The Fundación Marcelino Botín was created in 1964 by Marcelino Botín Sanz de Sautuola and his wife, Carmen Yllera, to promote social development in Cantabria.

Today, fifty years later and having kept its main focus on Cantabria, the Fundación Botín acts all over Spain and Latin America, contributing to the overall development of society by exploring new ways of detecting creative talent and supporting it to generate cultural, social and economic wealth.

Its Chairman is Javier Botín, who took over the office following the death of his father in September 2014, Mr Emilio Botín García de los Ríos, who had been the Chairman of the Fundación since 1993.