Here, we show a strategy to control the dispersion, spatial distribution, and stabilization of copper-based nanoparticles on a micro-mesoporous silica support, as well as their impact on the catalytic activity. In this respect, SBA-15 with P123 occluded mesopores was used as host to load, by impregnation, copper based nanoparticles, whose dispersion was similar to that of the homologous NPs prepared by precipitation on the SBA-15 with open mesoporosity, while the thermal stability was better. The oxide and reduced forms of the catalysts were rigorously characterized by ICP-OES, low- and high-angle XRD, N-2 physisorption, HRTEM/EDXS, TPR, in situ XRD, and in situ XPS. Due to their high practical impact, both the oxide and metallic forms of the copper-based NPs were evaluated for catalytic activity in CO oxidation and hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde, respectively. It was shown that the high dispersion of copper based NPs and the electron-deficient sites, such as M2+ with high affinity for the C=0 bond, are responsible for the outstanding catalytic performance of the solids. The paper demonstrates that using a simple impregnation method and a functionalized SBA-15 support, high-performance materials can be obtained avoiding the use of precipitating agents and strict control of the synthesis conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.