A few years after its establishment in 1563 in Turin, the Compagnia di San Paolo began developing a series of welfare and educational initiatives. This marked the beginning of a history spanning more than 450 years, which would eventually lead to the creation of Fondazione per la Scuola.
1589
Casa del Soccorso
Established in 1589, the Casa del Soccorso was intended to welcome “young girls of respectable standing” who lacked financial means. Here, they received an education and, upon reaching adulthood, were granted a modest dowry—sufficient either to marry or to be admitted into a monastic community.
1683
Casa del Deposito
Founded in 1683 to accommodate women of any condition or age who wished to leave behind the Casa del Deposito offered them an opportunity to change their lives. Over the following two centuries, the two institutions gradually evolved, refining their educational purposes and defining their roles with increasing clarity.
1893
Educatorio Duchessa Isabella
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Casa del Soccorso and the Casa del Deposito were merged into a single educational institution which, in 1883, took the name Educatorio Duchessa Isabella, in honour of the marriage between Isabella of Bavaria and Thomas of Savoy. Between 1890 and , the new premises of the Educatorio were built in what is now Piazza Bernini in Turin, providing primary and secondary education for girls.
In the post-war period, the Educatorio suspended its direct educational activities, but continued its mission by awarding scholarships.
2000
Fondazione per la Scuola della Compagnia di San Paolo
In 2000, the Compagnia di San Paolo approved the transformation of the Educatorio Duchessa Isabella into the Fondazione per la Scuola della Compagnia di San Paolo, entrusting a Promoting Committee with the task of launching the Foundation’s first core activities. The formal establishment of the Foundation dates back to 2001, with the approval of a new Statute and the appointment of its Governing Bodies.
2018
Ente di formazione (Training Institution)
Fondazione per la Scuola obtained accreditation as an Ente di formazione under the Ministry of Education’s Directive 170/2016 (MIUR, now MIM), recognising the quality of its programmes and the organisational capacity of the initiatives addressed to school personnel.
2019
Research Body
Fondazione per la Scuola was recognised as a Research Body by Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers dated 8 July 2019. This recognition strengthens its role in producing applied research and in collaborating with universities and research centres at national and international level.
2025
Approval of the New Statute
The Foundation, recognised as a Research and Training Institution, is part of the instrumental bodies of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo which, through their respective areas of competence, contribute to achieving the institutional objectives of the Foundation itself, in a perspective of sustainable development of the local area for the common good. The Foundation operates according to the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity and is committed to improving education with the aim of “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all”, as set out in Goal 4 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
