Barcelona is at the centre of a new round of social funding from Fundació La Caixa, which will allocate more than €10.5 million to 331 projects across Catalonia in 2025. The programmes are expected to support 121,525 vulnerable people in 73 municipalities.
The projects focus on disability, mental health, illness, poverty and social inclusion. According to the foundation, 42% of the initiatives are aimed at disability, mental health or illness, while 52% focus on poverty and social inclusion. The remaining 6% support older people.
Josep Maria Coronas, the foundation’s director general, said at the presentation on Wednesday, 3 June, that the aim is to guarantee the long-term stability of vulnerable people and help preserve social cohesion. He also said the foundation wants to strengthen collaboration between public and private bodies. Europa Press reported the announcement.
Marc Simón, deputy director general, said the annual calls for projects lead to about 1,400 projects each year. He said they generate opportunities, promote equity and help reduce gaps. The selected work covers socio-labour integration, temporary housing support, intercultural coexistence, healthy habits, emotional management, violence prevention, addiction prevention, culture-based inclusion and digital inclusion.
The foundation said organisations signing the agreement will now receive 90% of the grant upfront, up from 80%. It said this gives social groups more immediate financial stability. The 331 projects were chosen from 916 applications and will involve 2,665 professionals and 9,065 volunteers. They will directly benefit 121,525 people across Catalonia.
Barcelona city will host the largest number of projects, with 152. Girona and Tarragona will each have 16, and Lleida will have 12. Other municipalities named by the foundation include Badalona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sabadell, Reus, Terrassa, Vic, Salt, El Prat de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Granollers, Manresa, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Banyoles, Berga, Igualada, Mataró, Montcada i Reixac, Sant Cugat, Vilafranca del Penedès, Tàrrega, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Cornellà de Llobregat and Sant Feliu de Llobregat.
Fundació La Caixa said its social programme has run for more than 25 years. From 1999 to 2025, it has supported 5,758 projects in Catalonia, helping 3 million people with a total contribution of €136.6 million. Across Spain, it says it has backed about 25,000 projects over the same period, reaching around 10.6 million people with a total budget of €544 million. For more Barcelona community updates, see our Community coverage and join our Barcelona English Speakers community on WhatsApp.
