Found vs. Set up vs. Establish vs. Create

1. "Found" as in "Found a charitable organization" comes from the Latin fundare, and means "to lay the bottom or foundation of something," from fundus "bottom, foundation." It is related to "fund," which can mean "bottom," but it also refers to the money someone has at their disposal.
So when you see that an organization was "founded," what is implied is that a person or group provided the money to make it come into being.

2. "Set up" is much less formal--and not dependent upon money--and for the context you have specified, it is most closely related to "assemble." To set up by assembling means to "create by putting components or members together; "They set up a committee."

3. "Established" comes from the Latin "sedes" for seat, meaning the seat for the government, governing policies, or governing offices. So when you see a sentence like, "The United Nations was established on October 24, 1945," you know that it wasn't just "set up." There are formal rules and policies--a Charter--that spell out how the organization will operate. And in the case of the U.N., there is a physical seat as well, in New York.

4. "Created" is more akin to "bringing into existence," but it does not contain any reference to governing procedures (as in established), who may have provided capital (as in founded), or who brought the pieces together (as in set up). It is really more like making an idea tangible.

Thank you