What La Fondation Dassault Systèmes does

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes is a non-profit corporate foundation established in 2015 by Dassault Systèmes, the French 3D design software company. The foundation's mission is to fund innovative non-profit projects in Education, Research, and Cultural Heritage, with a particular emphasis on using 3D simulation, virtual worlds, and digital twin technology to transform learning practices and preserve heritage. It operates through three regional entities in Europe, India, and the United States, each with its own board of directors and selection committee, and accepts project submissions from schools, universities, research institutions, museums, and NGOs based in those regions.

The foundation is not a commercial software vendor; rather, it channels grants and provides recipients with access to Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform and related 3D content-creation and simulation tools. Its underlying technology stack leverages the parent's proprietary virtual-worlds and digital-twin capabilities, applied in non-commercial contexts such as K-12 STEM programs (e.g., the FabMaker Studio with Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity), teacher industry-immersion initiatives (with CGénial Foundation), medical 3D training (with MIT World Peace University in India), and environmental/ocean education projects (e.g., Mission Ocean). Since 2015 the foundation has supported more than 200 projects globally.

Its business model is philanthropic grant-making rather than revenue-generating. The foundation does not charge fees, license software, or sell products; funding originates from parent Dassault Systèmes and is distributed to qualifying applicants selected through regional committees that meet two to three times per year. Headcount stands at approximately 57 employees spread across the three regional foundations, and governance is provided by senior Dassault Systèmes executives including Bernard Charlès (Co-founder), Thibault de Tersant (President), and board members from the parent's People, Legal, Research, and Americas functions.

Name

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes

Legal name

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes

Website

https://lafondation3ds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes is a non-profit corporate foundation established in 2015 by Dassault Systèmes to grant-fund innovative education, research, and cultural-heritage projects across Europe, India, and the United States, leveraging the parent's 3D simulation technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Philanthropy and Grant Foundation

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Corporate grant foundation
• STEM education funding
• Research grant programs
• Cultural heritage preservation
• 3D virtual world learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Philanthropic Funding: La Fondation Dassault Systèmes is a corporate foundation that provides grants and funding to support innovative projects in education, research, and cultural heritage. As a foundation, it does not generate commercial revenue but distributes funds from its parent company Dassault Systèmes to qualifying non-profit organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes is a non-profit corporate foundation that provides grants and project support to schools, universities, research centers, museums, and non-profit organizations across three pillars: Education, Research, and Cultural Heritage. It enables grantees to leverage Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform and 3D virtual world technologies for academic, scientific, and heritage preservation projects in Europe, India, and the United States.

Product overview

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes is a grant-making foundation (not a commercial product company) that funds innovative projects in three core areas: Education, Research, and Cultural Heritage. The foundation supports schools, universities, research institutions, museums, and non-profit organizations by providing grants and leveraging Dassault Systèmes' 3D EXPERIENCE platform and virtual world technologies. Project support is delivered through three regional foundations operating in Europe, India, and the United States. The organization does not sell commercial software products; instead, it enables beneficiaries to access and utilize 3D technologies for educational and research purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Projects Support Grant program supporting innovative non-profit educational initiatives that leverage 3D and virtual world technologies to transform learning experiences for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
• Research Projects Support Grant program enabling researchers to work on lifelike digital models of the real world, supporting scientific research focused on sustainable development challenges.
• Cultural Heritage Projects Support Grant program using 3D simulation technology to model, preserve, and share knowledge about world heritage sites and cultural artifacts for future generations.
• Project Submission Platform Online platform allowing project leaders based in Europe, India, and the United States to submit applications for funding consideration across Education and Research domains, with regional eligibility criteria and dedicated application forms per region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ projects supported since 2015
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity (RCTLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to develop and deploy FabMaker Studio program bringing meaningful STEM education to young learners (ages 5-14) through hands-on 3D design and fabrication, with focus on equity in access to STEM studies and careers.
• CGénial FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the 'Professeurs en Entreprise' initiative which offers high-school teachers opportunities to visit industrial R&D sites, helping them better guide students in career plans and illustrate industry-related issues.
• YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with YMCA (serving 60+ million beneficiaries through 120 global associations) to scale STEM education through afterschool and summer camp programs, introducing engineering design to young learners in school and out-of-school settings.
• MIT World Peace UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in India supporting the development of a training curriculum providing medical students and residents with hands-on learning workshops on 3D technologies, modeling, scanning, printing, and AR/VR applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tata Trusts: India's largest private philanthropic vehicle funds education, health, and cultural heritage at significant scale. Comparable as an India-active corporate-affiliated philanthropy with overlapping education and heritage missions.

Direct peers

• Autodesk Foundation: Autodesk's corporate foundation supports design-software-enabled impact in education, sustainability, and the arts globally. Directly comparable as another design-software corporate foundation combining grantmaking with proprietary technology access.
• Wipro Foundation: Wipro's corporate foundation funds education, skills, and sustainability in India. Comparable as a tech-corporate foundation operating in India on STEM-education grantmaking, sharing both geography and mission with La Fondation's India operations.
• LEGO Foundation: The LEGO Foundation funds global research and programs on learning through play, with a heavy emphasis on early childhood and STEM. Comparable as a corporate foundation using a proprietary educational modality to fund research and curriculum programs.
• Infosys Foundation: Infosys's corporate foundation is a major India-based grantmaker for education, research, and rural development, and shares La Fondation's use of parent-company technology platforms for STEM learning. Strongly comparable on India-region STEM grantmaking.
• Siemens Stiftung: Siemens Stiftung is a German industrial corporate foundation supporting education, social enterprise, and cultural engagement internationally, with strong parallels in STEM-education grantmaking rooted in parent-company technology.

Regional players

• Fondation de France: France's largest philanthropic foundation aggregates and manages hundreds of sub-foundations supporting education, research, and heritage. Comparable as a France-headquartered multipurpose grantmaking institution with overlapping thematic focus.

Others

• Smithsonian Institution: US national museum complex engaged in cultural-heritage preservation, research, and education programming. Comparable thematically as a heritage/education institution, though not a corporate grantmaking foundation.

Broad incumbents

• Google.org: Google's philanthropic arm funds large-scale education, economic opportunity, and inclusion programs globally with materially larger grantmaking capacity. Comparable as a tech-company foundation focused on education access and digital skill-building.
• Microsoft Philanthropies: Microsoft's philanthropic entity supports nonprofits and education through cash grants, software donations, and technology partnerships. Directly comparable as a global tech corporate foundation with parallel STEM-education objectives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-fondation-dassault-syst%C3%A8mes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 La Fondation Dassault Systèmes