Created in 1964 by Marcelino Botín Sanz de Sautuola and his wife, Carmen Yllera, the aim of the Fundación Botín has been to promote social development. Today, fifty years on, its main headquarters are still in the region of Cantabria, and the Fundación Botín develops social programmes in Spain and Latin America, exploring ways of detecting creative talent that can generate cultural, social and economic wealth.

The foundation's Madrid premises are housed in an industrial building located at No. 18C, Calle Castelló, in the heart of the Salamanca district. The original building was constructed in 1920, designed by architect Gonzalo Aguado for the Espuñes Silversmith Factory. It was later renovated and refurbished by Enrique Bardají in the year 1996 for the Vinçon store. The current premises of the Fundación Botín, created in 2012, were designed by Diego Varela and Emilio Medina, from the MVN Arquitectos firm of architects. Those responsible for the remodelling opted to allow the building’s history to be seen, and to enhance the natural light in the 1,500 square metres of this space.

They are spread over two floors. The ground floor is where activities aimed at members of the public are organised, with an exhibition area covering almost 800 square metres; the first floor is devoted to offices.

The entire building is kitted out with automation technology, so that many of the installations and facilities can be controlled by means of applications on mobile devices such as tablets.