About us

FCL is starting its publishing project, dedicated to the publication of works of historical and cultural significance on the Portuguese presence around the world. That same year, it began acquiring a collection of rare engravings of Lisbon — depictions from the 16th to the 18th centuries showing the city as seen from the Tagus, both before and after the 1755 earthquake. A heritage that, from the outset, affirms the Foundation’s commitment to the city’s memory and identity.

A FCL afirma a sua vocação cultural com projetos nas áreas da música e das artes plásticas. Estabelece protocolo com o Festival Internacional de Música Vianna da Motta e cria o seu próprio Festival de Música. Em 1992, passa a patrocinar o Prémio de Pintura João Barata, um concurso bienal organizado pela Livraria Barata em Lisboa, dedicado a jovens pintores que expunham pela primeira vez. As obras premiadas integram o acervo artístico da FCL. O prémio teve edições até 2006.

FCL reaffirms its cultural commitment through projects in the fields of music and the visual arts. It signs a partnership agreement with the Vianna da Motta International Music Festival and launches its own Music Festival. In 1992, it began sponsoring the João Barata Painting Award, a biennial competition organised by Livraria Barata in Lisbon, dedicated to young painters exhibiting for the first time. The winning works form part of the FCL’s art collection. The prize was awarded until 2006.

For 18 consecutive years, the FCL has run Portuguese language courses in five towns across the state of Goa, at three different levels, promoting the Portuguese language and culture and strengthening the historical ties between the two peoples. The project was carried out in partnership with the Indo-Portuguese Friendship Society and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Lisbon.

A development cooperation project carried out on the island of Santo Antão, in Cape Verde, which trained 182 women in three areas: early childhood support, entrepreneurship and maternal and child health. It contributed to the integration of these women into the labour market and to the improvement of health conditions in the island’s most deprived areas. It ran until 2012, with co-funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

FCL is stepping up its work in the field of inclusion with two complementary initiatives. The Passport to Citizenship, launched in 2014, supports migrants through civic literacy and assistance in actively exercising their rights and duties, and forms part of CLAIM — the Local Centre for Migrant Integration. In 2016, the Academia CV.pt was launched, dedicated to the socio-educational development and integration of migrant children and young people through Portuguese language training.

FCL is launching two projects in the field of citizenship education. The School for Citizenship works with educational communities to promote human rights, intercultural dialogue and civic awareness. The Development Dictionary promotes critical thinking and the practice of active global citizenship. Both initiatives help to consolidate FCL’s role as a leading organisation in citizenship education in Portugal.

FCL is responding to the challenges of the post-pandemic era with two complementary projects: ‘Puxar pela Língua’, which supports migrants and refugees by providing training in Portuguese communication and has already run several editions, and ‘Tod@s ON’, which focuses on the academic success and socio-emotional development of vulnerable children and young people, in partnership with schools in Lisbon.

FCL is launching two complementary projects in the field of education and social inclusion. The Tod@s IN and Foco na Inclusão initiatives promote the inclusion of vulnerable children, young people and families through personalised socio-educational support, arts workshops and training for community mentors. 

FCL is strengthening its presence in European cooperation through two Erasmus+ projects. The Exchange for SDGs promoted the sharing of best practices in global citizenship education between organisations in Portugal and Spain. Tools for YOU*!, developed with partners from nine countries, provided training for professionals working with young people who are not in employment, education or training. Both projects have resulted in educational resources that are available free of charge.

FCL is reviving its tradition of lecture series with two new programmes. ‘Poentes Olisiponenses’ explores the city’s identity and memory, whilst ‘Lisbon at the Crossroads of Sustainability’ places the capital at the heart of the debate on the environmental and social challenges of the future.

A project to promote democratic literacy and civic participation among young people, developed using digital technologies and gamification methodologies. It resulted in a digital game distributed to schools across the country, completed in 2025.

The Foundation is celebrating three and a half decades of activity, having awarded over 900 scholarships, carried out dozens of national and international projects, and established a strong presence within European and Portuguese-speaking networks.