About the International Community Foundation
Among U.S.-based community foundations, the International Community Foundation is unique in that unlike other community foundations that serve a defined geographic region in the United States, the Foundation is dedicated to assisting American donors to charitably support their communities of interest internationally. Approximately 22% of the International Community Foundation’s donors are immigrants; close to 50% of the International Community Foundation’s donors are retirees living abroad either full- or part-time with the majority of these American expatriates residing in coastal communities in Northwest Mexico. For more information regarding the International Community Foundation, visit: www.icfdn.org.
About the Retiring Responsibly in Mexico Initiative
With a growing number of Americans now retiring in Mexico, there is a need to better respond to the needs of this fast-growing expatriate population Through its “Retiring Responsibly in Mexico” initiative, the International Community Foundation seeks to inform, educate, and engage would-be retirees, targeted buyers, real estate developers, nonprofit organizations and policymakers at the local, state and federal levels of governmental in both the United States and Mexico about issues related to environmental sustainability, financial and environmental transparency, and responsibilities for stewardship related to coastal tourism residential developments with an emphasis on the 50+ population from the United States seeking to retire in Mexico. The Foundation’s “Retiring Responsibly in Mexico” Initiative has three key objectives:
- Undertake timely and relevant research on the demographic patterns of U.S. retirees in Mexican coastal communities to better understand the impacts of current north to south migration trends as they relate to emerging issues of economic security, health care and public safety.
- Understand the impacts of recent coastal development in Mexico fueled by the influx of U.S. retirees, assessing the impacts on surrounding ecosystems, documenting trends in sustainable retirement communities, and recognizing the legal/financial risk for homebuyers.
- Assess the level of social capital among U.S. retirees residing in Mexico with a focus on volunteerism, charitable giving, and civic engagement in their adopted communities.
About the Co-Authors
Richard Kiy is President & CEO of the International Community Foundation and has over 23 years of internationally focused experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors with a specialization in Mexico. Kiy is a graduate of Stanford University (A.B. Economics) and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (Masters of Public Administration).
Anne McEnany is Senior Advisor for Environment & Conservation for the International Community Foundation and has over 18 years of conservation experience working in Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and the Andes Region. McEnany is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. in Latin American Studies) and Tulane University (Masters of Science, Applied International Development with a concentration in environmental planning).
