Strengthening Education Nonprofits in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Donors' Education Collaborative works to build the capacity of nonprofits doing innovative work to improve Pre-K-12 public education in Puerto Rico. The program was established in 2010 by four Puerto Rico funders working in partnership with HIP. The first formal funding collaborative of its kind in Puerto Rico, the program was born of local funders’ awareness of the urgent need to expand the scale and impact of the island’s education nonprofits in order to achieve meaningful impact.
The Collaborative awarded its first round of grants in November 2010, providing a total of $310,000 to seven nonprofit organizations with demonstrated record of impacting the lives of children and youth in Puerto Rico. The funds will be used to help the selected organizations strengthen their operational capacity and long-term sustainability, so that they can further increase their effectiveness and deepen their impact in education.
The selected grantees are also receiving opportunities for training, professional development, and peer-to-peer networking. The first training focused on board development, building an effective nonprofit organization, and working effectively with consultants.
The Puerto Rico Donors' Education Collaborative is a collaborative initiative formed by HIP and four foundations in Puerto Rico:
Together with HIP, these funders are working to maximize resources for nonprofit organizations that do innovative work to improve Pre-K through 12th grade public education in Puerto Rico.
| Grantee | Start Date | End Date | Amount | Grant Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza para la Educación Alternativa, Inc. | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2013 | $75,000 | To build evaluation and technology capacity of Alianza and its members by hiring consultants to conduct an organizational assessment, identify outcome measures, and develop a shared digital database, resulting in improved documentation and communication of program impact as well as more strategic and data-driven decision-making. |
| Centro Esperanza, Inc. | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2011 | $24,000 | To build fundraising capacity by hiring a consultant to facilitate the development and implementation of a fundraising plan, resulting in increased board and volunteer engagement in fundraising and a more diverse funding base that includes corporations, events, and individual donors. |
| Instituto Nueva Escuela | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2011 | $25,000 | To build fundraising capacity by hiring a consultant and staff to develop and implement a fundraising plan, resulting in a system for coordinating and tracking board, staff, and volunteer involvement in fundraising and in a more diverse funding base that includes foundations, corporations, and individual donors. |
| Jóvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, Inc. / Puerto Rico Youth-at-Risk (PRYR) | 12/16/2010 | 12/16/2012 | $60,000 | To build sustainability capacity by hiring a consultant to develop a business and marketing plan for a social enterprise, resulting in the identification of a revenue-generating strategy and the launch of a social enterprise. |
| Nuestra Escuela, Inc. | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2013 | $75,000 | To build evaluation capacity by hiring a program coordinator and consultants to develop an outcomes evaluation system for academic programs and train staff in the system, resulting in increased capacity to document outcomes and continuously improve program quality. |
| Sapientis, Inc. | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2011 | $25,000 | To build fundraising capacity by hiring a consultant to assess needs and assets, develop and implement a fundraising plan, and train board and staff in fundraising, resulting in a system for tracking fundraising and integrating it with the budgeting process and ultimately creating a more sustainable and diverse revenue base. |
| SER de Puerto Rico / Sociedad de Educación y Rehabilitación de Puerto Rico | 12/16/2010 | 12/15/2011 | $25,000 | To build fundraising capacity by hiring a consultant to facilitate the development of a fundraising plan, to establish a fundraising advisory committee, to identify and cultivate new funding sources, and to train staff in fundraising, resulting in the identification of at least 25 potential new funding sources and the creation of a more sustainable and diverse funding base. |
Providing Leadership
"As a Latino in philanthropy, it helps to meet other professionals dealing with the same challenges that I'm dealing with and to have the opportunity to learn from what they've experienced in the field."
— Edgar Aguirre
Loyola Marymount University
Membership Has Its Benefits
"HIP Membership has enabled me to broaden my reach into communities and to utilize resources I didn't know about before. As a funder, it has been great to associate with and learn from folks with such a depth of understanding about philanthropy and Latino communities."
— Larry Gonzales
The California Endowment
Increasing Diversity
"The field of philanthropy is not very diverse and the needs of the Latino community and Latino professionals in the field are not adequately met. HIP provides members with learning opportunities to increase their professional capacity as well as fun networking activities."
— Obiel A. Leyva
The San Francisco Foundation
Strengthening Our Culture
"The HIP Collaborative has helped in many ways over the past 10 years. It spurred us to recruit the first Latina foundation board member in the state and helped us develop relationships that have led to establishing several funds advised by Latinos. Our association with HIP has helped to strengthen our cultural competence as an organization."
— Tara Sandercock
Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
A Collaborative Vision
"The philanthropic world is always preaching that collaboration is important. We tell nonprofits that when resources are tight, you must work together--collaborate. The Funders' Collaborative model allows foundations to work together to address the issues affecting our communities."
— Evette Cardona
Polk Bros. Foundation
A Strong Vision
"The chief strength of the Funders' Collaborative is that it is a collaborative process rooted in a single vision--strengthening Latino communities. It allows grantmakers and grantees from all over the country to work together towards that vision."
— Marilda Gandara
Aetna Foundation
A Consistent Vision
"In the late '90s, the HIP board said, 'Getting more Latinos into the field just isn't enough-we need a new strategy for increasing giving to Latinos.' The result was the Funders' Collaborative, which proved incredibly effective — we raised more than $40 million for Latino community-based organizations."
— Diana Campoamor
President of HIP
Shaping Our Future
Our donors have been the backbone of our programs,
providing both financial and in-kind contributions for over 25 years.
Your contribution is a testament to the generosity of our supporters.
We couldn't continue to serve our community without your help.
Thank you for supporting HIP's work.
