1. Valle de los Cirios Biosphere Reserve near Bahía
de los Angeles, BC, Mexico. Photo credit: Anne McEnany. 2.
Three children at Los Niños del Capitán, Cabo San
Lucas, BCS, Mexico. Picture provided by: Los Niños del
Capitán. 3.
Traditional
Wounann basket,
prepared for the
inauguration of
a community-led
tourism project
in the San Antonio,
Panama Canal Zone,
Panama. Photo credit:
Anne McEnany.
ver the past year, the level of U.S. internationally-oriented charitable giving has expanded
considerably, thanks, in large part, to the recent philanthropic leadership of two of the wealthiest
individuals in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Still, according to Giving USA, of the $260
billion in charitable contributions made nationally in 2004, less than 3% of total contributions were
directed to international causes.
Thanks to donors like you, the International Community Foundation (ICF) is doing its part to improve
these statistics by helping U.S. donors to identify and actively support overseas nonprofit organizations
with proven track records in their field. Through their generosity, our donors and volunteers are also
demonstrating that one does not have to be a millionaire to make a difference. Funding in developing
countries can go a long way.
In this past year, ICF made 111 grants totaling over $3.5 million to 73 nonprofit organizations in Mexico,
Canada, Guatemala, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Argentina and China. Still, the focus of
ICF’s work is in supporting community-based nonprofits and projects located along the Mexican border
and the Baja California peninsula.
ICF’s donors contribute to our cumulative impact through 110 endowed, non-endowed and special project
funds now under management at ICF. While ICF’s grantmaking is community-focused, the breadth of our
donor-supported charitable giving remains broad with grants to nonprofits in the areas of education,
health & human services, the environment, community & economic development, cultural preservation
and the arts. In the countries where ICF is active, it is estimated that our grants can frequently be carried
out for a fraction of the cost required for similar projects in this country, providing a much greater social
impact than would otherwise be possible in the United States.
ICF’s goal for the coming year is to invite many more individuals, family foundations, and private
foundations to contribute through ICF, tapping into our staff expertise and transparent procedures for
overseas grantmaking. In this regard, we are pleased with the recent commitment made by Mexican
billionaire Carlos Slim to provide matching grants to donations to Mexican non-profits working in the areas of education, health, nutrition
and research. Given the demonstrated track record that ICF and its donors have in supporting nonprofits
in these areas, we are confident that Mr. Slim’s challenge will spur many like-minded donors to expand
their giving in partnership with ICF.
This report highlights the collective impact of ICF’s donor inspired international philanthropy. ICF remains
committed to helping all interested individuals fulfill their passions and make a difference. If you are not
already an ICF donor, we hope this report will encourage you to consider joining us.
