What Fundación SM does

Fundación SM (legal name Fundación Santa María) is a private non-profit educational foundation established in 1977, headquartered in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid), Spain. It is the owner of the Grupo SM educational publishing group and operates with an Iberoamerican mandate to ensure that no child is left behind, promoting educational equity and quality across seven countries: Brazil, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. The foundation works through four intervention areas — educational research, teacher training, integral literacy, and socio-educational intervention — delivered via five strategic pillars: continuing teacher education, reading promotion, educational research, socio-educational projects, and a corporate volunteering program.

Its core offerings are organized around three wholly-owned operating subsidiaries: IDEA (Instituto de Evaluación y Asesoramiento Educativo, founded 1999), which provides educational evaluation and advisory services to public administrations, educational institutions, and civil society organizations across the Iberoamerican region; ORE (Observatorio de la Religión en la Escuela, launched 2019), a research observatory focused on religious education in schools; and OES (Observatorio de la Escuela en Iberoamérica), an observatory on schools and education in Iberoamerica that publishes studies and the EDUforics journal. Additional programs include the 'Los futuros de la educación' initiative (anchored in a UNESCO report), an Observatorio de la Juventud en Iberoamérica, and distribution of the UNESCO Courier magazine in multiple languages. The foundation joined the EU-funded CREATECH Consortium (Erasmus+, 2023-2025) on creative digital pedagogy with cultural heritage education.

Fundación SM does not operate a commercial revenue model. As a non-profit entity without disclosed financials, it is funded primarily through its ownership of Grupo SM and supplemented by grants, government research contracts, and institutional partnerships. Its customer base is institutional rather than commercial: government education ministries in Spain (Junta de Extremadura, Gobierno de Aragón), Chile, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic; multilateral bodies including UNESCO and the Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI); NGOs such as Save the Children; and education networks like Fundación Educativa Marianista Domingo Lázaro. No funding rounds, M&A transactions, or leadership changes are documented in the source material. The foundation has no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capabilities, and no patents or trademarks.

Name

Fundación SM

Legal name

FUNDACIÓN SANTA MARÍA

Website

https://fundacion-sm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación SM is a non-profit educational foundation founded in 1977, owner of the Grupo SM educational group. It operates across seven Iberoamerican countries delivering teacher training, educational research, reading promotion, and socio-educational programs via subsidiaries IDEA, ORE, and OES.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research and Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Educational research services
• Teacher training programs
• Reading promotion initiatives
• Educational evaluation services
• Socio-educational projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Boadilla del Monte

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation funding: As a non-profit educational institution, Fundación SM operates primarily through funding from Grupo SM and potentially other donors and grants. The foundation focuses on social impact rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fundación SM is a non-profit educational foundation that operates through five core activity areas: continuing teacher training, reading promotion, educational research, socio-educational projects, and volunteering. It runs dedicated research institutes and observatories (IDEA, ORE, OES, OJI) that produce educational evaluations, studies, and reports for public administrations, educational institutions, and civil society organizations across Iberoamerica.

Product overview

Fundación SM is a non-profit educational institution with Iberoamerican presence operating as a foundation with multiple programs and research initiatives rather than a unified technology product. Its core offerings include IDEA (educational evaluation and research institute), ORE (Religious Education Observatory), OES (School Observatory in Iberoamerica), and various educational programs for teacher training, reading promotion, and socio-educational projects. The organization also distributes UNESCO publications and conducts research on youth, religious education, and educational systems across Latin America and Spain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IDEA (Instituto de Evaluación y Asesoramiento Educativo) IDEA offers educational evaluation services, conducts research studies, and evaluates projects and programs for public administrations, educational institutions, and civil society organizations across Iberoamerica.
• ORE (Observatorio de la Religión en la Escuela) ORE is a program of Fundación SM focused on being a reference for religious education in educational systems, providing analysis and research for the educational community and society.
• OES (Observatorio de la Escuela en Iberoamérica) OES provides studies, publications, and the EDUforics journal for educational innovation in Iberoamerica.
• OJI (Observatorio de la Juventud en Iberoamérica) OJI promotes research on youth and education in Iberoamerica to provide rigorous information that stimulates reflection, dialogue, and decision-making.
• Los futuros de la educación Educational futures initiative inviting collaborative work to improve education globally, based on UNESCO's report on a new social contract for education.
• Formación continua del Profesorado (Teacher Continuing Education) Teacher professional development programs aimed at renewing motivation and generating spaces for reflection, implemented across Brazil, Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
• Fomento de la Lectura (Reading Promotion) Programs promoting reading habits and literary production for children and youth audiences across Brazil, Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
• Investigación Educativa (Educational Research) Educational research initiatives to map the reality of education globally, including studies on youth, religious education, and the impact of COVID-19 on education.
• Proyectos Socioeducativos (Socio-educational Projects) Contributions to improve the quality of educational systems by supporting initiatives from various institutions, including international collaborations like the CREATECH Consortium under the European Commission Erasmus+ program.
• Voluntariado (Volunteering) Program that promotes the participation of SM professionals in projects and actions contributing to educational equity and the emotional well-being of children, youth, and young people.
• El Correo de la UNESCO publications distribution Partnership with UNESCO to distribute the UNESCO Courier magazine and related educational publications in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French, English, Russian, Korean, Esperanto, and Portuguese.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 160,000 students and 20,000 teachers participated in the 'Volvemos a clase' COVID-19 impact study
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CREATECH Consortium (European Commission Erasmus+)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CREATECH is a two-year initiative (2023-2025) funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program. Coordinated by the National Association for Heritage Education of Finland, it involves INTO SCHOOL (Finland), Fundación SM (Spain), KulturAll (Serbia), and HARP (Italy) to combine creative digital pedagogy and transmedia storytelling with cultural heritage education.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022IDEA (Instituto de Evaluación y Asesoramiento Educativo) of Fundación SM partnered with Save the Children to conduct a diagnosis on coexistence, socio-emotional learning, and protection from violence in educational centers.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundación SM has a strong partnership with UNESCO, co-publishing educational reports including 'Reimaginar juntos nuestros futuros: Un nuevo contrato social por la Educación', 'Informe mundial sobre el personal docente UNESCO-Fundación SM', and 'Marco de acción para garantizar el derecho a la educación'. The foundation also supports the UNESCO 'Los futuros de la educación' initiative inspired by the UNESCO report.
• Ministerio de Educación de República DominicanamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Education for educational research and evaluation services.
• Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OEI for educational research and initiatives in the Iberoamerican region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) - Education Division: Multilateral lender financing large-scale education programs across Latin America and the Caribbean; competes with and complements foundations for ministry-level education partnerships.
• UNESCO: Global education policy and research organization with which Fundación SM co-publishes flagship reports. Functions as both a partner and a peer in the education research and convening space.
• OECD - Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI): International organization producing comparative education research and policy advice; competes with Fundación SM for visibility on Iberoamerican policy debates and ministry advisory work.

Direct peers

• Fundación Carolina: Spain-based foundation promoting educational and cultural cooperation between Spain and Latin America; overlapping mission, geography, and government-relationship profile.
• Save the Children: International NGO running education and child-protection programs in Iberoamerica; joint partner with Fundación SM's IDEA on school coexistence and protection-from-violence research.
• Entreculturas - Fe y Alegría: Spanish Jesuit-founded NGO running educational programs across Iberoamerica with a faith-rooted but broader equity orientation; highly comparable scope, target beneficiaries, and channel mix.
• Fundación Itaú Social: Brazilian philanthropic foundation focused on public education, with operating presence in several of the same Latin American countries as Fundación SM; comparable model and educational equity focus.
• Fundación Telefónica: Spanish-origin corporate foundation running large-scale education and digital-skills programs across Iberoamerica; directly comparable operating geography and educational mission.
• Instituto Natura: Brazilian non-profit dedicated to public education, teacher development, and educational research; comparable scope, customer base (government + teachers), and Latin American geographic focus.
• OEI - Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos: Iberoamerican intergovernmental organization focused on education, science, and culture across the same set of countries as Fundación SM. Already a named partner of Fundación SM; highly comparable mission and geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 SM