Twelve milestones that reflect 50 years of commitment
We look back at what we have achieved with our sights set on the future
50th anniversary
Fifty years ago we set out on this journey with a sole purpose: to improve people’s quality of life. Thanks to you and to everyone who has accompanied us on this journey, we have succeeded.
The more than 1.14 billion euros invested in these five decades have meant hope, health, education and well-being for 179 million people. Find out more about Fundación MAPFRE’s 50th anniversary.
Together we have achieved 50 years of solidarity. We present 12 milestones that have left their mark on millions of lives.
Milestone 1. International social projects
Over the last 50 years, we have been guided by a clear goal: to eradicate poverty by empowering people and strengthening three essential aspects: education, nutrition and health. That is why we have joined forces with more than 80 social organizations that develop comprehensive education projects in 25 countries, mostly in Latin America.
Milestone 2. Responses to humanitarian crises
Throughout our history we have responded to 30 emergency situations in the following countries: Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, the Philippines, Haiti, Honduras, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Turkey and Ukraine.
Among them, we would like to highlight our response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, our actions to support refugees from the War in Ukraine in 2022, and our response to the DANA storm which resulted in floods across Valencia and other regions of Spain, in October 2024.
Milestone 3. Volunteering
Each day, we endeavor to improve the lives of other people, not only by allocating our own funds to the development of social aid projects, but also through a robust volunteering program of which we are very proud.
The only one of its kind, since its inception, this initiative has been implemented in a total of 28 countries. It brings together the corporate volunteering programs of several companies, including MAPFRE, to support hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people through various areas of activity: education, health, nutrition, emergencies, solidarity, and the environment.
Milestone 4. Key life lessons
For five decades we have been running awareness campaigns to promote health, road safety and the prevention of unintentional injury, and to improve knowledge about savings, investment and retirement.
The awareness-raising programs that we have launched over this half-century have helped to inform the general public and better prepare them for the future.
Milestone 5. Educational Programs
Over the course of these five decades we have designed a wide range of activities and resources adapted to different developmental stages using innovative methods aimed at the entire educational community.
These include programs for road safety and accident prevention as well as health. We also encourage financial and insurance education and support Dual Vocational Training. Our art programs share knowledge and culture with people of all ages.
Milestone 6. Research
We believe that research is key to the development of our society. For this reason, we support research through the ‘Ignacio Hernando de Larramendi Research Grants‘.
We have also provided uninterrupted support, since its inception, to the Cell Therapy Program for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury and we collaborate with the project looking at Therapies in the Early Stages of Parkinson’s Disease, developed by the HM Hospitales Research Foundation, and with the Pro CNIC Foundation.
Finally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we donated 5 million euros to the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; CSIC) to help understand what we were facing.
Milestone 7. Exhibitions
Since we began our exhibition activity, we have organized more than 700 fine art and photography shows, a journey that, although demanding, has been very rewarding.
From the beginning, our passion was the recovery of artistic Modernity in Spain. Years later, with the inauguration of the new gallery on Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid, we began a new phase that has made us a benchmark in the cultural sphere.
In 2009, we went one step further by embracing photography, a decision that, in 2020, materialized with the opening in Barcelona of the KBr Center, a space dedicated exclusively to this discipline.
Milestone 8. Employment
We firmly believe that workplace integration is essential for people’s well-being, which is why we launched the Social Employment Program.
Since then, and thanks to the “Juntos Somos Capaces” (Together We Can) project, nearly 6000 people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems have been able to access training grants and do internships in companies.
Through our ACCEDEMOS grants, we support small companies, the self-employed and entrepreneurs to hire young people, the over-50s, and the long-term unemployed.
Furthermore, as an Intermediate Body of the European Social Fund Plus, we endeavor to provide solutions to the needs of many vulnerable people living in rural Spain, including helping them to find employment.
Milestone 9. Ageingnomics Research Center
In December 2020 we launched the Ageingnomics Research Center to combat ageism and offer a positive view of the ageing population as well as the economic and social opportunities generated by the “silver” economy.
Today, Ageingnomics has become a benchmark in the exchange of knowledge related to the silver economy, demonstrating that older people are key players in the future of our society.
Milestone 10. Social Outreach Awards
Throughout these 50 years we have sought to recognize the dedication and generosity of those people who, from very diverse professional fields, with talent and effort, have made invaluable contributions to society. Discover the Fundación MAPFRE Awards.
We would especially like to thank Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, for accepting one of our awards and for joining us every year at the awards ceremony.
Milestone 11. Social Innovation Awards
Our commitment to social innovation as a tool for change materialized in 2018 with the first edition of our Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Awards. Today, with the eighth edition underway, we continue to offer a differentiating boost to projects with the potential for significant social transformation.
Milestone 12. Publications
Fundación MAPFRE was founded with a strong cultural and scientific focus. Since then, publishing has been one of our most widely recognized areas of work.
Over the last 50 years we have published more than 2,800 printed works related to art, history, medicine, fire prevention, health and safety at work, road safety, insurance and risk management that stand out for their quality and rigor.
On the occasion of our anniversary, we are proud of what we have built, thankful for those who have walked shoulder-to-shoulder with us, and excited about the future that awaits us.