Purpose and Objectives of the Study
In an effort to better assess corporate giving trends in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region with the
goal of expanding philanthropic efforts in the region, the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy
Partnership (BPP) commissioned this study with a project team consisting of the San Diegobased
International Community Foundation (ICF), the Synergos Institute, Fundacion Empresarial
Sonorense (FESAC), the El Paso Community Foundation (EPCF), and Cross Border Business
Associates and the financial support of first and foremost the Ford Foundation as well as ICF, FESAC
and EPCF.
This study has four primary objectives, namely to:
- Raise awareness about corporate giving trends in the border region,
identifying success stories of companies making a difference and highlighting existing
constraints and impediments;
- Encourage more active engagement and collaboration between border
area community foundations, nonprofit organizations in the region, and major corporate givers in order to develop and strengthen local and regional
partnerships and assist community foundations in their fundraising efforts.
- Promote structural reform in Mexican law that will encourage, not
discourage, the development of civil society and maquiladora charitable
contributions with the aim to raise additional resources and enhance the involvement
of this sector.
- Expand the overall level of corporate giving by both major maquiladora
employers and service providers (e.g. banking, retail, telecommunications, etc.)
while identifying potential corporate champions to address critical border area needs in
the future.
Without question, U.S. and multinational companies located in the border region can and
should do more to make a difference in the communities where they operate and benefit from,
yet it is also important to recognize the impediments that remain that continue to inhibit
companies from being more generous with their money, time, and in-kind contributions. Here,
it is our hope that through this study and the pro-active efforts of community foundations along
the border, greater transparency can be fostered so that a net increase of sustainable corporate
giving can occur in the border region over time. |
