Fondazione Marea
Fondazione Marea is a Catania-based participatory philanthropic foundation that mobilizes the global Sicilian diaspora to fund and incubate social enterprises combating Sicily's depopulation through its ONDA pre-incubation program and Pionieri donor community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersCatania, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Fondazione Marea does
Fondazione Marea is a participatory philanthropic foundation (Fondazione di Partecipazione) registered as an Ente del Terzo Settore (ETS) in the Italian RUNTS registry, headquartered in Catania, Italy, and founded on December 18, 2024 by Antonio Perdichizzi. The foundation's stated mission is to counteract Sicilian depopulation and talent flight — over 560,000 people have left Sicily in 20 years and 32% of young graduates departed in 2021 — by mobilizing the global Sicilian diaspora ("of origin, heart, and adoption") into a community of individual Pionieri (lifetime €1,000+ donors) and corporate Aziende Pioniere (€5,000+ donors). Revenue streams include individual lifetime donations, corporate memberships, free-form Stripe-powered donations, the Italian 5x1000 tax designation program (tax code 06145680879), and testamentary bequests.
The foundation operates two core programs. The ONDA pre-incubation program is a three-month hybrid accelerator that provides €10,000 in seed funding to the top three projects, €2,000 in bootcamp pocket money for all participants, dedicated tutors, customized mentoring, and three-year network access to 400+ Pionieri, enterprises, and partners. Its first cohort (ONDA 2025) received 174 applications and selected 13 social enterprise projects spanning agriculture, urban regeneration, education, social inclusion, environment, responsible tourism, and IT inclusion across all nine Sicilian provinces. The Pionieri program builds a global community of financial and operational supporters through a multi-channel engagement model combining ONDA In Tour provincial roadshows, international Meet Marea diaspora events (New York, London, Bruxelles, Chicago, Milano, Roma), Marea Talk webinar series, and active social media presence.
The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors (CdA) and a Collegio dei Partecipanti in which corporate partners can participate. The operational team of approximately 28 people (four core staff plus advisors and board members) includes Francesca De Marco (Philanthropy and Fundraising Director), Elena Militello (Research, Legal, Network), Chiara Crisci (Project Management), and Carmelo Traina (Marketing and Communications). The foundation maintains a strategic operational partnership with Isola Catania Impresa Sociale, which provides physical workspace and from which Marea emerged via the Make in South event. As a non-profit, the foundation does not pursue profit but operates a virtuous cycle model where a portion of value generated by supported enterprises returns to its investment fund to seed new initiatives, with a stated three-year vision of €5M total investment, 25+ new enterprises, and 500+ jobs by 2030.
Fondazione Marea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fondazione Marea
- Legal name
- Fondazione Marea Ente Filantropico ETS
- Website
- https://fondazionemarea.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fondazione Marea is a Catania-based participatory philanthropic foundation that mobilizes the global Sicilian diaspora to fund and incubate social enterprises combating Sicily's depopulation through its ONDA pre-incubation program and Pionieri donor community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fondazione Marea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropy and Social Enterprise Support
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Fondazione Marea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Catania
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fondazione Marea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations (Pionieri): Individual supporters (Pionieri) make donations starting from 1,000 euros for lifetime membership. This forms the core community of supporters who contribute financially and with their expertise and connections.
- Corporate Donations (Aziende Pioniere): Companies can join as Aziende Pioniere with a 5,000 euro donation for lifetime membership. Companies gain visibility, network access, governance participation, and a dedicated relationship manager.
- 5x1000 Donations: Italian taxpayers can direct their 5x1000 tax allocation to Fondazione Marea using tax code 06145680879. This provides ongoing public benefit funding.
- Testamentary Bequests (Lasciti): Individuals can include Fondazione Marea in their wills, creating long-term legacy support for Sicilian social enterprises.
- Free-form Donations: The foundation accepts free-form donations of any amount through single or monthly recurring payments via credit card or bank transfer.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Pioniere Individual - Lifetime membership donation |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Azienda Pioniera - Corporate lifetime membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Fondazione Marea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fondazione Marea is a participatory philanthropy foundation that mobilizes the global Sicilian diaspora to fund and incubate social enterprises in Sicily through its ONDA pre-incubation program and Pionieri community programs. It aggregates financial contributions, expertise, and connections from Sicilians worldwide (of origin, heart, and adoption) to address the island's depopulation and unemployment challenges, providing seed funding, training, and mentorship to selected social entrepreneurs.
Product overview
Fondazione Marea is a participatory philanthropy foundation (Fondazione di Partecipazione) dedicated to creating economic and social opportunities in Sicily to counteract depopulation and talent exodus. The foundation operates two core programs: the Onda pre-incubation program, which selects and funds social enterprise ideas through a competitive Call for Ideas, providing €10,000 seed funding, three months of hybrid training, and mentorship; and the Pionieri community program, which mobilizes a global network of Sicilian-origin, heart, and adoption members who contribute financially (€1,000+ for individuals, €5,000+ for companies) and operationally to support foundation projects. The Onda Projects Portfolio aggregates the 13 social enterprises born through the Onda program across sectors including agriculture, culture, environment, education, social inclusion, and responsible tourism. Supplementary giving mechanisms include open donations via Stripe, the Italian 5x1000 tax designation, and testamentary bequests. The foundation also conducts an ongoing event series (Meet Marea, Marea Talk, and Onda in Tour) for community building and project recruitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Onda: A 3-month pre-incubation program that supports entrepreneurial ideas to become social enterprises in Sicily, providing mentorship, training, and funding.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 social enterprises supported in ONDA 2025 from 174 applications
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Fondazione Marea
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fondazione Marea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Fondazione Marea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Farm Cultural ParkcoreFarm Cultural Park gifted Antonio Perdichizzi a work representing 'The Great Wave of Kanagawa' during the Make in South event in June 2024, which became the symbolic identity of Fondazione Marea. The founders Andrea and Florinda Saieva are active supporters.
- Isola Catania Impresa Sociale s.r.l.coreIsola Catania provides the physical workspace for Fondazione Marea's core team. Antonio Perdichizzi, President of Fondazione Marea, is also President of Isola Catania, creating strong operational alignment. The foundation emerged from activities at Isola Catania's Make in South event.
- Innesta (Messina)minorFirst business incubator and coworking space in Messina, hosting ONDA In Tour @Messina event to present the ONDA program.
- TecnoPolo Magnetico (Enna)minorNon-profit association working to bridge digital divide and create new professional development opportunities, hosting ONDA In Tour @Enna.
- Oasi Digitale (Ragusa)minorBusiness network in the information and technology sector, hosting ONDA In Tour @Ragusa event.
- Fondazione Comunitaria di Agrigento e TrapaniminorCommunity foundation hosting ONDA In Tour @Agrigento event, representing local Sicilian philanthropy ecosystem.
- Nexo SiciliacoreSocial enterprise created through the ONDA program in Agrigento, creating formative and professional opportunities for local and European youth. Featured at Marea Talk events.
- 869 (Palazzolo Acreide)minorLocal venue in Palazzolo Acreide hosting Marea Talk Ottoseinove event, representing grassroots community engagement.
- Ecomuseo Mare Memoria Viva (Palermo)minorEco-museum venue hosting 'Un Anno di Marea' anniversary event, managed by Pioniera Cristina Alga.
- ConfindustriaminorItalian industrial confederation promoting Meet Marea @Siracusa event as part of the XXIV Week of Business Culture.
- Casa Barbadoro (Agrigento)minorLocal venue in Agrigento providing catering for Marea Talk Agrigento event.
- Ottoseinove (Palazzolo Acreide)minorLocal business providing catering and networking opportunity at Marea Talk events in Palazzolo Acreide.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fondazione Marea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Fondazione Italia per il Dono: Italian infrastructure organization supporting philanthropy and donor-advised giving. Comparable as a complementary player in the Italian philanthropy ecosystem, providing services and context relevant to Marea's fundraising and donor engagement model.
Broad incumbents
- Fondazione Unipolis: Corporate foundation associated with Unipol Group, supporting social innovation and community development in Italy. Comparable as a corporate-affiliated grantmaking foundation with similar social enterprise support programs.
- Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo: One of Italy's largest philanthropic foundations, with significant activity in southern Italy and social enterprise support. Comparable as an established Italian grantmaking foundation with broader geographic scope and substantially larger asset base.
- Fondazione Cariplo: Major Italian philanthropic foundation supporting social, cultural, and environmental initiatives. Comparable as an established Italian grantmaking foundation with similar mission areas but substantially larger scale and broader geographic focus.
Direct peers
- Fondazione di Comunità di Agrigento e Trapani: Sicilian community foundation that is an active partner of Fondazione Marea (co-hosting ONDA In Tour events). Directly comparable as a place-based philanthropic foundation operating in the same Sicilian territory with a participatory fundraising model.
- Fondazione di Comunità di Messina: Community foundation serving the Messina province in Sicily. Highly comparable as a Sicilian community foundation aggregating local resources to support social innovation, sharing Marea's regional focus and participatory engagement model.
- Fondazione con il Sud: Italy's largest foundation dedicated to southern Italy (Mezzogiorno). Directly comparable as a grantmaking foundation supporting social enterprises and community development in southern Italian regions, with a similar mission of addressing structural economic disadvantage.
Emerging players
- Fondazione Triulza: Italian foundation focused on social innovation and the Third Sector, with significant program activity in MIND Milano Innovation District. Comparable as an emerging Italian grantmaking and social enterprise support organization with similar pre-incubation and community-building activities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fondazione Marea social profiles
Digital presenceFondazione Marea compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Fondazione Marea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fondazione Marea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Fondazione Marea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fondazione Marea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fondazione Marea
What does Fondazione Marea do?
Fondazione Marea is a participatory philanthropy foundation that mobilizes the global Sicilian diaspora to fund and incubate social enterprises in Sicily through its ONDA pre-incubation program and Pionieri community programs. It aggregates financial contributions, expertise, and connections from Sicilians worldwide (of origin, heart, and adoption) to address the island's depopulation and unemployment challenges, providing seed funding, training, and mentorship to selected social entrepreneurs.
Is Fondazione Marea a public or private company?
Fondazione Marea is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fondazione Marea founded?
Fondazione Marea was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fondazione Marea based?
Fondazione Marea is headquartered in Catania, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Fondazione Marea make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations (Pionieri) is the primary driver. The others are corporate Donations (Aziende Pioniere), 5x1000 Donations, testamentary Bequests (Lasciti) and free-form Donations.
Who are Fondazione Marea's main competitors?
Fondazione Italia per il Dono is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Fondazione Unipolis, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and Fondazione Cariplo. Direct peers are Fondazione di Comunità di Agrigento e Trapani, Fondazione di Comunità di Messina and Fondazione con il Sud. Fondazione Triulza is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fondazione Marea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fondazione Marea.
What industry is Fondazione Marea in?
Fondazione Marea's product category is Philanthropy and Social Enterprise Support. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.