for students during their university years, oriented towards social leadership.
• Fundación Cultural Ángel Herrera OriacoreOthersAn ACdP foundation dedicated to promoting culture in all its manifestations, harmonious dialogue between Faith and Reason, and maintaining the legacy of Ángel Herrera Oria as a model layman, priest, bishop, and cardinal.
• CEU EdicionescoreOthersThe publishing house of the CEU university network, with three universities, two university schools, nine schools, and other educational centres. Publishes books, research notebooks, and journals across humanities, philosophy, education, literature, art, science, law, and other fields.
• El Debate (elperiodista digital)coreOthersEl Debate is ACdP's flagship digital newspaper, founded to inform with rigour and defend Christian values in the media. It has reached nearly 2 million readers in a single day, ranking among Spain's top five digital newspapers.
• CEDINFOR (Centro de Documentación, Investigación y Formación)minorOthersA documentation, research, and formation centre within ACdP, housing an historical archive of bulletins and the Historical Biographical Dictionary (Diccionario Biográfico).
• Asamblea por la Vida, la Libertad y la DignidadminorOthersA platform bringing together more than 150 civil society associations, including ACdP, to advocate against the Euthanasia Law and in defence of life, liberty, and human dignity in the Spanish Congress and European institutions.
• Comisión Jurídica Nacional por la Libertad de EducacióncoreOthersA group of legal professionals affiliated to ACdP dedicated to defending educational freedom. It has filed petitions with the European Parliament and Commission against the LOMLOE education law, arguing it violates fundamental rights and EU law.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Catholic University of America: The national university of the Catholic Church in the United States, offering a federation of schools and research centers. Comparable to CEU's role as a centralized Catholic university network within ACdP's federation.
• Georgetown University: A major Jesuit Catholic university in the United States with a strong formation/apostolate tradition. Comparable to CEU universities within ACdP's ecosystem as a faith-based university network.
• Catholic Herald: An English-language Catholic news publication covering the Catholic Church globally. Comparable to El Debate as a Catholic-aligned journalistic outlet, though focused on a different geography and readership.

Direct peers

• Opus Dei: The most prominent Catholic lay organization globally, Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church whose structure (lay faithful taking on formation, professional work, and apostolate in public life) closely mirrors ACdP's mission and operating model.
• Regnum Christi: An international Catholic lay movement with associated universities, schools, and media outlets, Regnum Christi mirrors ACdP's combination of lay formation, education, and evangelization in public life.
• Focolare Movement: An international Catholic lay movement promoting unity and Christian witness in public life, with strong formation and publishing activities similar to ACdP's formation program and CEU Ediciones.
• Comunión y Liberación: A Catholic lay movement with strong presence in Italy, Spain, and Latin America, focused on Christian presence in culture, education, and public life — directly parallel to ACdP's mission.

Broad incumbents

• EWTN: The largest Catholic media network in the world, operating multi-platform Catholic news and content. El Debate's national-reach digital newspaper positioning is functionally comparable to EWTN's media footprint.

Emerging players

• Catholic Answers: A Catholic apologetics and media organization producing digital content, publications, and educational resources — overlapping with ACdP's formation and publishing activities via CEU CEFAS and CEU Ediciones.

Regional players

• ACE (Asociación Católica de Enseñanza): A Spanish Catholic association dedicated to defending Catholic education and providing press/media analysis, sharing ACdP's focus on educational freedom advocacy in Spain and operating as a peer within the same national ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acdp_es
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/canalACdP
• Facebookfacebook.com/acdp.es
• Instagraminstagram.com/acdp_es
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acdp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 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 ACdP