Our Niche
SIF’s work is distinguished by:
- Our exclusive focus on Central America, underpinned by a profound understanding of the region’s historical dynamics, societies, cultures, and governments.
- Our commitment to advancing equality, human rights and democracy in Central America through support for social organizations and leaders, and the creation of strategic alliances.
- Our efforts to mobilize resources and support from the philanthropic community and international community to promote equality, human rights, and democracy in Central America.
The Problem We Seek to Address
Central America faces deep-rooted inequalities. Chronic issues like poverty, forced displacement, political persecution, corruption, and shrinking civic space have concentrated power and wealth among a privileged few. These groups use authoritarian tactics to stay in control, preventing states from ensuring a decent quality of life for most people. In response, organized social movements and alliances are key forces in the fight for justice and equality.
Our Opportunity for Impact
We believe there is a significant opportunity to strengthen social organizations and leaders who can effectively counteract anti-democratic and authoritarian trends in Central America, while building strategic alliances to face challenging contexts. By fostering collaboration and mutual support among and within key sectors and stakeholders, we can create the conditions needed to amplify collective efforts and drive positive change in the region.
Our Priority Areas
Our priority areas include freedom of expression and transparency, youth and human rights, sexual and reproductive rights, gender, racial and ethnic justice, civic space, and democracy. We emphasize collaboration and the formation of strategic alliances to strengthen these efforts. By concentrating on these key areas, we aim to promote social change and enhance public policies that foster equality and justice for all.
IMPACT SERVICES & ADVISING
The Seattle International Foundation provides intermediary services to philanthropists and organizations who wish to take advantage of our knowledge, networks and expertise in Central America & Mexico, as well as our expertise with the expenditure responsibility process.
Expenditure responsibility (ER) is the federally mandated procedure that a foundation must follow for any grant made to an entity that is not a 501(c)(3) organization (with few exceptions). Completing the ER process ensures that foundation funds are used for exclusively charitable purposes.
In addition to intermediary services for donors who already know exactly which organization they want to support, we also offer advising services to philanthropists and organizations who need help creating a strategy or finding the right partner to support causes in Central America & Mexico they care about.
SIF is a supporting organization to Seattle Foundation.
Impact Services & Advising clients include:
…and numerous individual philanthropists and donor collaboratives.
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
Bringing more resources to Central America and Mexico is something that is important to us. We offer Model C fiscal sponsorship to projects that are improving lives in this region but do not yet have tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
The fiscal sponsorship arrangement offers a way for a project to attract donors even when it is not yet recognized as tax-exempt. In essence, we serve as the administrative “home” of the project, working closely with legally-registered locally-based organizations in the region who implement the work on the ground. Donors make tax-deductible charitable contributions to SIF as the fiscal sponsor, and we make grants to local organizations to support the project.
Current and past fiscal sponsees include the Caballero Fund, Campamento Esperanza, Football for Sinaloa, the Roberto Carcelén Foundation and Global Women-Partners in Philanthropy.
For more information on SIF’s Intermediary Services or Fiscal Sponsorship Services, please contact us to info@nullseaif.org
Captura de Pantalla 2023-11-23 a la(s) 15.01.30
Taller colectiva MIAU, Tecamac, México 5
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