The La Caixa Foundation opens a new phase with a €4 billion investment by 2030.

BarcelonaThe La Caixa Foundation plans to increase its social work budget to €800 million by 2030, up from €655 million in the current year, and invest a total of €4 billion over the next five years, according to the new 2025-2030 strategic plan unveiled today. This roadmap aims to "drive social transformation and respond to the challenges of the coming years" under the motto Believe to transformThe entity will focus its activities on three pillars: social, research and scholarship, and culture. In this new phase, the explicit mandate is for the foundation and its investment arm, Criteria, to act "in a coherent and coordinated manner," even strengthening "shared governance" after a change in management.

This new roadmap to 2030 is part of the changes that have taken place at Criteria, following the departure of Ángel Simón as CEO and the appointment of Francisco Reynés, president of Naturgy—one of the holding company's main holdings—as first vice president, who has begun to review some of its investments. In fact, Criteria will adapt its 2025-2030 strategic plan, which was developed under Simón's mandate and presented last spring, "with the aim of ensuring that it is fully aligned with the principles set out in the foundation's plan." At the same time, collaboration with CaixaBank, of which Criteria is the main shareholder and shares a historical origin with the foundation, will be strengthened. Synergies with other companies in the group will also be explored.

The strategic plan foresees studying new lines of action, "such as environmental sustainability, mental health, and longevity." Of the amounts planned in this roadmap, the social component will account for 55% to 65%; research and scholarships, 15% to 25%; and culture, 15% to 20%. The president of the foundation, Isidre Fainé, maintains that La Caixa "has always been an independent entity" and highlights the planned completion of the construction of new key facilities "to intensify the foundation's activities, including the Caixa Research Institute, a world-class center." Fainé affirms that the plan's intention is to remain "faithful to its principles and its vocation of service to society and to people in the most vulnerable situations."

One of the priorities is to align Criteria's activities with those of the foundation, as its main function is to support social work through dividends from its portfolio of corporate investments, the largest in Spain. In addition to Naturgy, Criteria is a key shareholder in CaixaBank, Telefónica, and ACS, among others. The foundation's budget this year reaches a record of 655 million, with a 9% increase over the previous year.

The new team led by Reynés at Criteria, which now has José María Méndez as general director, has begun to review some of the latest investments planned by Simón and this has meant definitively ruling out entering the capital from the steel company Celsa and analyze whether to acquire 20% of the Catalan frozen dough manufacturer Eurospastry for about 300 millionThese actions are part of the explicit mandate that the foundation and Criteria act "in a coherent and coordinated manner", which implicitly means starting a new stage marked by the president of the two entities, Isidre Fainé. The new strategic plan of the La Caixa Foundation Josep Maria Coronas has been the general manager since January 1st.. The new structure It has Esther Planas as Deputy General Director, with responsibility for finance, legal, media and operations, and people and organization, as well as internal audit, regulatory compliance, and the management of the Palau Macaya. The other Deputy General Director for Corporate Affairs is Sergi Loughney, responsible for communications, marketing, and institutional relations, as well as the coordination of institutional activities at the CaixaForum, CosmoCaixa, Cap Roig, and Palau Macaya centers.

There are also three Deputy General Directorates: one for social affairs, headed by Marc Simón; another for culture and territory, headed by Rafael Chueca; and another for research and scholarships, headed by Àngel Font. All of them make up the foundation's Executive Committee.

In the social sphere, the most notable are the anti-poverty programs such as CaixaProinfancia and Incorpora, for the social and labor integration of people at risk of exclusion. Regarding research and scholarships, the inauguration later this year of the CaixaResearch Institute stands out. This is the first major interdisciplinary research center specializing in the immunology of diseases in Spain and a world-class institution. In terms of culture, the goal is to use it as "a driving force of social transformation, ensuring that it reaches all audiences."