Since 1991, the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation, a non-profit institution governed by private law and public utility, which carries out, promotes and sponsors cultural, scientific and educational actions in the fields of human rights, political science and international relations. The foundation has a library and a documentation centre, based on the personal archive of Mário Soares, former President of the Republic and Portuguese Prime Minister. The Fundação Mário Soares Prize is awarded annually and is intended to reward authors of academic dissertations or other research works carried out in the context of the history of Portugal in the 20th century.