The disinterested assistance drives big changes and feeds the community fabric. In the last decade, the Obra Social of the sector CECA, formed by several several foundations and credit institutions, has invested 7,800 million euros in activities set aside for 31 million payees
Philanthropy: “love to the humankind ”. Thus defines the Spanish Academy a concept that is associated to the generosity without payment, give something without expecting nothing in return. Only in Europe, assets of the foundations of public utility exceed the 647,000 million euros and the sector agglutinates 186,000 non-profit organisations, according to the organisation of reference Philea. The philanthropy moves, then, a far reaching part of the world. And is one of the ingredients, sometimes more unknown, of the welfare state. Some major donors of the world are archacquaintances names as a Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, or the financial Warren Buffett and George Soros. In Spain, stand out figures as an Elena Foster, Marta Ortega, Carmen Thyssen or Juan Roig. Its mission: find causes in which invest resources and efforts so that the humanity progresses.
And of what issues the philanthropy is occupied? Historically, the sector has tackled big concerns of general interest, as the health, the education, the environment, the culture or the cooperation between nations. Challenges that today, maybe more than never, have full name: the climate change, the fight against the inequality, the right to the property, the digitisation, the defense of the democracy when dealing with the reactionary waves, the universal access to the education…
Given the magnitude of the problems that the philanthropists undertake, this practice has been maintained always in the collaboration public-private. They are four the leading men of this relationship: states, private sector, NGO and foundations. Therefore, the stock that they promote the philanthropists and the various institutions in which are supported go of the hand and you usually have a common motivation: the solidarity as an engine to build a better life.
Contribution to the economy in Spain
This happens especially in Spain, where the impact of the philanthropic sector was 27,000 million euros in 2020, nearly 2.4% of the GDP, according to a report of the Spanish Association of Foundations elaborated by AFI. Magnitudes that they demonstrate a solid contribution from the foundations to the economy, although the value goes beyond it merely economic: around these investments, the educational fabric, nets of cultural creation are strengthened, the promotion of talent or the research and the technological innovation. Such as agents committed to the social cohesion and the fight against the inequality, the philanthropists are, also, one of the best allies to establish links public-private.
In this collaboration context public-private, the sector CECA – that represents to the CaixaBank credit institutions, Kutxabank and Cajasur Bank, ABANCA, Unicaja, Ibercaja Bank, Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya Pollença and Cecabank – works for demonstrating that far reaching skills that possesses the philanthropy to improve the life of people and transform its environment. Together with more than 30 philanthropic character foundations and social end, the sector CECA is being consolidated as the private social largest investor of Spain, with an investment in the last decade of 7,800 millions, set aside for 930,000 activities that of average reached to 31 million payees a year.
A contribution of character vital if the complicated worldwide situation of last years is taken into account, in which a pandemic, a climatic crisis and several armed conflicts have marked the pulse of the humanity. Before situations as these, the Obra Social of the companies of CECA has put in motion support programs directed to those citizens that more it need, as the seniorgroup , the people at risk of social exclusion or the inhabitants of the Spain emptied.
Stock through which the Obra Social of CECA is considered today as one of the principal operators in the promotion of the social inclusion. A work that moves forward thanks to the companies and human resources that still professionalise and forming to adapt to the social circumstances of this time. And without losing that philanthropic commitment, love to the humankind, with the world to that which belong.