Five Agendas to Drive the Transformation of the Philanthropic Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional philanthropy has played a crucial role in Latin America and the Caribbean, supporting marginalized communities and strengthening local organizations. But recent crises and shrinking global aid have put the region’s philanthropies to the test, revealing the sector’s current limitations and forcing it to reckon with the need for deep transformations to help meet the moment. The potential of that transformation is massive: Mobilizing just 1% of Latin America and the Caribbean’s private wealth could unlock over $5 billion annually — an amount comparable to the total international aid the region currently receives.

The urgency of the region’s challenges creates favorable conditions to accelerate the evolution of philanthropy. To help seize the moment, The Resource Foundation and Dalberg Advisors, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, surveyed more than 70 leaders from across the region to understand their needs and develop five interconnected transformations essential to the sector’s future in the region:

1. Collaborate for real: Work across sectors around a co-created purpose, creating formal roles and shared governance.
2. Mobilize more capital: Cultivate a new generation of donors to unlock new investment opportunities.
3. Finance better: Focus on quality, strategic, and long-term social investments over short-term charity.
4. Localize philanthropy: Treat local actors as co-creators and joint owners of change, not beneficiaries.
5. Raise the sector’s standard: Invest in the development of the philanthropic sector to enhance its legitimacy and effectiveness.

We hope this report will foster the conversations, decisions, and action needed in the years ahead to mobilize resources, meet the moment, and support a new generation of philanthropy in Latin America and the Caribbean.