The Foundation

The Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) is a Spanish non-profit, apolitical and non-denominational scientific and cultural organisation established in 1982 with the aim of tearing down the walls of misunderstanding between the Western world and the Arab and Islamic world. FUNCI specializes in the culture of Al-Andalus, as an important part of this common heritage, a model of intercultural respect, and a suitable tool for promoting understanding.

FUNCI maintains a twofold approach in order to facilitate both an intercultural coexistence where differences become an additional value for enabling greater social cohesion, and to promote sustainable actions in 23 Mediterranean countries through its Med-O-Med network.

Institutional Information

The Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) is a Spanish non-profit, scientific and cultural organisation. It has its main seat in Madrid and a delegation in Rabat. It is entered in the Registry of the Protectorate of Cultural Foundations of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and as a Non-Governmental Development Organisation (NGDO) in the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO FUNCI’S WORK

At a European level, FUNCI, in collaboration with the Council of Europe, UNESCO, Paris’ Institut du Monde Arabe and the European Commission, promoted the Recommendation 1162 of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. It was published in 1991, as a result of the congress “The contribution of the Islamic civilization to the European culture”. This action was distinguished with the “European Platform 1991” award, given by the European Community.

FUNCI has also been awarded by Valencia’s association Archival in 2006 for its international effort in promoting dialogue and intercultural understanding. In the raising-awareness field, it produced the short film “The voices of water”, awarded with the Lince Prize in 2012 and Etnomed Prize in 2013.