The Inter-American Foundation is an independent U.S. foreign assistance agency created by Congress in 1969 that directly invests in community-designed and -led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IAF awards small grants to grassroots and civil society organizations that promote inclusive economic prosperity, reduce food insecurity, combat corruption, prevent violence and crime, protect the environment and build resilience to natural disasters, and sustainably manage natural resources. The agency engages local leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs in underserved areas working to make their communities more prosperous, peaceful, and democratic. The agency requires grantees to contribute or mobilize their own cash or in-kind resources as well as to track and report their progress, lessons learned, and results. This best prepares them to succeed, sustain, and grow their efforts beyond the IAF’s support—and to contribute to the economic and democratic progress of their countries. To scale its impact, the IAF also connects its grantee partners with each other to share lessons learned through peer-to-peer learning and communities of practice. The IAF’s active portfolio includes almost 400 projects in 27 countries.

Organizational Structure

The IAF is governed by a bipartisan nine-person board of directors appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Board members are drawn from the private and public sectors and assisted by an advisory council. No more than five members of the board may be members of any one political party. The IAF president, appointed by the board, serves as the agency’s chief executive officer, managing a group of employees based in Washington D.C. and contractors in the countries where the IAF works.

Mission

The IAF’s mission is to identify, support, and partner with underserved people, their enterprises, and grassroots organizations to build thriving communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Impact

In December 2019, the IAF celebrated 50 years of propelling grassroots development. Since its creation by Congress in 1969, the IAF has supported more than 5,600 grantee organizations in 37 countries with grants valuing approximately $875 million. The IAF’s model of funding local organizations and community-driven initiatives, rather than individuals or international organizations, has come to be recognized as a development best practice.

The IAF invests in grassroots, community-led approaches that are:

1. Expanding economic opportunities through investments in sustainable smallholder agriculture, job skills training, access to credit, microenterprise and small-business growth, production, connectivity and technology, and market access;
2. Enhancing peace and security by strengthening communities’ social cohesion to address transnational crime, violence, and irregular migration and create economic opportunities that improve their safety;
3. Strengthening democratic governance and combat corruption by improving the capacity of community groups and other civil society actors to engage constructively with public officials, oversee the use of public funds, protect human rights, promote transparency and inclusion, and hold their governments accountable; and
4. Unlocking additional private, public, and community resources for grassroots development in the region through financial and programmatic partnerships with corporate, philanthropic, and public institutions.