The Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF) has recognised the work of the Burgos-based Fundación Miradas and its bbMiradas programme by awarding them the Social Innovation Prize. The award ceremony took place during the Forum on Foundations and Civil Society, held on 26 and 27 September in Madrid.
The award was accepted by Miguel Gómez, director of Fundación Miradas, who emphasised that this award reflects the excellent work carried out by Autismo Burgos and the foundation since 2017 with a clear objective: to bring forward the diagnosis of autism as much as possible. This is because it has been proven that early diagnosis significantly improves the quality of life of people with autism through specific and specialised intervention with the baby and their family.
During his speech, Gómez also highlighted the excellent work carried out by the team directly involved in the programme, as well as the coordination and collaboration that has been in place since its inception at Burgos University Hospital, the paediatrics department and the University of Burgos. He also spoke of the many families who have taken part in the programme and found in it support for their children’s early development, as well as a response to their needs. The institutions and the first corporate partners that supported the programme when it was still just an initial idea were also the subject of his speech.
The Social Innovation Award aims to recognise a foundation that has successfully provided an effective response to a previously unaddressed social problem or need, or introduced a disruptive innovation in response to an existing problem or need. The jury highlights that Fundación Miradas and bbMiradas represent a pioneering programme in Europe and Latin America for the early detection and intervention with babies showing signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between the ages of 4 and 36 months.
For this eighth edition of the AEF Awards, 66 nominations were submitted for Spanish philanthropists and foundations; the quality of these nominations was assessed by an independent jury chaired by Antonio Garrigues, president of the Garrigues Foundation, Lawyers and Tax Advisers, and comprising Teresa Perales, Carlos Mataix, Enrique Bassat and María Sáinz.
In the eighth edition of the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF) Awards, the jury has honoured, in addition to the Burgos-based foundation, María Moreno Sorrosal, founder of the Esperanza y Alegría Foundation, in the Philanthropic Initiative category; the María José Jove Foundation, in the Collaboration category; the Anar Foundation in the Communication category; and the Sustainable Life Foundation in the Just Ecological Transition in the Foundational Sector category.
Impact on the media
Burgos Connects: https://www.burgosconecta.es/sociedad/fundacion-miradas-premiada-asociacion-espanola-fundaciones-campo-20230929120006-nt.html
The one from Burgos: https://ladeburgos.com/cultura-y-sociedad/2023/09/29/la-aef-premia-a-fundacion-miradas-por-su-proyecto-de-diagnostico-temprano-del-autismo/
University of Burgos: https://www.ubu.es/noticias/la-asociacion-espanola-de-fundaciones-premia-fundacion-miradas