Fundación Arquia

What Fundación Arquia does

Fundación Arquia is a Madrid-based Spanish non-profit cultural foundation established in 1990 and affiliated with Arquia Banca, a financial institution serving the architecture profession. The foundation supports architecture students, recent graduates, researchers, and practitioners across the Iberian Peninsula through a portfolio of grant, training, research, and cultural programs, with no disclosed commercial revenue and operations funded through institutional sponsorship from Arquia Banca.

Its product surface spans professional scholarships (arquia/becas, now in its 27th edition; arquia/becas formación; arquia/impulsa), research grants (Beca de Investigación Nueva York, jointly awarded with the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando), biennial competitions (arquia/tesis, XV edition in 2025), festivals (Festival arquia/próxima, X edition in 2026 under the 'TERRITORIO' theme; TAC! Festival de Arquitectura Urbana, V edition in 2026), and cultural content assets including a 259+ title editorial catalog, a Filmoteca of documentaries (with series such as EsPatrimonio Descúbrelo and the newly launched arquia/memorias audiovisual project), a Centro de Documentación, the Blog FQ, and the Red FQ professional community network. The foundation has supported 708+ grant beneficiaries cumulatively.

Distribution is digital-first via a multilingual platform (Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician, English, Portuguese) and the Tienda FQ online store, with physical reach through Arquia Banca's national branch network and partner venues (CCCB Barcelona, COAM Madrid). Strategic partnerships with the Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana, CSCAE, COAM, and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando anchor institutional legitimacy. The operating model is foundation-run cultural programming rather than a commercial technology or venture-backed business; no proprietary technology stack, AI capabilities, or external funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

Fundación Arquia

Legal name

Fundación Arquia

Website

https://fundacion.arquia.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Arquia is a Madrid-based non-profit cultural foundation affiliated with Arquia Banca that supports architecture students, graduates, researchers, and professionals across Spain through grants, training programs, research scholarships, biennial competitions, festivals, and a publishing catalog.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Cultural Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Architectural scholarships
• Architecture research grants
• Architecture publications
• Professional training programs
• Cultural foundation programs

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Operations (Corporate Sponsorship): Fundación Arquia operates as a cultural foundation sponsored by Arquia Banca (Arquia bank), a financial institution serving the architecture profession. The foundation does not appear to generate commercial revenue but receives institutional support to fund its cultural, educational, and professional development programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fundación Arquia is a non-profit cultural foundation that supports the architecture profession through competitive grant programs (professional scholarships, training grants, research grants in New York), biennial thesis competitions, cultural festivals (arquia/próxima for young architects, TAC! Urban Architecture Festival), editorial publications (259+ titles), a documentary film library, a documentation center, and a professional community network (Red FQ). Programs are provided free of charge to selected beneficiaries and are funded through institutional sponsorship from Arquia Banca.

Product overview

Fundación Arquia is a cultural foundation supporting architecture through multiple programs and services. The core offerings include professional scholarships (Arquia/becas, Arquia/becas formación, Arquia/impulsa), research grants (Arquia/investigación NY), competitions (Arquia/próxima festival, Arquia/tesis), and cultural content (Editorial publications, Filmoteca documentaries, Centro de Documentación). Additional services include a professional network (Comunidad Arquia), blog (Blog FQ), events calendar (Agenda), e-commerce store, and specialized festivals like TAC! Urban Architecture Festival and Arquia/memorias. The foundation operates as a platform connecting architecture professionals, students, and cultural institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arquia Banca: Banking services linked to the foundation, accessible via www.arquia.com
• Arquia Social

Products and services

• Arquia/becas (Professional Scholarships) Competitive professional scholarships for architecture graduates, providing grants and international placements in architecture studios and firms. Target audience: recent architecture graduates and young architects.
• Arquia/becas formación (Training Scholarships) Training scholarships for architecture students to gain practical experience in professional settings. Target audience: current architecture students.
• Arquia/investigación NY (New York Research Grant) Research scholarship in New York awarded in collaboration with the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Target audience: architecture researchers and academics.
• Arquia/impulsa (Career Development Grants) Professional grants for graduates in architecture to develop their career and projects. Target audience: architecture graduates seeking career and project development support.
• Arquia/tesis (Biennial Thesis Competition) Biennial thesis competition for architecture students and recent graduates across the Iberian Peninsula. Target audience: architecture thesis authors and recent graduates.
• Editorial (Architecture Publishing) Publishing program featuring architectural books, monographs, and cultural publications available in the online store. Target audience: architecture professionals, students, and cultural consumers.
• Filmoteca (Architecture Film Library) Audiovisual library containing documentaries about architecture, including collections like EsPatrimonio Descúbrelo and the arquia/documental series. Target audience: architecture professionals, students, and cultural consumers.
• Centro de Documentación (Architecture Documentation Center) Architecture documentation center with catalogued resources for research and study. Target audience: architecture researchers, academics, and students.
• Tienda FQ (Online Store) Online store for purchasing foundation publications, books, and architectural collections. Target audience: architecture professionals, students, and cultural consumers.
• Blog FQ Editorial blog featuring architectural commentary and cultural analysis. Target audience: architecture professionals, students, and cultural consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 708+ beneficiaries supported through grant programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda UrbanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda collaborates with Fundación Arquia as a strategic partner for the TAC! Festival de Arquitectura Urbana 2026. This partnership demonstrates institutional government support for the foundation's urban architecture initiatives, with the ministry serving as co-presenter of the festival's 5th edition held in Barcelona and Sestao.
• Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San FernandocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando collaborates with Fundación Arquia on the Beca de Investigación en Nueva York (Research Grant in New York). This prestigious partnership combines the foundation's grant program with the academy's academic authority, jointly awarding the 2026 research grant to architect Ana Gallego Pasadas for her project on Chinatown in New York.
• CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona serves as the Barcelona venue for TAC! Festival de Arquitectura Urbana 2026. The festival runs October 1 to December 1 at CCCB Barcelona, hosting temporary pavilion installations and architectural programming.
• COAM (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025COAM collaborates with Fundación Arquia on the annual PFC/TFM awards competition, with foundation grant recipients recognized in the competition rankings. The COAM also hosted the presentation of the third season of EsPatrimonio Descúbrelo program.
• CSCAE (Consejo Superior de Colegios de Arquitectos de España)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CSCAE partners with Fundación Arquia on the annual Premios Arquitectura awards program, with foundation alumni and grant recipients featured among the award winners in the V Edición 2026.
• New GenerationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New Generations serves as the editorial director for the Blog FQ 2026-2027 season, 'Ecosistemas Interconectados.' This partnership brings a fresh perspective to the foundation's editorial content.
• Marco LógicominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Marco Lógico produced the third season of 'EsPatrimonio Descúbrelo' program, resulting in seven new documentaries added to the foundation's Filmoteca covering notable architectural heritage sites.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Graham Foundation: Chicago-based foundation that provides grants to individuals and institutions for innovative projects in architecture and the built environment. Highly comparable as a grantmaking foundation dedicated to supporting architecture through competitive funding programs.
• Fundació Mies van der Rohe: Barcelona-based architecture foundation that organizes the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Award). Most direct comparable as a Spain-based architecture-focused cultural foundation supporting the profession through awards and programming.
• Architectural League of New York: NYC-based nonprofit that organizes exhibitions, lectures, competitions, and prizes for emerging architects and designers. Comparable as an architecture-focused cultural organization supporting emerging professionals through competitions and programming.
• Storefront for Art and Architecture: NYC nonprofit dedicated to experimental architecture and design through exhibitions, events, and publications. Comparable as a cultural institution using exhibitions and programming to support architectural innovation and emerging voices.
• Fundación COAM: Foundation of the Official College of Architects of Madrid, supporting cultural, educational, and professional development activities for architecture. Directly comparable as a Spanish architecture foundation with overlapping program types (awards, publications, events).
• Fundación Arquitectura y Sociedad: Spanish foundation promoting dialogue between architecture and society through forums, publications, and events. Comparable as a Spain-based cultural foundation focused on architectural discourse and cultural exchange.

Broad incumbents

• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects): UK professional body for architects that runs awards, exhibitions, educational programs, and a cultural venue. Comparable as an established architecture institution combining professional development, cultural programming, and grants, though with much broader scope and scale.
• Fundación "la Caixa": One of Spain's largest cultural and social foundations, with extensive programming in arts, culture, and education. Comparable as a major Spanish cultural foundation with grantmaking and cultural programming, though at substantially larger scale.
• Fundación MAPFRE: Major Spanish cultural foundation sponsoring exhibitions, publications, and educational programs across multiple disciplines. Comparable as a Spain-based cultural foundation with grantmaking and event programming, though broader in scope than architecture.

Others

• Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility: US-based nonprofit supporting socially responsible architecture through grants and advocacy. Loosely comparable as a foundation supporting architecture professionals, but with a distinct advocacy and social justice focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arquia
• Facebookfacebook.com/arquia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacionarquia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Arquia