FEC
FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação) is a Portuguese Catholic-inspired development foundation that implements education, early childhood development, child protection, and gender equality projects in Portuguese-speaking African countries, coordinating a 61-organization missionary volunteer network and funded by Camões I.P., the EU, and Misereor.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersLisbon, Portugal
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FEC does
FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação) is a Portuguese Catholic-inspired non-governmental development foundation headquartered in Lisbon, with country offices in Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) and Maputo (Mozambique). Founded in 1988 (per the company history; firmographics state 1990), FEC coordinates the Missionary Volunteer Network of 61 member organizations and implements cooperation projects in education, early childhood development, child protection, gender equality, and cultural heritage across Portuguese-speaking African countries. In 2025 it ran 18 active projects, reached 22,000+ people through awareness campaigns, and trained 4,920 participants, with flagship multi-year programs including Jovens Leitores (Guinea-Bissau literacy), Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé and Eu Importo! (Mozambique early childhood development), PESIDE (Guinea-Bissau education statistics with the Ministry of Education), Nô ruma no kasa (child shelter support), Mindjoria Pa Mindjer (gender-based violence prevention), and Cultura i nô balur (cultural heritage).
FEC delivers its work through community-led and event-driven models rather than proprietary technology: it operates via direct project implementation with local NGO partners, university collaborators (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Universidade Rovuma, Universidade Pedagógica de Maputo, Catholic University of Guinea-Bissau, IE-UL), government technical departments, and faith-based networks (REPI, Rede DPI, Caritas Guinea-Bissau, the Plataforma dos Bispos Lusófonos). The technical core is pedagogical — educator training kits, "Pedagogical Trunks" delivered to pre-schools, illustrated children's literature, radio programs (Hora do Conto, Minutos da Música), Theater of the Oppressed performances, and capacity-building curricula — rather than software products.
The funding model is non-commercial: institutional grants from Portuguese cooperation (Camões, I.P.), the European Union, Misereor, supplemented by individual donations through the annual "Presentes Solidários" (Solidarity Gifts) campaign. FEC charges no fees for services; its "customers" are institutional donors and its direct beneficiaries are children (ages 3–8 in ECD programs), educators, women at risk of gender-based violence, and young Christian volunteers deployed across Lusophone Africa, Brazil, and Timor-Leste. The organization is led by Executive Director Ana Patrícia Fonseca, with Rita Pais as country representative in Guinea-Bissau and Sara Moura Fernandes as project manager for Jovens Leitores.
FEC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FEC
- Legal name
- Fundação Fé e Cooperação
- Website
- https://fecongd.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação) is a Portuguese Catholic-inspired development foundation that implements education, early childhood development, child protection, and gender equality projects in Portuguese-speaking African countries, coordinating a 61-organization missionary volunteer network and funded by Camões I.P., the EU, and Misereor.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FEC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development Cooperation Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)
Keywords
Where FEC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lisbon
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
FEC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- International Development Cooperation Funding: FEC operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through international cooperation agreements with Portuguese development institutions (Camões, I.P.), the European Union, Misereor, and other development partners. Funding supports project implementation in education, child protection, gender equality, and community development across Portuguese-speaking African countries.
- Donations and Support: FEC receives donations and support from individuals and organizations. They run campaigns like 'Presentes Solidários' (Solidarity Gifts) where supporters can contribute to project funding.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
FEC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação) is a Catholic-inspired non-governmental development foundation that designs and implements international cooperation projects, education programs, child protection services, gender equality advocacy, and cultural heritage initiatives across Portuguese-speaking African countries. It also coordinates the Missionary Volunteer Network connecting 61 member organizations that deploy volunteers to development projects in Lusophone countries. Programs are funded through institutional grants (Camões, EU, Misereor) and individual donations, and delivered in partnership with local NGOs, universities, and government entities.
Product overview
FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação / Foundation for Faith and Cooperation) is a non-governmental development organization that operates a portfolio of social programs rather than a traditional technology product. The organization's service portfolio includes: Voluntariado Missionário (coordinating missionary volunteering across 50+ organizations); Jovens Leitores (literacy promotion in Guinea-Bissau); Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé and Eu Importo! (early childhood development in Mozambique); PESIDE (education statistics systems in Guinea-Bissau); Nô ruma no kasa (child protection in Guinea-Bissau); Mindjoria Pa Mindjer (gender-based violence prevention); and Cultura i nô balur (cultural heritage). These programs are implemented through partnerships with local NGOs, government entities, and educational institutions in Portuguese-speaking African countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Voluntariado Missionário (Missionary Volunteering Program) A platform coordinating missionary volunteering activities that connects lay Catholic volunteers with mission and development projects across Portuguese-speaking African countries, Brazil, and Timor-Leste. It manages a network of 61 organizations and coordinates volunteer deployment, formation, and ongoing support.
- Jovens Leitores (Young Readers) A literacy promotion project in Guinea-Bissau that promotes children's and youth literature, trains educators and animators, conducts illustration workshops, organizes storytelling sessions and exhibitions, and fosters a reading culture across 9 regions of Guinea-Bissau, reaching 14,580 students.
- Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé An Inclusive Early Childhood Development project in Mozambique targeting children aged 3-8 in Maputo City and Gaza Province, providing pedagogical materials (Baús Pedagógicos), educator training, and family workshops across five integrated care domains. The project directly benefits 2,129 children and supports 25 kindergartens and schools.
- Eu Importo! – Unidos pela Criança em Moçambique A policy coherence and advocacy project for Inclusive Early Childhood Development in Mozambique, working with civil society organizations and government entities in Nampula, Niassa, Maputo, and Gaza provinces to strengthen public policies and programs through the Rede DPI network.
- PESIDE (Planning, Statistics and Information Systems for Education Development) An education statistics and information systems project in Guinea-Bissau, supporting the Ministry of Education in implementing and managing a data system at central and regional levels, including the SIGE platform implementation, and providing technical assistance to the Inspection General of Education (IGE).
- Nô ruma no kasa – Fase II
- Mindjoria Pa Mindjer, I Mindjor Pa Tudu Djintis A gender-based violence prevention project in Guinea-Bissau's Cacheu and Oio regions, conducting surveys on women's status, training community agents, and raising awareness through theater performances (Theater of the Oppressed) in partnership with Rede Ajuda and GTO.
- Cultura i nô balur A cultural heritage promotion project in Guinea-Bissau that recovers and disseminates Guinean culture through literature, music, and crafts, including educational radio programs (Hora do Conto, Minutos da Música), teacher training, artisan development, and academic restructuring of Early Childhood Education degrees.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2129 children aged 3-8 directly benefiting from early childhood development programs in Mozambique
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use FEC
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
FEC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
FEC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and support.
- Rede DPI - Rede de Desenvolvimento da Primeira InfânciacoreNetwork for Early Childhood Development in Mozambique. FEC partners with Rede DPI for Eu Importo project, working to strengthen coherence of public policies and programs for inclusive early childhood development. Provides coordination platform for 33 member OSC organizations.
- Universidade RovumamajorUniversity in Mozambique (Nampula). Partner in Eu Importo project for early childhood development policy support and training of technicians in northern Mozambique provinces.
- Universidade Pedagógica de MaputomajorPedagogical university in Mozambique. Partner in Eu Importo project, contributing to early childhood development research, creating an education observatory repository, and supporting pedagogical training.
- REPI - Rede de Educadores de Pedagogia Inclusiva da Guiné-BissaucoreImplementation partner for Jovens Leitores project in Guinea-Bissau. REPI is an educators' network for inclusive pedagogy with 630 members. FEC supports the network's capacity building and coordinates literary promotion activities through REPI members.
- Universidade Eduardo MondlanemajorPremier public university in Mozambique. Partner in Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé project for early childhood development research, hosting events like the 'Feira do Brincar' and providing academic support for pedagogical approaches.
- Associação Juvenil para o Desenvolvimento - KhandlelomajorLocal youth development association in Mozambique. Implementation partner for Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé project in Maputo and Gaza province, contributing local knowledge and community connections.
- Um Pequeno GestomajorPortuguese NGO partner implementing Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé project in Mozambique, bringing experience in development cooperation and community mobilization.
- Escola Superior de Educação de Paula FrassinettisupportPortuguese higher education institution supporting Mbalelé-Mbalelé Hureé project with pedagogical expertise in early childhood development and inclusive education methodologies.
- Caritas Guiné-BissaumajorCaritas Guinea-Bissau is the promoter of the Casa de Acolhimento Bambaran (CAB) and partner in Nô Ruma no Kasa project for child shelter support and inclusive school services.
- WCIA - World Catholic Institute for Animal WelfaresupportWCIA collaborated with FEC to create an online pre-departure training course for missionary volunteers. The course consists of 5 modules of 30 minutes each to prepare volunteers for their missions.
- Faculty of Education of the Catholic University of Guinea-Bissau (FCE-UCGB)coreAcademic partner in Cultura i nô balur project. Hosted restructuring of Early Childhood Education degree and establishment of Center for Studies on Education and Guinean Children's Culture.
- Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon (IE-UL)supportAcademic partner in Cultura i nô balur project contributing pedagogical expertise and research support for Guinea-Bissau education programs.
- Association of Writers of Guinea-Bissau (AEGUI)supportLiterary association partner in Cultura i nô balur project, contributing to children's literature production and cultural heritage documentation.
- Ministry of Education of Guinea-BissaucoreGovernment partner for PESIDE project on education statistics and planning systems. FEC provides technical assistance to strengthen the Ministry's data management and statistical capabilities.
- Inspection General of Education (IGE) - Guinea-BissaumajorEducation inspection authority partner in PESIDE project, receiving training and equipment to improve educational monitoring and quality assurance.
- Rede AjudamajorPartner organization implementing Mindjoria pa Mindjer project in Guinea-Bissau for gender-based violence prevention and women's rights awareness.
- GTO - Grupo de Teatro do Oprimido da Guiné-BissausupportTheater of the Oppressed group in Guinea-Bissau partners with FEC for Mindjoria pa Mindjer project, using theater performances to raise community awareness about gender-based violence.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FEC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Misereor: German Catholic development agency that is itself a core funder of FEC. Included as an ecosystem peer reflecting the funder–implementer relationship FEC operates within, rather than as a direct competitor.
- Fundação Champagnat: Portuguese Marist foundation listed as a partner in FEC's Missionary Volunteer Network and active in education and youth development in Lusophone contexts. Adjacent rather than competitive, illustrating FEC's ecosystem positioning within Catholic networks.
Broad incumbents
- Save the Children: Global INGO with active programming in child protection, education, and ECD across Mozambique and West Africa. Comparable on thematic focus and donor landscape, but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
- World Vision Mozambique: Large faith-inspired INGO implementing child-focused education, protection, and community development programs in Mozambique. Comparable on faith-affiliation and ECD/sponsorship model, but with global scale and resources.
- UNICEF Mozambique / UNICEF Guinea-Bissau: UN agency operating large-scale early childhood development, education, and child protection programs in FEC's two principal operating countries. Relevant comparator on thematic scope and donor ecosystem, though far larger in scale.
- Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian: Large Portuguese foundation funding and operating international development programs, including education and Lusophone Africa initiatives. A broader incumbent with significantly larger resources but overlapping beneficiary countries and educational mission.
Direct peers
- Caritas Portugal: Portuguese Catholic development confederation engaged in international cooperation and social justice work, sharing FEC's Catholic identity, volunteer base, and Lusophone Africa focus.
- CIDAC – Centro de Intervenção para o Desenvolvimento Amílcar Cabral: Portuguese development NGO working in Lusophone African countries on education, civic participation, and rights-based programming. Highly comparable in scale, mission, and Portuguese institutional funding model.
- OIKOS – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento: Portuguese NGO executing cooperation projects in Portuguese-speaking African and Asian countries, with overlapping thematic areas in education, gender, and community development. Directly comparable on size, funding profile, and operational model.
- IMVF – Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr: Portuguese NGO implementing development cooperation projects in Lusophone Africa, with a comparable footprint in education, governance, and capacity-building. Closest direct peer given shared Portuguese headquarter base, Camões funding, and focus on Portuguese-speaking partner countries.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
FEC social profiles
Digital presenceFEC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FEC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
FEC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FEC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FEC
What does FEC do?
FEC (Fundação Fé e Cooperação) is a Catholic-inspired non-governmental development foundation that designs and implements international cooperation projects, education programs, child protection services, gender equality advocacy, and cultural heritage initiatives across Portuguese-speaking African countries. It also coordinates the Missionary Volunteer Network connecting 61 member organizations that deploy volunteers to development projects in Lusophone countries. Programs are funded through institutional grants (Camões, EU, Misereor) and individual donations, and delivered in partnership with local NGOs, universities, and government entities.
Is FEC a public or private company?
FEC is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was FEC founded?
FEC was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FEC based?
FEC is headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does FEC make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. International Development Cooperation Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and Support.
Who are FEC's main competitors?
Others on record are Misereor and Fundação Champagnat. Broad incumbents are Save the Children, World Vision Mozambique, UNICEF Mozambique / UNICEF Guinea-Bissau and Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. Direct peers are Caritas Portugal, CIDAC – Centro de Intervenção para o Desenvolvimento Amílcar Cabral, OIKOS – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento and IMVF – Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr.
Does FEC have an API?
No public API is recorded for FEC.
What industry is FEC in?
FEC's product category is International Development Cooperation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADALAB, International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs, with a secondary code of BPADAOAF, Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.