Founded in 1976 by Cardinal Dom Serafim Fernandes de Araújo and Professor Emerson de Almeida, Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC) was established as an autonomous institution dedicated to executive education, with the purpose of contributing to the development of people, organizations, and society.
Initially focused on supporting companies in the state of Minas Gerais, the FDC progressively expanded its activities to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, becoming a national and international reference in education, management, and knowledge creation.
Since the beginning, FDC has embraced a philosophy grounded in dialogue, the exchange of knowledge, and the adaptation of contemporary management concepts to the Brazilian context. This approach, combined with a global outlook, fostered the establishment of international partnerships and, in 2009, the creation of the International Advisory Council, bringing together experts from more than 20 countries. Throughout its history, continuous reinvention has become a defining element of FDC’s institutional identity.
This commitment to excellence is also reflected in the international recognition of Fundação Dom Cabral, evidenced by its AMBA and EQUIS accreditations and its prominent positioning in the Financial Times Executive Education rankings, in both open-enrolment and customized programs. These distinctions attest to FDC’s international standards, academic excellence, and ability to integrate methodological rigor, practical relevance, and a strong commitment to sustainable social impact.
Inspired by this spirit of continuous evolution, FDC redefined its institutional strategy, structuring its activities around three complementary education pillars: academic education, executive education, and social education. This reorganization expanded the scope and impact of the institution, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to social transformation and sustainable development.
Social Education takes institutional shape through the creation of the Cardinal Dom Serafim Social Center, an initiative designed to integrate and strengthen Fundação Dom Cabral’s social impact agenda. Inspired by the humanist legacy of its founder and patron, the Center operates on a non-profit basis, in partnership with leaders and organizations from the public, private, and third sectors, placing people and civil society organizations at the center of educational solutions.
In recent years, FDC’s Social Education initiatives have expanded consistently, focusing on the productive inclusion of youth in vulnerable situations, the strengthening of grassroots and popular entrepreneurs, the capacity building of civil society organizations, and the expansion of access to education through scholarship programs. Its portfolio is directly connected to today’s most pressing social challenges, promoting autonomy, agency, and lasting impact across the territories where it operates.
Between 2021 and 2025, Social Education consolidated a strategic cycle marked by growth, scale, and sustainability. During this period, more than 1,500 youth were supported, nearly 5,000 individuals benefited from scholarship programs, over 29,000 entrepreneurs were trained, and the number of civil society organizations supported increased fivefold. By fully integrating Social Education into its institutional strategy, Fundação Dom Cabral reaffirms its mission to contribute to a more just, plural, and sustainable society.
