Printer-friendly version

About Us

The inspiration for the Latin America Donor Index comes from a dual commitment to helping nonprofit organizations find much-needed resources and donor organizations learn more about their peers working on similar issues or locations. For the first time, information about giving to and within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is consolidated in one place.

The Latin America Donor Index represents a change in the mindset of philanthropy in the region. Only by seeking partners, acting synergistically, and building common agendas, will donor and civil society organizations progress toward sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Until now, grant seekers had to rely on word of mouth, individual contacts, and partial information to identify potential donors. Now they can use the Latin America Donor Index to search hundreds of donor profiles by thematic area, geographic area, and other variables.

Now, a new spirit of transparency and accountability is apparent in how donors share their information. A case in point, the Latin America Donor Index relies on the commitment of donors to keep their data current for all Index users. LAC donors and grantees alike have begun the vital work of collaboration, co-construction, and participation to catalyze more sustainable and equitable processes of development.

The team of the Latin America Donor Index is honored to play a small role in facilitating this shift toward increased collaboration.

About the Index Partners

The Latin America Donor Index is the result of a fruitful collaboration between AVINA and the Office of Outreach and Partnerships of the Inter-American Development Bank. Together these two institutions have pooled resources to build the Latin America Donor Index so non-profits and donors alike can identify potential allies.

The Office of Outreach and Partnerships of the Inter-American Development Bank: With their participation in the Latin America Donor Index as well as other programs and activities, the Office of Outreach and Partnerships (ORP) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group hopes to help both nonprofits and philanthropic organizations active in the region to easily identify potential donors and strategic allies. A primary objective of the ORP is promoting a culture of transparent, strategic, and results-based social investment and philanthropy in the region. By leveraging its deep network and convening power, the IDB disseminates best practices, aggregates relevant information and showcases successful experiences to strengthen philanthropy in the region.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group established the Office of Outreach and Partnerships in 2008, underlining the critical importance of bringing new ideas, approaches, and actors to bear on the development challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean. The ORP reports directly to the President of the IDB and is charged with strengthening the Bank’s dialogue and alliances with key partners for development, including donor governments, co-financing agencies, foundations, individual philanthropists and the private sector. For more information about ORP and its work, please visit http://www.iadb.org/partnerships.

Fundación AVINA: AVINA’s contribution to building the Latin America Donor Index is an important addition to the body of social investments it has made over the past 15 years in Latin America. AVINA's mission is to contribute to sustainable development in Latin America by encouraging productive alliances based on trust among social and business leaders and by brokering consensus around agendas for action. To reach this mission, AVINA promotes shared agendas for action in four strategic areas: Equity of Opportunities, Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law, Sustainable Economic Development, and Conservation and Management of Natural Resources.

Today, AVINA allies itself with over 4,500 leaders and organizations from different sectors who are committed to sustainable development in the region. Our allies inspire us with their vision for social transformation, they teach us with their innovative approaches, and help us to identify strategic opportunities with their deep knowledge of the environment in which they operate.

In accordance with its strategies and priorities, AVINA:

• Creates conditions for a diversity of allies from civil society and the private sector to work together towards common goals.
• Promotes the development of shared agendas for change.
• Invests, leverages, and mobilizes resources to support these agendas.
• Raises the visibility of agendas for change at the national, regional and global levels, connecting them within the continent and internationally.
• Builds relationships and brokers alliances with global actors to accelerate and scale up impact.
• Links allies with public sector institutions to influence public policy.
• Produces, shares and manages knowledge, innovation, lessons learned, skills, methods and best practices in order to strengthen all these actions.

AVINA was founded in 1994 by the Swiss entrepreneur Stephan Schmidheiny, who inspired the vision and values that guide the organization.

AVINA is maintained by VIVA, a trust created by Stephan Schmidheiny to further sustainable development through alliances between successful and responsible businesses and philanthropic organizations that promote leadership and innovation.

For more information about AVINA and its network of allies, please visit http://www.avina.net