History
The U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership (BPP) is a binational membership organization whose mission is to support a network of organizations that build prosperity through leadership, collaboration, and philanthropy in the U.S.-Mexico Border region including the 10 Border States: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.
The binational organization is unique in that it is the only organization promoting philanthropy along and across the region, and that is a legally incorporated 501©3 nonprofit in the U.S. BPP’s sister organization, Alianza Fronteriza de Filantropía, A.C. is based in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and is a designated Asociación Civil with Donataria Autorizada and CLUNI, which allows Alianza Fronteriza de Filantropía, A.C. to provide donors with tax-deductible receipts, as well as seek funding support from the Mexican government.
Prior to becoming a 501(c) (3) organization in 2008, BPP was an exclusive capacity building program for Border region community foundations. 18 Border region community foundations from San Diego-Tijuana to Brownsville-Matamoros participated, and the initiative was funded by a donor collaborative that included the Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, Houston Endowment, Meadows Foundation, and Fundación Gonzalo Rio Arronte amongst others. The project was managed by the Synergos Institute in New York City, and supported by San Diego based staff professionals. After a successful 6 year program, the participating community foundations encouraged the initiative to transition from a program to its own bi-national organization.
In September 2008, the newly formed BPP received critical support from the Border region community foundation network. The San Diego Foundation agreed to provide free and furnished office for three staff members, and meeting space for up to one year at its San Diego based offices that would later become the Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement. The International Community Foundation provided fiscal agency services to facilitate key foundation grant support to get the new organization up and running. The Arizona Community Foundation provided key volunteer support from its board and staff executive leadership, as well as a generous grant to get BPP started. Community Foundations from Tijuana, Tucson, Yuma, Ambos Nogales, Douglas, Las Cruces, El Paso, Juarez, Ojinaga, Laredo, Brownsville, and Matamoros provided initial membership support. It was truly a team effort.
In 2009, the newly formed BPP Board of Directors approved extending membership to all civil society organizations including academia, business and corporate partners, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy. This was an important decision, as no one sector can resolve the issues and challenges facing the binational region alone. We are pleased to have our academic and government partners to help INFORM change we seek for our region; our business, corporate, and foundation partners to FUND change we seek for our region; and our nonprofit partners to IMPLEMENT change we seek for our region.
The binational organization is unique in that it is the only organization promoting philanthropy along and across the region, and that is a legally incorporated 501©3 nonprofit in the U.S. BPP’s sister organization, Alianza Fronteriza de Filantropía, A.C. is based in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and is a designated Asociación Civil with Donataria Autorizada and CLUNI, which allows Alianza Fronteriza de Filantropía, A.C. to provide donors with tax-deductible receipts, as well as seek funding support from the Mexican government.
Prior to becoming a 501(c) (3) organization in 2008, BPP was an exclusive capacity building program for Border region community foundations. 18 Border region community foundations from San Diego-Tijuana to Brownsville-Matamoros participated, and the initiative was funded by a donor collaborative that included the Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, Houston Endowment, Meadows Foundation, and Fundación Gonzalo Rio Arronte amongst others. The project was managed by the Synergos Institute in New York City, and supported by San Diego based staff professionals. After a successful 6 year program, the participating community foundations encouraged the initiative to transition from a program to its own bi-national organization.
In September 2008, the newly formed BPP received critical support from the Border region community foundation network. The San Diego Foundation agreed to provide free and furnished office for three staff members, and meeting space for up to one year at its San Diego based offices that would later become the Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement. The International Community Foundation provided fiscal agency services to facilitate key foundation grant support to get the new organization up and running. The Arizona Community Foundation provided key volunteer support from its board and staff executive leadership, as well as a generous grant to get BPP started. Community Foundations from Tijuana, Tucson, Yuma, Ambos Nogales, Douglas, Las Cruces, El Paso, Juarez, Ojinaga, Laredo, Brownsville, and Matamoros provided initial membership support. It was truly a team effort.
In 2009, the newly formed BPP Board of Directors approved extending membership to all civil society organizations including academia, business and corporate partners, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy. This was an important decision, as no one sector can resolve the issues and challenges facing the binational region alone. We are pleased to have our academic and government partners to help INFORM change we seek for our region; our business, corporate, and foundation partners to FUND change we seek for our region; and our nonprofit partners to IMPLEMENT change we seek for our region.
