Fundación Erigaie

What Fundación Erigaie does

Fundación Erigaie is a Colombian non-profit research foundation founded in 1986 and headquartered in La Candelaria, Bogotá, with approximately 10 staff. It conducts interdisciplinary cultural heritage research spanning historical archaeology, anthropology, museography, and participatory community methodologies across Colombian departments including Bolívar, Huila, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Chocó, Guaviare, Santander, Antioquia, Meta, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca. Its core service offerings include archaeological excavation and monitoring for urban infrastructure projects (e.g., Calle Real, Carrera 4ª, Avenida de la República pedestrianization in Bogotá), cultural heritage inventories and valuations, museographic renovation and curatorial development (Museo del Río Magdalena, Cementerio Museo San Pedro), Special Management Plans (PEMP) for heritage properties, UNESCO World Heritage nomination dossier preparation (Alto Ricaurte, United Fruit Company sites), intercultural dialogue programs (Encuentros Interculturales de Bogotá 2013–2015), and heritage information systems such as online consultation platforms for intangible heritage safeguard plans. The foundation operates under the Colombian ESAL special tax regime (Régimen Especial) and is legally constituted under Decree 2150/2017 and DIAN Resolution 000019/2018.

The foundation's revenue model is exclusively project-based, derived from competitive government grants and formal convenios with Colombian public institutions — primarily the Ministry of Culture (MINCULTURA), ICANH, COLCIENCIAS, district and municipal culture secretariats, FONTUR, and CORMAGDALENA — supplemented by international institutional funding from UNESCO, the Smithsonian Institution, the United Nations/Nippon Foundation, WWF's Russell E. Train Program, CNRS, and CRESPIAL. There are no commercial products, no public-facing pricing, and no private-sector customers. Go-to-market is relationship-based and grant-driven, operating through competitive bids and direct institutional negotiation rather than commercial sales channels. Marketing is limited to academic publications (Revista Apuntes, Boletín Cultural y Bibliográfico, Universitas Humanística, VESTÍGIOS), project publications, and the public visibility generated by exhibitions such as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2011 and major museum installations.

Name

Fundación Erigaie

Legal name

Fundación Erigaie

Website

https://erigaie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundación Erigaie is a Colombian non-profit research foundation founded in 1986 that provides interdisciplinary cultural heritage research, archaeological monitoring, and museographic services to government and international institutional clients across Colombia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Research Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG), Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage research
• Archaeological studies
• Museum curation services
• UNESCO heritage consulting
• Heritage inventory documentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government project grants and convenios: The foundation's primary revenue model consists of competitive project grants and formal agreements (convenios) with Colombian government entities, primarily the Ministry of Culture (MINCULTURA), COLCIENCIAS, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), district and municipal secretariats of culture, and specialized funds such as FONTUR (National Tourism Fund). These are typically fixed-term project agreements with defined deliverables and budgets.
2. International institutional funding: Funding from international organizations including UNESCO for World Heritage dossier preparation, the Smithsonian Institution for exhibition collaborations, the United Nations and Nippon Foundation for maritime heritage projects, and the World Wildlife Fund's Russell E. Train Program for Amazonian research. These are competitive grant-based income streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fundación Erigaie delivers specialized cultural heritage research services for government and institutional clients, including archaeological excavations and monitoring, cultural heritage inventories and valuations, museum museographic renewal, UNESCO World Heritage nomination dossiers, Special Management Plans (PEMP), and intercultural dialogue programs. The foundation also develops heritage information systems for online consultation of safeguard plans. Services are delivered under formal project agreements (convenios) with Colombian government entities and international institutions.

Product overview

Fundación Erigaie is a Colombian cultural research foundation offering a portfolio of specialized services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include archaeological research (excavations, monitoring, and rescue studies), cultural heritage assessments and inventories, museum renewal and curatorial services, and special management plans for heritage protection. The foundation also conducts intercultural dialogue programs and provides technical consulting for UNESCO nominations. A notable project includes an online information system for the Cantos de Trabajo de Llano safeguard plan, developed as a public consultation tool. The organization functions primarily as a research and consulting entity rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigación arqueológica
• Estudios de patrimonio cultural
• Renovación museográfica
• Planes Especiales de Manejo (PEMP)
• Consultorías para UNESCO
• Sistemas de información patrimonial

Quantifiable outcome

• Prepared World Heritage nomination dossiers for Alto Ricaurte subregion and United Fruit Company installations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• Secretaría de Cultura, Recreación y Deporte de BogotáflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Longstanding partner for the four Intercultural Encounters of Bogotá (2013–2015) and the 'Bogotá reconoce y apropia la diversidad' project series, working with ethnic and social communities in the capital district.
• COLCIENCIAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership for the Young Researchers (Jóvenes Investigadores) program, providing fellowships and internships for emerging scholars to work within the foundation on cultural heritage research projects. This partnership enables the foundation to access young talent while fulfilling COLCIENCIAS' mandate to develop research capacity.
• Ministerio de Cultura (MINCULTURA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Major institutional partner for nearly all flagship projects, including the 2011 Folklife Festival collaboration, UNESCO World Heritage dossier preparation, intangible heritage inventories, and cultural policy development. MINCULTURA provides both funding and institutional mandate for the foundation's core activities.
• Instituto Smithsonian (Smithsonian Institution)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Collaborative partnership for Colombia's presentation as guest country at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. in 2011, and subsequent traveling exhibitions in Colombia. The foundation served as research and curatorial lead, bringing Colombian cultural heritage to an international audience.
• ICANH (Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for the MIA Cultural Heritage Observatory (2007–2009) and ongoing research on national heritage policy and archaeological standards in Colombia.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for World Heritage nomination dossier preparation, including sites such as the Alto Ricaurte subregion, United Fruit Company installations, and adaptation of the VMAST (Visitor Management Assessment Tool) for Colombian heritage sites.
• Fondo Nacional de Turismo (FONTUR) / Fiduciaria Colombiana de Comercio Exterior S.A. – FiducoldexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership under CONVENIO FNTC 414-2025 for tourism management and visitor strategy projects in the Red de Pueblos Patrimonio de Colombia network, implementing UNESCO's VMAST methodology.
• CORMAGDALENAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial and institutional partner for the museographic renovation of the Museo del Río Magdalena in Honda, Tolima, supporting the three-stage exhibition redesign project.
• Armada Nacional de ColombiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research for the integrated management of Maritime Cultural Heritage as a pilot model for the Colombian Navy, developed with support from the United Nations and the Nippon Foundation.
• World Wildlife Fund (Russell E. Train Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartial funding support for Amazonian ethnographic research (2010–2011) in the Guaviare region, channeled through the foundation for doctoral research on indigenous communities.
• CRESPIAL (Centro Regional para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial de América Latina)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation's researchers serve as tutors for CRESPIAL's virtual course on intangible cultural heritage registry and inventory, and collaborate on safeguarding methodologies for Latin American heritage.
• Gobernación de Antioquia / Banco de la República / Cementerio Museo San PedrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for the museological planning and curatorial script of the Cementerio Museo San Pedro in Medellín (2014), developing a museum plan and funerary narratives for this heritage cemetery.
• Fundación Gilberto Álzate Avendaño (FUGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the four Intercultural Encounters of Bogotá (2013–2015), providing the venue and co-organizing cultural dialogue events with ethnic communities.
• Consorcio por el Desarrollo Integral Sostenible y la Paz del Guaviare (Deispaz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for the indigenous knowledge recovery project with the Tukano Oriental peoples of Guaviare, supporting audiovisual documentation and intercultural dialogue strategies.
• Fundación Terra FirmeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating foundation for bioarchaeological research and mangrove conservation projects, particularly in Bocachica, Tierra Bomba, and the Chocó region.
• Fundación MarVivaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for conservation incentive research related to mangrove forest protection in the Gulf of Tribugá, with local communities as stakeholders.
• Fundación OspinasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned historical research for the commemorative book 'Ospinas 75 años' (2008), documenting the firm's architectural and urban development history.
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner for the project on history of plants and their cultural contexts in Colombia (2000), collaborating with the Museo del Oro.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aga Khan Trust for Culture: Trust operating historic city revitalization, conservation, and cultural development programs. Comparable in integrating archaeology, museography, and cultural tourism development with government and community stakeholders.
• Getty Conservation Institute: International heritage conservation research and training organization. Operates broadly in cultural heritage research, training, and field projects — overlapping with Erigaie's heritage assessment, museum renovation, and conservation planning work.
• Smithsonian Institution: Large U.S.-based cultural and research institution. The Smithsonian is a flagship Erigaie partner (Folklife Festival 2011, traveling exhibitions) and a broader incumbent in cultural heritage curation and international cultural exchange.
• World Monuments Fund: International nonprofit focused on heritage site preservation, including nominations to the World Heritage Watch List. Comparable to Erigaie in scope of heritage advocacy and project-based grant-funded engagement with government partners.
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Global body setting World Heritage standards and commissioning nomination dossiers. UNESCO is both a partner (commissioning dossiers) and a broader incumbent framing Erigaie's niche specialty work in heritage nominations and safeguarding plans.

Others

• Archaeological Institute of America: U.S.-based organization supporting archaeological research and publication. Adjacent peer in archaeological research dissemination, publications, and academic outreach relevant to Erigaie's Cultura Material y Sociedad research line.

Emerging players

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Departamento de Antropología: Academic anthropology department producing archaeological and ethnographic research. Competes with Erigaie for government heritage research contracts and young-researcher training programs in Colombia.

Direct peers

• Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia (ICANH): Colombia's national anthropology and history research institute. ICANH is both a partner and direct competitor of Fundación Erigaie, conducting overlapping archaeological, ethnographic, and heritage research for Colombian government clients.
• CRESPIAL (Centro Regional para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial de América Latina): Latin American regional center for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding based in Cusco. Erigaie researchers serve as tutors for CRESPIAL's virtual courses, indicating direct methodological overlap in intangible heritage registry and inventory work.

Regional players

• Fundación Patrimonio Natural (Parques Nacionales Naturales): Colombian environmental/natural heritage operator. Comparable on the Colombian cultural-natural heritage axis and as a domestic peer in cultural policy and heritage site interpretation work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundaci%C3%B3n-erigaie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Fundación Erigaie