The Queen Sofía Foundation was constituted in 1977 with a small amount of capital personally provided by Her Majesty The Queen. It is a joint foundation, a charity of a cultural, non-profit-making and permanent nature. Since 1994, it has managed and promoted many educational and health projects, as well as projects involving social and humanitarian assistance, benefiting children, the elderly, immigrants, the disabled and those affected by natural disasters.

His Majesty The Queen is the Executive Chair of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, which has a minimum of six and a maximum of ten members, among whom an Executive Committee is appointed, and who are also members of the staff of La Zarzuela Palace.

From 2002 to 2007, one of the Queen Sofía Foundation's main lines of action was the Alzheimer's Project, the principal exponent of which is, today, the Queen Sofía Foundation Alzheimer's Centre, inaugurated in 2007 in Vallecas (Madrid), where, to date, 27 research projects—six of them on an international scale—have been carried out. The Foundation has also produced more than 60 scientific publications and 38 communications for scientific conferences and meetings.

Nowadays, it is carrying out a research project on early diagnosis, the "Vallecas Project", endowed with 1.8 million euros, and with the help of one thousand volunteers. Moreover, a unit for diagnostic guidance has been created, for diagnostic purposes and to research into this disease.

The Queen Sofía Foundation Alzheimer's Centre, as regards healthcare provision, is managed by the Autonomous Community of Madrid, and as regards research, by the Research Centre for Neurological Diseases Foundation (CIEN). It consists of a residential facility for 156 Alzheimer's patients, a day care centre for 40 patients, a research unit on Alzheimer's, and a training centre for healthcare professionals, family members and volunteers.