Online Resource of Mexican Philanthropy Launched

Searchable Database of Donors Strengthens Mexico's Social Sector

(Lealo en español) Mexico City, Mexico, and New York, NY, USA — January 30, 2013. A new searchable database of more than 22,000 Mexican philanthropies, Fondos a la Vista, has been launched by the Foundation Center in New York in partnership with the Mexico-based Alternativas y Capacidades and the Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México). The online resource provides the Mexican public with reliable, comprehensive information about domestic donors and their philanthropic activity, including the organizations they support.

"The development of Fondos a la Vista represents a leap forward in terms of accessibility and user friendliness," said Michael D. Layton, Ph.D., director of the philanthropy and civil society project at ITAM. "Never before has such data been available to organizations looking for partners or funders, and to the public seeking to understand the finances of the nonprofit sector."

Fondos a la Vista (Funds at a Glance) — which aims to foster "a trustworthy and transparent civil society" — can be searched for free and contains information compiled and curated from both the Mexico Tax Administration Service registry and the Mexico National Institute for Social Development registry. It provides users access to the financial data of funders, aiming to empower and strengthen Mexico’s bourgeoning social sector by serving as a mechanism for accountability and transparency of its organizations. Users may include foundations and charities outside the country that engage in cross-border programs, who can use it to gain a greater understanding of philanthropy in Mexico and find partners on the ground.

In addition to the multi-year financial data in Fondos a la Vista, funder profiles provide information on each organization’s purpose, areas of support, target population, and grant recipients. Users can perform detailed queries, compile aggregated results lists, and save and export search results.

"In the long term we hope Fondos a la Vista will play an important role in ushering in an era of enhanced accountability between the nonprofit sector and the general public in Mexico," said Miguel Ángel de la Vega, executive director of Alternativas y Capacidades. "We expect that organizations will seek to strengthen the mechanisms they employ to ensure that financially and programmatically they are using their resources in a manner that fulfills their mission and improves Mexico."

The Foundation Center has long been known for its Foundation Directory Online database of U.S. foundations and their grants, which served as a model for the development of Fondos a la Vista. The new platform represents both the Center’s first Spanish-language online database, and also the first developed exclusively with non-U.S. data sets.

"Every country and region is unique, with its own distinctive requirements, and the Foundation Center is well-positioned to help global partners transform raw information into meaningful knowledge resources that support and advance the social sector," said Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center. "Fondos a la Vista showcases how the Foundation Center’s expertise and technological savvy can meet the needs of philanthropy worldwide."

The launch of Fondos a la Vista aligns with the Center's Foundation Center 2020 strategic plan and reflects its commitment to building the global data platform for philanthropy, connecting nonprofits to the resources they need to succeed, and encouraging greater foundation transparency.

Fondos a la Vista was made possible with support from Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Fundación del Empresariado en México, US-Mexico Foundation, Microsoft, Fundación Rosario Campos de Fernández, and Montepío Luz Savinóñ. It can be found at http://www.fondosalavista.mx.

Cheryl Loe
Communications Project Manager
The Foundation Center
(888) 356-0354 ext. 701
communications@foundationcenter.org

Michael D. Layton, Ph.D.
Director of Philanthropy and Civil Society Project
ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México)
+52 (55) 56284000 ext. 3948 
layton@itam.mx

Miguel Ángel de la Vega
Executive Director
Alternativas y Capacidades, A.C.
+52 (55) 55959111 ext. 108
miguel@ alternativasycapacidades.org

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 450 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.

About the Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at ITAM
The Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at ITAM aims to expand domestic support for civil society organizations by promoting an environment that fosters philanthropy in Mexico, characterized by the presence of more donors, as well as increased confidence in the sector; transforming civil society into a sustainable sector, one which is more professional and accountable to society; and building a knowledge base of philanthropy and civil society to help understand and design policies to their advantage. Visit www.filantropia.itam.mx.

About Alternativas y Capacidaded, A.C.
A nonprofit organization founded in 2002 that aims to contribute to Mexico's social development by strengthening civil society organizations and grantmakers, working towards a favorable environment for their professionalization, promoting their advocacy capacities and encouraging intersectoral collaboration. Visit www.alternativasycapacidades.org.

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