The La Caixa Foundation increases aid to Catalan social entities by 42%, to 10.5 million

Entities fighting poverty and working to alleviate situations of social exclusion in Catalonia are overwhelmed and warn of the worsening social crisis this autumn. "These are times of great social hardship. With runaway inflation and a continuous increase in energy costs, we face an unsustainable situation for thousands of households." This is how forcefully the president of the Board of Third Sector Social entities, Francina Alsina, expresses herself, warning "of a hardening" of this situation that will mean that in the coming months "new people will be added to the pool of poverty and social exclusion in Catalonia."

According to Alsina, currently, one in four Catalans, 26% of the population, is already in a situation of poverty and exclusion, according to Idescat. This group is "especially hit" by this inflationary and energy crisis, which adds to the consequences caused by the pandemic. "During the two years of COVID, 30% of the people who asked for help from social entities had never done so before. We see how the population is impoverishing at a forced pace," she notes.

This increase in demand, coupled with the chain of crises, has pushed social entities to their limit, as they face a decrease in their income and an increase in expenses that puts them in a very difficult financial situation. Given this reality, the La Caixa Banking Foundation has decided to increase the direct aid it grants each year to social entities in Catalonia to finance their action programs and thus contribute to facing the extraordinary effort they are carrying out in these successive crises.

"We want to be closer than ever to entities and people in vulnerable situations and promote as many projects as possible that impact those who need it most," explains Marc Simón, deputy general director of the La Caixa Foundation. According to Simón, one of the most appreciated people within the Third Sector for his sensitivity and proximity, La Caixa wants to be "a natural strategic ally" to help face this extra effort and that is why this year "collaboration with the third sector will be intensified, expanding the endowment and facilitating access to aid."

Specifically, the Call for Applications for the Program of Aid for Social Initiative Projects in Catalonia will increase its allocation by 42%, with a total of 10.5 million euros. The objective is to reach more entities and more beneficiaries. In 2021, a total of 7.4 million were allocated, distributed among 292 projects that benefited 110,131 people. In total, between 1999 and 2021, this program of the La Caixa Foundation has allowed the promotion of 4,370 projects led by Catalan social entities, with an accumulated contribution of 94 million euros and 888,672 people served. In Spain as a whole, the investment made during this period has been 383 million, with 19,000 projects and 8.7 million beneficiaries.

It should be noted that this line of aid is complementary to the Foundation La Caixa's own programs, which it also executes through multiple social entities. Thus, if the Program of Aid for Social Initiative Projects is added to its own lines of action (such as the Incorpora program, CaixaProinfancia or the one dedicated to the elderly), the total amount that La Caixa will allocate this year to social entities in Catalonia exceeds 50 million euros, according to Simón.

Simplification of the application procedure

Projects to receive aid must be submitted from October 4 to 27. As a novelty, the submission form is simplified to facilitate the participation of entities, and projects that have already received aid in previous calls can also be submitted, provided that at least 50% of the previously received amounts can be justified as executed.

The maximum amounts that can be requested are also increased: the figure grows from 40,000 to 50,000 euros in the most basic modality, while for larger projects, aid can be requested from 50,000 euros up to 100,000 euros. La Caixa will prioritize programs linked to six lines of action: elderly people and challenges derived from aging; people with disabilities or mental disorders; humanization of health; fight against poverty and social exclusion; socio-labor insertion; and interculturality and social action.

Through the investment holding company Criteria, the La Caixa Banking Foundation, chaired by Isidro Fainé, is owner of 30% of CaixaBank and 26.71% of Naturgy, among many other holdings that generate economic dividends that allow it to finance its annual budget of more than 500 million euros destined for its social, cultural, scientific, research, and health programs.