FUNDACIÓN HISPÁNICA HISTORY
Luis Valls, promoter of Fundación Hispánica
It is quite possible that those who have received support for a project from this Foundation may not know that Luis Valls was behind its creation and promotion was Luis Valls. The leader of the world’s most profitable financial institution for fifty years, Banco Popular, was also the one who laid the groundwork for the activity of the foundations he promoted from his office at the Edificio Beatriz in Madrid. His work was not widely known because he never sought publicity; he did not even preside over this Foundation, nor was he a trustee (of this foundation or any others).
Helping people
With the creation of the Fundación Hispánica, Luis Valls adhered to one of his fundamental principles: putting the person at the center. Indeed, the goal of his social action was always to help people and address their problems. It was not always a matter of money; sometimes, it involved providing free expert advice. “If the diagnosis and approach are sound, everything else is secondary,” he often proclaimed. No objections, but instead, seeking solutions. Thus, this Foundation, developed from the beginning a broad-spectrum of activity focused on people and their specific needs.
Promoting from behind the scenes
Luis Valls was keen on helping the most needy and on fostering the possibility for everyone to study. He achieved this by professionalizing this social activity with the creation of foundations. Not content with creating just one, he established several (some still active today) and advised and encouraged all those who wanted to start their own Foundation in order to contribute to society. The first Foundation that served as a channel for Banco Popular’s social action was the Fundación Hispánica. The approach of the centenary of this philanthropic banker’s birth approaches, it is a good time to recount how he devoted much of his time and a significant portion of his salary to this cause during his lifetime and how he encouraged his executives and friends to waive or surrender their economic rights to fund the Fundación Hispánica.
