A distinct theory of change
At the IAF, we engage with marginalized communities in Latin America and the Caribbean as partners and not merely beneficiaries. We provide opportunities for their incipient organizations to directly tap into small amounts of patient and flexible capital, accompanied by technical assistance as needed.
We seek our community partners to map, prioritize, design and implement solutions that respond to their own communities’ challenges and local contexts. Our ultimate purpose is to facilitate their self-reliance so that they become less dependent on external aid, more resilient, and less vulnerable to crime, violence, extreme poverty, economic downturns, natural disasters, and other challenges.
Talk about community-led development!
Recent News and Stories
Cultivating Women-Led Businesses
In Cusco, a women’s flower-growers association has blossomed into a source of income for 168 people in four communities.
What Good Can a Couple of Goats Do?
Seventy-one percent of IAF-supported projects in Haiti use mutual solidarity funds to increase economic opportunities for women. Learn how these small injections of support have changed women's lives.
Afro-Latinos Count Themselves In
To celebrate Black History Month, we honor Afro-descendants’ achievements in bringing attention to their special contributions and needs in Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.