Fundação São Paulo

What Fundação São Paulo does

Fundação São Paulo (FUNDASP) is a private non-profit charitable foundation established in 1945 in São Paulo, Brazil, operating as the maintaining entity (mantenedora) of higher education institutions and supplementary service units. Its core portfolio comprises Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), which delivers 33 undergraduate programs across five campuses (Ipiranga, Marquês de Paranaguá, Monte Alegre, Santana, and Sorocaba) with more than 90% of faculty holding doctorate or post-doctorate degrees, and Centro Universitário Assunção. Two supplementary units extend operations beyond academia: Hospital Santa Lucinda, which provides healthcare services in Sorocaba under the SUS public health system and private care, and Derdic, which delivers arts-based therapeutic services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additional service units include Vestibulares e Concursos (entrance examinations), Labô and Núcleo Lumen (research and continuing education), Núcleo FCPE (teacher training), and Arquivo Metropolitano (historical archives).

The foundation's technology stack is conventional educational IT rather than differentiated: Microsoft Office 365 Educacional distributed free to students and faculty (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive), Moodle LMS with password synchronization to Office 365, a customized GLPI-based help desk (Portal de Chamados), Vivo VoIP telephony, Microsoft Authenticator for MFA, and Turnitin for plagiarism detection. An Information Security Committee formalized in March 2022 oversees cybersecurity across the institution. The foundation publishes a Radar newsletter and maintains an institutional website (fundasp.org.br) as primary communications channels.

FUNDASP generates revenue through three principal streams: tuition and educational fees at PUC-SP and Centro Universitário Assunção (heavily subsidized via 100% and 50% scholarships for low-income families, Prouni, and the Ser PUC endowment), public contracts and competitive bids for services and equipment (Divisão de Serviços Administrativos e Suprimentos), and healthcare revenue at Hospital Santa Lucinda from SUS reimbursements and private patients. The foundation operates as a CEBAS-certified charitable entity with Public Utility status at federal, state, and municipal levels, qualifying it for tax exemptions and preferential public contracting. Customer segments are primarily individual university students, supplemented by healthcare patients, special-needs families, and institutional partners (Microsoft, Georgetown University, Instituto Confúcio). Geographic scope is domestic, concentrated in São Paulo state.

Name

Fundação São Paulo

Legal name

Fundação São Paulo

Website

https://fundasp.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Fundação São Paulo (FUNDASP) is a 1945-founded non-profit educational foundation in São Paulo, Brazil, maintaining PUC-SP and Centro Universitário Assunção universities across five campuses, plus Hospital Santa Lucinda and Derdic supplementary units, serving students, patients, and community through subsidized Catholic higher education and social programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Institutional Financial Aid Offices (Schools/Colleges/Universities) (EDADAHAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Community health services
• Scholarship programs
• Nonprofit educational foundation
• Social assistance services

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Fees: Revenue from tuition fees at PUC-SP and Centro Universitário Assunção, with significant scholarship programs (100% and 50% FUNDASP scholarships, Prouni scholarships) reducing effective revenue per student.
2. Public Contracts and Agreements: Revenue from contracts and agreements with government entities including public bids for services, equipment procurement, and project implementation under public funding.
3. Healthcare Services (Hospital Santa Lucinda): Hospital services revenue including SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde) payments and private patient services at the supplementary healthcare unit in Sorocaba.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fundação São Paulo (FUNDASP) is a private non-profit foundation that maintains higher education institutions (PUC-SP with 33 undergraduate programs across five campuses, and Centro Universitário Assunção), supplementary units including Hospital Santa Lucinda (healthcare) and Derdic (special needs support), and operates social assistance programs such as scholarships and food assistance. The foundation also provides service units for entrance examinations, research, continuing education, and historical archiving.

Product overview

Fundação São Paulo operates as a private educational foundation maintaining higher education institutions. Its portfolio consists of two universities (PUC-SP and Centro Universitário Assunção), two supplementary units (Derdic offering arts-based support for children with autism, and Hospital Santa Lucinda providing healthcare), and multiple service units (Vestibulares e Concursos for entrance exams, Labô and Núcleo Lumen for research/education, Arquivo Metropolitano for historical archives, and Núcleo FCPE for teacher training). The foundation also provides student support services including scholarship programs (Bolsa de Estudo FUNDASP, Bolsa de Estudo Ser PUC) and food assistance (Bolsa-Alimentação). Technology services include student and faculty portals, IT help desk (Portal de Chamados), and Office 365 Educacional access. These offerings collectively support the foundation's mission of promoting education, research, and community service since 1945.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radar FUNDASP: News portal covering events and activities of Fundação São Paulo and its maintained institutions
• Ser PUC
• Incentive (3+3)

Products and services

• PUC-SP (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo) A private Catholic university maintained by Fundação São Paulo, offering 33 undergraduate programs across five campuses with over 90% of faculty holding doctoral or post-doctoral degrees. Emphasizes humanistic education, free thought, and critical thinking.
• Centro Universitário Assunção A university center maintained by Fundação São Paulo providing higher education programs in line with the foundation's Catholic mission.
• Derdic Supplementary educational unit providing therapeutic and artistic support services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (TEA) and their families.
• Hospital Santa Lucinda Hospital located in Sorocaba providing healthcare services, including SUS (Brazilian public health system) services and supplementary private healthcare.
• Vestibulares e Concursos Service unit that elaborates, organizes, and conducts entrance examinations and selection processes for internal and external entities.
• Labô Teaching, research, and knowledge-sharing space offering courses, lectures, and research projects through national and international partnerships.
• Arquivo Metropolitano Metropolitan Archive of São Paulo housing historical and civil records of the State of São Paulo and the Metropolitan Curia, including parish records of births, marriages, deaths, and properties.
• Núcleo Lumen Education, research, and knowledge-sharing center offering courses, lectures, and research projects through partnerships.
• Núcleo FCPE (Núcleo de Formação Continuada para Profissionais da Educação) Continuing education center offering training for educators and managers of Catholic, public, and private educational institutions.
• Bolsa de Estudo FUNDASP Scholarship program offering 100% and 50% tuition coverage based on socioeconomic conditions. Full scholarships available for families earning up to 1.5 minimum wages per capita; partial scholarships for up to 3 minimum wages.
• Bolsa-Alimentação Food assistance program providing one meal daily for students in single-shift programs and two meals daily for students in dual-shift programs, available to PUC-SP and Assunção scholarship recipients.
• Bolsa de Estudo Ser PUC Endowment fund program engaging alumni to contribute financially to reduce university dropout rates among students lacking financial resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 undergraduate programs offered
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georgetown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership between IRO (International Relations Office) and Georgetown University to enhance English language skills of Centro Universitário Assunção students. Part of ongoing internationalization efforts to provide global academic exposure.
• Instituto ConfúciocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with Instituto Confúcio (Confucius Institute) to benefit employees and students of FUNDASP and its maintained institutions through Chinese language and culture programs.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Office 365 Educacional partnership providing free access to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, and OneDrive for students and faculty. Cloud-based collaboration platform enabling remote learning and administrative work.
• FEHOSP (Federação das Santas Casas e Hospitais Beneficentes do Estado de São Paulo)minorOthersHospital Santa Lucinda is affiliated with FEHOSP, the federation of Santa Casas and Beneficent Hospitals of São Paulo state.
• IRO (International Relations Office) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Relations Office coordinates academic partnerships with foreign institutions to be executed through maintained educational institutions, promoting internationalization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hospital Sírio-Libanês: São Paulo-based non-profit hospital affiliated with FEHOSP-like federation. Comparable to Hospital Santa Lucinda as a charitable hospital operating in São Paulo with both SUS and private services.
• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein: Large São Paulo-based non-profit hospital. Comparable to Hospital Santa Lucinda as a charitable hospital serving SUS and private patients, with a far broader scale and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV): Brazilian private non-profit foundation maintaining higher education institutions (FGV EAESP, FGV Direito, etc.). Most comparable to FUNDASP as a non-profit foundation serving as the mantenedora of multiple educational institutions in São Paulo.
• PUC Minas (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais): Another Pontifical Catholic University that is a member of the same Catholic university network. Comparable scale, mission, and operational model to PUC-SP/FUNDASP.
• Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie: São Paulo-based confessional private university. Comparable as a faith-affiliated, non-profit higher education institution serving similar student demographics and operating under analogous regulatory frameworks.
• PUC-Rio (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro): Sister Pontifical Catholic University maintained by a separate Catholic foundation. Direct peer offering comparable Catholic higher education, scholarships, and research profile in Brazil.
• Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP): São Paulo-based non-profit foundation maintaining FAAP university. Comparable to FUNDASP as a private foundation maintaining higher education institutions in São Paulo with similar philanthropic mission.
• PUC-RS (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul): Regional Pontifical Catholic University with multi-campus portfolio and hospital/healthcare operations. Comparable as a Catholic university foundation with similar diversified academic and healthcare operations.

Emerging players

• Insper: São Paulo-based non-profit higher education institution focused on business, engineering, and public policy. Comparable as a regional, non-profit private university competing in similar São Paulo student market segments.
• Universidade Anhembi Morumbi: São Paulo-based private university with similar multi-campus structure. Comparable as a competing private higher education institution in São Paulo, though operating as a for-profit versus FUNDASP's non-profit model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/funda%C3%A7%C3%A3o-s%C3%A3o-paulo

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fundação São Paulo