What actually matters is the transfer of truth and knowledge. The more our society is aware of its problems, the better off our country will be.Alexandre Soares dos Santos, February 2019
Stichting Arica Foundation for Education ("Arica Foundation") was established on the 9th of October 2019 by desire of Mrs. Teresa Canas Mendes da Silveira e Castro Soares dos Santos and Mr. Elísio Alexandre Soares dos Santos.
The purpose of the Arica Foundation is to fund, support and promote educational programs and learning institutions in Portugal, and financially support students in Portugal including but not limited to granting scholarships and endowing chairs at private and public universities in Portugal, as well as to do all such things as are incidental or may be conducive to the above, all in the broadest sense.
The founders believe that education is key to the progress of young people and the success of any given country.
The goal of the Arica Foundation is to help young people by supporting projects that have an impact in both the educational system and in society at large. The Arica Foundation will initiate its activity by launching three projects that aim to support reading and literacy, enhance professional training, and spread knowledge and information about education.
Arica Foundation Activity Plan
Arica Foundation will promote secure tangible training and qualifications for young people in Portugal, especially those at risk for academic underachievement and those who, due to financial, family, learning or social difficulties, fail to achieve scholarly outcomes that are within the reach of their abilities.
Arica Foundation believes that school failure can seriously compromise the future of young people, particularly those who face socio-economic difficulties but who can thrive in school and have a decent professional future if provided with adequate support.
Arica Foundation recognizes the vast investment that is currently being made in education, as well as the complexity and demanding nature of the challenges. Arica Foundation will not replace the state or society in providing training and education for young people of Portugal. It aims to contribute to the effectiveness and success of the tasks related to these areas through projects that support the education and training of young people in Portugal under the initiative Teresa and Alexandre Soares dos Santos - Iniciativa Educação.
The projects will be subject to a rigorous and independent assessment to ensure that the appropriate counterfactual, quantitative and qualitative methods are applied.
The first areas of intervention of the Arica Foundation are closely linked to three pressing issues currently affecting the Portuguese youth and society at large: the initial stages of learning how to read; the high risk of failure in transitioning to secondary education; and the lack of scientifically-founded, objective information necessary to parents, teachers, students, and all involved in education.
Three main projects are being developed:
- The AaZ - Ler Melhor, Saber Mais programme is designed to help children who have difficulties in basic literacy develop their reading abilities and improve their fluency
- The Ser Pro project will facilitate cooperation between schools and companies in order to create professional education offers that match young people's needs and support the progress of the country
- The ED_ON project was created to share recent scientific research on education, and to bring together statistics and data about education.
Financial Status
Arica Foundation is a non-profit entity dedicated to the public benefit and recognised with the ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status by the Dutch tax authorities.
It will pursue its purpose by raising funds, managing the available capital, and cooperating with educational institutions whose activities are related to its purpose.
For the financial year of the Arica Foundation, starting on 31st July 2024 and ending on 30th June 2025, the supervisory board has approved the deployment of the aforementioned education projects that are estimated to require funds of approximately two million euros, from Arica Holding B.V. committed funding.
Please refer to table below for overview of estimated funds to be received and planned to be deployed in the financial year starting on 31st July 2024 and ending on 30th June 2025.
| Arica Foundation | Key Figures |
|---|---|
| Arica Holding BV donations | 2 200 000 |
| Costs | -2 172 481 |
| Project costs | -2 087 481 |
| Running costs and support services | -85 000 |
Governing Bodies
Arica Foundation has a supervisory board charged with the supervision of its policy, the performance of the management board and the foundation's general affairs. The supervisory board shall appoint the members of the management board and assist it as an advisor.
Supervisory board:
- Mr. José Manuel da Silveira e Castro Soares dos Santos — Chairman
- Mr. Francisco Sá Carneiro
- Mr. Henrique Manuel da Silveira e Castro Soares dos Santos
- Mrs. Maria Inês da Silveira e Castro Soares dos Santos Canas Simões
Management board:
- Mr. Philippe Huib Ferdinand König - Chairman
- Mrs. Paula Alexandra do Nascimento Prado Rosa
- Trust International Management (T.I.M.) B.V.
Arica Foundation Policies
Arica Foundation does not intend to make profits. Arica Foundation shall fulfil the ANBI requirements which are determined by the Dutch tax authorities in order to keep its qualification as an entity for the public benefit (algemeen nut beogende instelling) as referred in article 5b General Law on State Taxes (Algemene wet inzake rijksbelastingen).
Arica Foundation has no political or religious affiliations, nor is it tied to any specific political party. Arica Foundation does not engage in political discussions. The positions of Arica Foundation shall be expressed mainly through activities and projects that contribute to the tangible training and qualification of the Portuguese youth.
Arica Foundation will not provide support for other activities nor develop studies upon request. It will not take part in activities that involve political parties. It may accept to provide remunerated services, providing that such remuneration is applied to implement education programmes, aligned with the purpose of Arica Foundation and the ANBI requirements.
Supervisory board members shall not receive remuneration for their work. They are entitled to reimbursement of the expenses incurred while on duty, with due observance of the ANBI requirements.
Managing directors may receive remuneration for their work as determined by the supervisory board at its discretion, with due observance of the ANBI requirements. Current managing directors are not remunerated. Managing directors shall be entitled to reimbursement of the expenses incurred while on duty, with due observance of the ANBI requirements.
The management board shall keep account of the financial position of Arica Foundation and shall prepare and submit its annual reports for approval by the supervisory board, within six months after the end of the financial year. The annual reports shall be audited and shall include a balance sheet, a statement of funding and expenses and relevant notes.
In the unlikely event of the liquidation of Arica Foundation, the assets available at the time of liquidation will be transferred to one or more ANBl entities with a similar objective, or one or more foreign public service institution with identical scope. Such transfer will always respect the ANBI requirements in force.
