The Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation will promote projects of reflection in relation to the great challenges of society

The call for proposals, which will open on 25 March, aims to support reflection projects and will allocate a maximum of 15,000 euros to each selected initiative so that it can be carried out at the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation between November 2025 and July 2026. 

The Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation presents a new edition of the call for proposals created to promote reflection projects with the aim of generating impact and social transformation. The activities, which will take place in the spaces of the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, should promote debate and the exchange of ideas on the great challenges facing society. Particular value will be placed on projects that are action-oriented, that allow for a better understanding of social challenges and that present innovative methodologies with a multisectoral perspective. 

The call for applications is aimed at associations, foundations and non-profit organisations; social enterprises and cooperatives in the social sector; universities and research centres; and public administrations. It will open on 25 March and organisations can submit their projects until 29 April 2025. 

A multifaceted society

We live in an increasingly complex and multifaceted reality. Questioning, understanding, relating and debating allow us to take the pulse of the present and project the future in order to establish priorities, detect innovative methodologies and promote social transformation. That is why it is so important to have spaces for reflection that can serve as meeting places for public institutions, social organisations, companies, universities, professionals, volunteers and the public, that break down sectoral barriers and that allow for the generation of responses or alternatives with a multisectoral perspective. 

With this in mind, the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation is promoting this call for proposals, which invites different actors to propose projects for reflection in relation to the great challenges of society and offers them a space, the centre itself, and a methodological framework. 

‘This call aims to transform reflection into a measurable social impact. That is why we want to promote projects that help to better understand the challenges of society, to identify new trends and to propose innovative methodologies that, at the same time, provide plans, tools or recommendations that can be applied or disseminated,’ said Josep Ollé, director of the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation.

The methodology

The organisations will address issues that are currently present in our society and that form part of the DNA of the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, such as social activities that contribute to the dissemination of the main challenges of society and promote cohesion in a changing world; climate change and the way it impacts on people's lives, especially those living in vulnerable situations; the humanities, to reflect on the cultural expressions that give meaning to the human experience; and the economy, to analyse the role it plays and the main actors involved in it. 

With regard to the principles of action, the projects presented must incorporate those of the framework methodology applied by the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation in its projects and reflection activities. 

The projects should promote a global horizon of thought based on a broad geographical framework and an integrative historical perspective; they should incorporate a forward-looking approach and propose innovative models with the future in mind; they should contribute humanist and democratic values and promote a world that manages its conflicts and a more equitable society; they should introduce a holistic point of view that allows academic and sectoral barriers to be overcome, and favour cooperation and networking; and, finally, they must identify and empower all the actors involved. 

The projects submitted must include a minimum of five activities to be carried out in the spaces offered by the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation as part of the programme between November 2025 and July 2026. 

Up to 15,000 euros per project

The ‘la Caixa’ Foundation will award each selected project a maximum of 15,000 euros in accordance with the established rules. The purpose of the call for proposals is to support initiatives for reflection, debate and the exchange of ideas. 

The aim is to give visibility to innovative projects that can help our society move forward; new sustainable models that provide answers to the questions raised in current debates. 

In any case, the reflection that the Palau Macaya of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation aims to promote is intended to overcome sectoral barriers and offer a holistic view of the main social challenges.