Asociación Civil Solar

What Asociación Civil Solar does

Asociación Civil Solar is a private non-profit civil association founded in 2015 in Lima, Peru, that promotes open government practices in cultural governance at local, regional, and national levels. The organization operates as a civil society actor, not a technology product company, and serves cultural organizations, government institutions (notably the Ministry of Culture Peru), and independent artists seeking to participate in cultural policy design. Solar's core offerings center on civic methodologies and research outputs rather than commercial products: the Encuentros Nacionales de Cultura (annual national cultural conferences first held in 2011), the Programa Descentralizado de Pre/Encuentros (a 2016-2017 methodology program running 25 encounters across 15 regions with 600+ participants), the Agenda de Incidencia Compartida (a decentralized policy advocacy tool developed under APOC), and Culturaperu.org (a civil-society-designed Cultural Information System mapping approximately 1,000 cultural organizations).

Solar generates no commercial revenue. Its funding derives from international cooperation grants (notably UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural Diversity in 2019, which awarded the APOC project the highest evaluation score), multilateral partnerships (UNESCO, OAS), and member/institutional contributions. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by Director and Co-Founder Mauricio Delfín, alongside Co-Founder Lucia Cuba and Board Member José Aburto. Its distribution approach combines direct engagement with government, a 9-region working-table network, and global knowledge-sharing via UNESCO platforms and Latin American open-data partners such as ILDA. The organization has been featured in UNESCO's 2018 World Report and contributed to UNESCO's 2022 global report on cultural policy.

Name

Asociación Civil Solar

Legal name

Asociación Civil Solar

Website

https://solar.pe

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asociación Civil Solar is a Peruvian non-profit civil association, founded in 2015, that promotes open government, citizen participation, and transparency in cultural governance. It serves cultural organizations, the Ministry of Culture Peru, and independent artists through civic methodology programs, research reports, and a Cultural Information System.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Governance Advocacy

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Cultural governance advocacy
• Open government consulting
• Civic participation programs
• Cultural policy research
• Civil society capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Lima

HQ country

Peru

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Asociación Civil Solar is a Peruvian non-profit civil society organization that promotes open government in culture by facilitating citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in cultural governance at local, regional, and national levels. It delivers civic methodology programs (such as the Pre/Encounters and Encuentros Nacionales de Cultura), research reports on cultural governance and open data, and educational webinars targeting cultural managers, civil society organizations, and public institutions in Peru and Latin America.

Product overview

Asociación Civil Solar is a non-profit civil society organization (founded 2015) that does not offer a commercial software product or SaaS platform. Its work consists of advocacy programs, civic methodologies, and research outputs centered on open government for culture. Key offerings include Culturaperu.org (a civil-society-designed Cultural Information System), the Encuentros Nacionales de Cultura (national civic conferences), the Programa Descentralizado de Pre/Encuentros (regional forum methodology program), and the Agenda de Incidencia Compartida (a decentralized policy advocacy tool). These programs collectively aim to open cultural governance to citizen participation, transparency, and accountability at local, regional, and national levels in Peru. SOLAR also produces research reports (Informe AbreCultura, Informe sobre Gobernanza Cultural y Datos Abiertos) and delivers webinars on cultural policy and governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culturaperu.org A Cultural Information System (SIC) designed and maintained by civil society, mapping hundreds of cultural organizations across Peru (approximately 1,000 entities) to make them visible and capable of collaboration. Targeted at cultural organizations, civil society, and policymakers.
• Encuentros Nacionales de Cultura (ENC) Annual national cultural conferences organized by civil society to develop, exchange, and promote ideas on cultural governance. First held in 2011; since 2017 the events have validated the Agenda de Incidencia Compartida and formed the APOC alliance. Targeted at cultural organizations and policymakers.
• Programa Descentralizado de Pre/Encuentros A 9-month decentralized program of local and thematic civic forums organized by a network of 25 working groups across 15 regions of Peru (2016-2017). Each Pre/Encounter applied consistent methodology to identify civic agendas for cultural policy transformation. Targeted at civil society organizations and regional cultural actors.
• Agenda de Incidencia Compartida (AIC) A decentralized strategy and tool generated by APOC for the transformation of cultural policies at local, regional, and national levels. Contains 70+ pages across 12 chapters. Targeted at civil society organizations advocating for cultural policy reform.
• Informe AbreCultura A 2015 report mapping civic experiences of citizen participation in cultural policy across Latin America, examining open government, transparency, and accountability from an intercultural perspective. Targeted at cultural managers, researchers, and policymakers.
• Informe sobre Gobernanza Cultural y Datos Abiertos Report titled 'Cultural Governance and Open Data: Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Sectors in Peru' (2021) developed by director Mauricio Delfín with support from ILDA, examining open data applications in cultural governance. Targeted at policymakers, civil society, and open data practitioners.
• Webinars / Virtual seminars Virtual seminars on cultural governance, citizen participation, cultural policies, COVID-19 impact on the cultural sector, and UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity (FIDC) applications. Directed at cultural managers and organizations across Latin America.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ citizens engaged across 15 regions in decentralized cultural governance program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ILDA (Iniciativa Latinoamericana de Datos Abiertos)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021ILDA supported the development of the 'Cultural Governance and Open Data: Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Sectors in Peru' report (2021) developed by Mauricio Delfín. This partnership enabled research on the intersection of open data and cultural governance in Peru, contributing to Solar's evidence-based advocacy work.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Solar's director contributed Chapter 4 to UNESCO World Report 2018 'Re|Pensar las Políticas Culturales'. The chapter highlighted Solar's Pre/Encounters program as exemplary model of civil society engagement in cultural governance. Solar continues to participate in UNESCO panels and events including the 7th Conference of Parties.
• APOC (Alianza Peruana de Organizaciones Culturales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Solar served as Technical Secretariat of APOC from 2017 to 2019, coordinating 30+ allied organizations and 9 regional working tables. This partnership involved developing the Agenda de Incidencia Compartida (Shared Advocacy Agenda) and organizing National Cultural Encounters. Solar transferred the role in November 2019 to organizations in Trujillo and Cusco.
• Culturaperu.orgcoreOthers · 1 January 2015Culturaperu.org (2009-2019) was Solar's predecessor initiative, a Cultural Information System designed and maintained by civil society. It mapped hundreds of cultural organizations and served as foundation for Solar's open government work.
• Tándem - Critical Reflection Group on Cultural PolicyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Mauricio Delfín served as associate researcher at Tándem, a critical reflection group on cultural policies that contributed to Solar's analytical framework for open government and civic participation.
• Encuentro Nacional de Cultura (ENC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Solar helped establish and sustain the National Cultural Encounter (ENC), an annual platform for dialogue and debate on cultural policies. Solar coordinated the 5th ENC (2017) and supported the 6th ENC (2019). The ENC brought together hundreds of cultural organizations to develop shared advocacy strategies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Iniciativa Latinoamericana de Datos Abiertos (ILDA): Latin American open data initiative that directly partnered with Solar to produce the 2021 Cultural Governance and Open Data report. Operates in the same intersection of open government, civic data, and civil society capacity building across the region.
• Alianza Peruana de Organizaciones Culturales (APOC): The Peruvian Alliance of Cultural Organizations that Solar coordinated as Technical Secretariat from 2017 to 2019. Directly comparable network of cultural civil society organizations working on cultural policy advocacy in Peru.
• IberCultura Viva: Ibero-American inter-governmental program fostering cultural community networks across Latin America. Closely aligned with Solar's mission to strengthen civil society participation in cultural policy, with overlapping regional scope and partner organizations.

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA): Global network of arts councils and cultural agencies, affiliated with UNESCO, working on cultural policy development. Comparable to Solar in its cultural governance focus but serves government agencies rather than civil society directly.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP): International multi-stakeholder initiative promoting open government reforms globally. Operates in the same open government and civic participation space as Solar but at a global policy level rather than as a single-country civil society organization.
• Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI): Ibero-American intergovernmental organization for cooperation in education, science, and culture. Comparable to Solar's cultural governance focus but operates as an established multilateral institution rather than a grassroots civil society organization.

Emerging players

• RedGE (Red Peruana por la Globalización con Equidad): Peruvian civil society network coordinating organizations on global equity, policy, and governance issues. Operates in the same civil society coordination and policy advocacy space in Peru as Solar but with a broader development agenda beyond culture.
• Cultura Viva Comunitaria: Latin American community culture movement promoting grassroots cultural initiatives and civic participation through community-based cultural organizations. Shares Solar's focus on citizen-led cultural governance but emphasizes community cultural production over policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/civilsolar
• Facebookfacebook.com/civilsolar
• Instagraminstagram.com/civilsolar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civilsolar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Asociación Civil Solar