Recognizing the inextricable link between Mexico and the United States and that each country has a vested interest in the well-being of the other, the U.S.-Mexico Foundation (USMF) seeks to maximize the strength and stability of Mexico and of the United States, and of the relationship between the people of Mexico and of the United States. For the benefit of both countries, therefore, the mission of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation is to expand opportunity for the people of Mexico through effective philanthropy and binational partnerships.

The USMF accomplishes its mission through two primary means: 1) raising awareness in Mexico and the United States about the binational relationship and the value of binational philanthropy and 2) making targeted philanthropic investments into Mexico. Its programming falls into three core priorities:

1. Funding Mexican Philanthropy by supporting qualified Mexican nonprofit organizations
2. Promoting Civil Society Engagement while strengthening the nonprofit sector in Mexico
3. Building Bridges, people-to-people, by facilitating connections between U.S. and Mexican citizens.

In undertaking its philanthropic investments, the USMF focuses primarily on the areas of education, health, and economic development, with a particular emphasis on youth.

In support of its efforts, the USMF’s major fundraising initiative is the Binational Partners Fund. The BPF is structured to be a select group, roughly eight to twelve sponsoring partners, each of which is a corporation or a foundation committed to a more deliberate and collaborative approach involving Mexico. Funds derived from the BPF are directed specifically to the U.S.-Mexico Foundation’s three programmatic priorities, as identified above.

As an example of its activities, in November of 2011, the BPF organized a week-long event to profile the value of binational philanthropy, called the Binational Partnership Week. Scheduled during the week of November 14, 2011, sponsors and supporters of the USMF took part in events held in Mexico City and San Cristóbal de las Casa, Chiapas. The delegation participated in the annual meeting of the Mexican Center for Philanthropy, attended the annual dinner of the Woodrow Wilson Mexico Institute, and interacted in private meals and other special events with prominent corporate, governmental, philanthropic, and non-profit leaders. A site visit to model, citizen-intensive NGOs in San Cristóbal, Chiapas, completed the Partnership Week, in collaboration with the Kellogg Foundation as on-site host.

The Binational Partners Fund provides USMF partners with a unique opportunity to garner Corporate Social Responsibility benefits while positively impacting Mexico, for the benefit of both Mexico and the United States.