Goteo Review 2026

What it is

Goteo is a Spanish civic crowdfunding site run since 2011 by Fundación Platoniq, a non-profit foundation based in Palma de Mallorca. People donate to social, cultural, educational, ecological and technology projects and get at most a small thank-you reward, such as a letter, a t-shirt or a name in the credits. Every euro is legally a donation: nothing is repaid and there is no interest. Instead, every project must publish its results, code or materials under an open licence so that anyone can use them.

How it works

Each campaign sets a minimum budget (what it needs) and an optimum budget (what it would like). In the first round of 40 days the campaign must reach its minimum; if it does not, the campaign fails, donations are not applied and the platform charges nothing. If it succeeds, an optional second round of 40 days aims at the optimum. Donations can be made in euros, US dollars, pounds or Mexican pesos, and campaigns can also ask for time, skills or materials. Goteo also runs matchfunding calls, in which councils and foundations add money from a shared fund to citizens' donations.

Who can raise money

Individuals, groups, associations and organisations whose project commits to releasing its outputs under an open licence and to a set of shared "collective returns". The Goteo team reviews each project before publication. Once funded, the promoter signs a contract with the foundation and passes identity checks. This is editorial and civic vetting, not a financial check.

Fees

Donors pay nothing to the platform. Successful campaigns pay the foundation a commission plus taxes and bank and PayPal transaction charges; campaigns that miss their minimum pay nothing. In August 2026 the binding terms stated a 6% commission, also charged on matched public funds, while the homepage advertised 4%. The commission could not be re-checked in October 2026.

What reaches the project

With a 6% commission, about €94 of every €100 donated reaches a successful project before taxes on the commission and payment charges, which are not published as a single figure. Spanish taxpayers can deduct 80% of the first €250 they donate each year and 40% above that, because the foundation qualifies under Spain's patronage law.

Track record

The operator's latest published figures, from December 2024, are more than €21 million channelled to 2,022 funded projects, around 350,000 people taking part, and 84% of campaigns reaching their minimum budget. No figures for 2025 or 2026 are published, and Goteo's own statistics pages were not loading in August 2026. No figures are published on funded projects that failed to deliver.

Status and regulation

Goteo was operating with live campaigns in August 2026. In October 2026 its pages were behind a bot check and could not be read, so its status was not re-confirmed. Fundación Platoniq is registered in Spain's state register of foundations (no. 1438) and supervised as a foundation. It holds no investment licence and needs none, because donation crowdfunding is outside the EU crowdfunding rules. PayPal and bank transfers are used for payments; the card payment provider is not named. No compensation scheme covers donors.

Our view

We do not rate Goteo for return or risk. Every contribution is a donation, so there is no interest and no repayment: it is giving, not investing. For a donor, the all-or-nothing first round means you pay nothing if a campaign misses its minimum. After a campaign succeeds, Goteo mediates disputes but does not guarantee delivery or refund donors.