Cross-Border Giving Creates a Lifeline for Communities
By Adam Lopez Falk
One of the advantages of working with a community foundation for charitable giving is its deep knowledge and connection to the nonprofits and the needs of the communities they serve.
At the Arizona Community Foundation, our engagement officers spend countless hours building relationships, understanding local needs, and connecting nonprofits with vital funding. Seeing the impact of this work firsthand is a powerful reminder of why ACF does what it does. As a border state, Arizona is particularly impacted by community challenges on both sides of the border.
Recently, ACF team members Alexander Chambers and Selena Valencia Salazar visited two nonprofit organizations in Nogales, Sonora, led by ACF Senior Engagement Officer Adam Lopez Falk, to witness the life-changing results of collective, cross-border funding. This visit, which highlighted the work of an afterschool center and a migrant shelter, showcased the incredible power of cross-border partnerships and how strategic philanthropy can save and transform lives.
Lopez Falk shared his account of the challenges and how partnerships and collective philanthropy can change lives.
A Partnership That Knows No Borders
Both organizations we visited are grantees of ACF’s border-related funding opportunities, made possible through our partnership with FESAC (Fundacion Empresario Sonorense A.C.), the community foundation for the state of Sonora. This first-of-its-kind relationship allows two community foundations in different countries to unite and support programming that enriches communities in both Arizona and Sonora. This collaboration is a testament to what can be achieved when we work together across borders.
Powering a Safe Haven at Casa de la Misericordia
Our first stop was Casa de la Misericordia de Todas las Naciones, a migrant shelter situated in an area with steep hills and rutted roads. The shelter received funding from our Arizona-Sonora Frontera Investments to purchase solar panels. Founded by Sister Lika Macias, the shelter is a safe haven for families fleeing violence and instability from across the globe. It provides housing, job training, and education for those seeking asylum in the United States, not just from Mexico and Central and South America, but also China, Russia, Senegal, and more.
Before the solar panels, power in this part of Mexico was spotty and expensive. The shelter often went without electricity during the day to save costs. Imagine classrooms and kitchens sweltering in the 90-degree summer heat! With the new solar panels, funded in part by ACF, the shelter now has reliable 24/7 power, which has made possible air conditioning to cool the shelter and power an electric stove that cuts down costs on gas, provides a new onsite tortilleria teaching residents valuable job skills, which are needed in just about every town in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. In addition, the power allows the production of high-quality instruments in the ukulele shop, creating a revenue stream for the shelter from selling the unique instruments.
The cost savings are just as dramatic. The shelter’s monthly power bill has dropped from $700 USD to just $70 USD. This is a powerful example of how a single investment can create a ripple effect of positive change.
Fostering Hope at DEIJUVEN
Four miles away, we visited DEIJUVEN (Desarrollo Integral Juvenil de Nogales I.A.P.), an afterschool and community center run by Salesianos Nogales, Priests from the Salesian Order of Don Bosco. Located in one of Nogales’s toughest neighborhoods, DEIJUVEN is a true sanctuary for local children and families.
The center offers a range of activities, from basketball, and flag football to workforce development skills such as barber training and sewing classes. These programs provide kids with a safe place to go after school and give adults the skills to start businesses and provide for their families.
During our visit, the staff shared a sobering but hopeful fact that left us speechless: none of the children who regularly attend DEIJUVEN have been murdered. In a community plagued by violence, this is a profound testament to the center’s life-saving work and a stark reminder of the realities community members face.
The Enduring Impact of Cross-Border Philanthropy
Our visit to Ambos Nogales demonstrated how far our dollars can go when we invest in regional partnerships. It reaffirmed our commitment to supporting the life-changing work of organizations like Casa de la Misericordia and DEIJUVEN.
When a crisis hits or an increased need for critical services, the ability for ACF to deploy foundation-directed funds quickly is important. By building relationships such as these throughout the state and across the border, ACF stays connected to the needs as they change.
Contact your ACF relationship manager to find out how you can use your donor-advised fund for cross-border philanthropy, or how you can contribute to an ACF-directed fund.