What Fondation CentraleSupélec does

Fondation CentraleSupélec is a French "fondation reconnue d'utilité publique" (public utility foundation) established in 2014 to fundraise on behalf of and financially sustain CentraleSupélec, one of France's top engineering grandes écoles. It is governed by an independent board with representatives from founders, institutional partners, donors, and qualified personalities, and operates with a lean team of approximately 8–9 staff. Its mission is to mobilize a community of more than 7,000 individual donors and 150 corporate sponsors to deliver strategic, gap-filling capital that public budgets cannot cover.

The Foundation channels donations into six program areas: Education (pedagogical innovation and platforms such as MyDocker, a virtualization environment for mathematics, physics, programming, robotics, and data/AI practical work, plus MySchool for teacher support), Scholarships and Student Support (life scholarships averaging €5,000, loan guarantees, computer loans, emergency aid), Research (thesis funding, equipment, international fellowships, and chairs across 18 laboratories and 26 chairs), Entrepreneurship (the 21ST by CentraleSupélec accelerator supporting ~100 startups/year across Paris-Saclay, Station F, and Rennes), Student Housing and Campus Life (2,500 beds across three residences and 200+ student associations), and Dedicated Thematic Funds (Health, Environmental Transition, Data & AI, Diversity Center).

The Foundation's revenue model is entirely donation-based, structured across individual giving (with French tax deductions of 66% IR or 75% IFI, and parallel US 501(c)(3) via Friends of CS Inc. and UK Gift Aid via UK Friends), corporate mécénat deductible at 60% of Corporate Tax (capped at €20,000/year or 0.5% of turnover), and legacy/planned giving (testamentary gifts, property, life insurance). It is currently running the "Demain est Ingénieurs" campaign with a target of €100 million by 2026. Annual donations collected are approximately €8 million, sourced across roughly 7,000 individuals, 150 corporate partners, a Campaign Committee of 16 personalities, ~50 ambassadors, and giving vehicles in France, the US, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium.

Name

Fondation CentraleSupélec

Legal name

Fondation CentraleSupélec

Website

https://fondation-centralesupelec.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondation CentraleSupélec is a French public utility foundation that fundraises on behalf of CentraleSupélec engineering school, channeling donations from 7,000+ individuals and 150 corporates into scholarships, research chairs, entrepreneurship, student housing, and thematic funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Philanthropy / Higher Education Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Higher education fundraising
• Engineering school philanthropy
• Corporate research sponsorship
• Student scholarship programs
• Alumni charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Gif-sur-Yvette

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Recurring and one-time donations from alumni, parents, and friends of the School. More than 7,000 individual donors contribute annually. Donations are eligible for French tax deductions (66% IR or 75% IFI) or equivalent tax benefits in the donor's country of residence.
2. Corporate Sponsorship (Mécénat): Corporate donations from approximately 150 companies (30% SMEs and startups), deductible at 60% of Corporate Tax within limits of €20,000/year or 0.5% of annual turnover HT. Companies may sponsor chairs, fund specific programs, or make general donations.
3. Legacies, Donations, and Life Insurance: The Foundation receives testamentary gifts, property donations, and life insurance beneficiary designations. Recognized as a public utility, it is exempt from all succession duties, making it a tax-efficient vehicle for long-term legacy giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fondation CentraleSupélec is a French public-utility foundation that raises and deploys charitable donations to support CentraleSupélec engineering school. It funds six flagship programs — Education (Enseignement), Scholarships & Student Support (Bourses), Research, Entrepreneurship (including the 21ST accelerator), Student Housing & Campus Life, and thematic Dedicated Funds (Health, Environmental Transition, Data & AI, Diversity). It also funds teaching platforms such as MyDocker and MySchool used by the school.

Product overview

Fondation CentraleSupélec is a public utility foundation that supports the engineering school CentraleSupélec through fundraising and donor engagement. Rather than a unified product platform, it offers a portfolio of programs including Education (Enseignement), Scholarships and Student Support (Bourses et soutiens aux élèves), Research (Recherche), Entrepreneurship (Entrepreneuriat), Student Housing and Campus Life (Logement et vie de campus), and Dedicated Funds (Fonds dédiés) targeting specific themes like Health, Environmental Transition, and Data & AI. The foundation also operates donor-facing spaces including a donors portal and student services portal, as well as digital platforms such as MyDocker (virtualization platform for practical work), MySchool (teacher support portal), and video conferencing infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends of CS, Inc. US-based 501(c)(3) structure enabling US donors to support the foundation with IRS tax deductions.
• UK Friends of CentraleSupelec
• 21ST by CentraleSupélec

Products and services

• Enseignement (Education Program)
• Bourses et soutiens aux élèves (Scholarships & Student Support)
• Recherche (Research Program)
• Entrepreneuriat (Entrepreneurship Program)
• Logement et vie de campus (Student Housing & Campus Life)
• Fonds dédiés (Dedicated Thematic Funds)
• 21ST by CentraleSupélec

Quantifiable outcome

• 90 startups supported with €300M cumulative revenue and 700 jobs created through the 21ST incubator
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of CS, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 October 2026US-based 501c3 organization that collects donations from US-based alumni and supporters, remitting funds to the Foundation. Board includes Sam Levy (President, 1999), Yann Magnan (1995), Jacques Ouziel (1980), and others.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026Deloitte co-launched the Chaire Energy Markets and Sustainable Industries (CEMSI) alongside EDF, RTE, Stellantis, and CentraleSupélec. The chair addresses six energy transition challenges including electrification, industrial decarbonization, renewable flexibility, and electric mobility. Directed by Olivier Massol and Yannick Perez at the LGI laboratory.
• EDFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026EDF is both a founding partner of the CEMSI chair and the Risques et Résilience des Systèmes Complexes chair. EDF contributes to energy transition research and complex systems resilience modeling alongside SNCF and Orange.
• RTE Réseau de Transport d'ÉlectricitécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026RTE co-founded the CEMSI chair to address electricity market modeling, grid flexibility, and renewable integration challenges. RTE is represented on the board by Olivier Lamarre (Supélec 1993).
• StellantiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026Stellantis partners through the CEMSI chair and the Armand Peugeot – Mobilité durable chair, contributing to research on electric mobility, hydrogen, and sustainable transportation technologies.
• ALTENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026ALTEN, a global leader in engineering and IT services, co-launched a chair on Trustworthy AI for Critical Industrial Systems with CentraleSupélec, supported by the Foundation.
• OPPBTP, EIFFAGE Génie Civil, LEGENDRE, VINCI Construction TerrassementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThese four construction industry partners co-fund the 'Prévention et Performance dans le bâtiment et les travaux publics' chair at LGI, focused on linking workplace prevention with business performance.
• ESSEC Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSEC co-sponsors the Armand Peugeot – Mobilité durable chair alongside Stellantis, bringing business school expertise to sustainable mobility research and education.
• Air Liquide, L'Oréal, SafrancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree major French companies co-fund the Supply Chain Management chair at LGI, addressing supply chain flexibility, environmental impact, and performance measurement.
• AIRBUS Group, GDI Simulation, Union européenne, Grand Reims, Région Grand Est, Metz MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple institutional and corporate partners support the Photonique chair (unique in France), which is developing toward a 4,000 m2 Photonics Institute on the Metz campus as part of the State-Region Plan 2021-2027.
• SNCF, OrangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNCF and Orange co-fund the Risques et Résilience des Systèmes Complexes chair alongside EDF, focusing on modeling electrical, railway, and telecom networks and optimizing their resilience.
• UK Friends of CentraleSupéleccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based charitable structure (Charity number 1172405, address at 20 Old Bailey, London) enabling UK alumni to give with Gift Aid benefits (+25% government match). Led by Maryline Mertz (2005, Goldman Sachs).
• Swiss Philanthropy Foundation / Maecenata / Fondation du Roi Baudouin / GivingEuropeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean network partners enabling tax-efficient cross-border donations from Switzerland (via Swiss Philanthropy), Germany (Maecenata), Belgium (Fondation du Roi Baudouin), and other TGE countries, with fees of approximately 5%.
• 21ST by CentraleSupéleccoreOthersThe Foundation is the primary funder of the 21ST startup accelerator program, which operates from three locations (Paris-Saclay, Station F, Rennes/The Cave), supports ~100 startups annually, and benefits from 400 teacher-researchers and 45,000 alumni connections.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fondation Université Paris-Saclay: Foundation supporting Université Paris-Saclay, of which CentraleSupélec is a constituent member. Closely comparable in geography, target donor base, and shared campus ecosystem on the Plateau de Saclay.
• Fondation Mines-Télécom: Foundation supporting Institut Mines-Télécom engineering schools. Directly comparable in mission (funding scholarships, research chairs, and innovation programs at French engineering schools) and donor model (individual + corporate mécénat).
• Fondation École Polytechnique: The philanthropic foundation supporting École Polytechnique, another top French engineering school. Highly comparable as a French engineering school foundation soliciting individual and corporate donations to fund scholarships, research chairs, and entrepreneurship programs.
• Fondation HEC: Foundation supporting HEC Paris business school. Comparable in operating an alumni-driven mécénat model with named chairs, scholarships, and corporate partnerships across an elite French higher education institution.
• INSEAD Endowment Fund: Philanthropic vehicle supporting INSEAD, a leading international business/management school. Comparable as a French-headquartered elite-school foundation soliciting international alumni and corporate donors.
• Centrale Lyon Fondation: The fundraising foundation of École Centrale de Lyon, a sister école within the Groupe Centrale network. Closely comparable in scale, donor base (alumni + corporate), and program mix (scholarships, research, entrepreneurship).

Broad incumbents

• American Alumni Giving at Stanford (Stanford Fund): Stanford's annual fund and broader endowment fundraising program. Comparable as a model for elite-university annual giving and capital campaigns targeting alumni, parents, and corporate donors.
• MIT Alumni Association Fund: The philanthropic and alumni engagement vehicle for MIT. Comparable in mission and structure (engineering/STEM elite institution, alumni-driven fundraising, endowed funds, chair programs), though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fondationCS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsjTQjPNeTskMRwz6wsqzxA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fondation-CentraleSup%C3%A9lec-107834014236258
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondationcs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Fondation CentraleSupélec