The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). Its vision is to become the continent’s leading organization dedicated to strengthening the capacities of individuals and civil society organizations. The Trust implements projects in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and has operating offices in Washington, D.C. and Colombia. Most recently, The Trust was also officially incorporated in Canada.

The organization was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization's work has since grown to include programs centered on economic and social inclusion, transparency and good governance, citizen security, and democracy promotion for the benefit of the hemisphere's most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Integral to all of the Trust's programs is a mission to foster inclusive and safe communities. At present, the Trust enjoys support from a variety of donors from both the public and private sectors.

In collaboration with OAS member country governments, the private sector, and civil society, the Trust provides technical, financial, and human resources to build the capacities of marginalized groups and the organizations that serve them. Given that all of the Trust's work is implemented through local partner organizations, the Trust places significant emphasis on strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations in the 20 countries where the organization implements projects.

 

What We Do

Capacity Building

Strengthening of local, non-governmental organizations, community associations, media outlets and educational institutions is among our core objectives. This collaborative approach allows initiatives to be expanded upon and continued following The Trusts’ involvement.

Our signature capacity building curricula include live, online training sessions, followed by individualized technical assistance used to measure individual impact with participating organizations. The Trust implements closely supervised capacity building projects by distributing micro grants to various local organizations. The Trust’s capacity building approach also includes discussion of best practices, coalition and network building.  Our training modules address a series of nonprofit management skills, including project design, budgetary management, human resources, advocacy, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation practices.  To date, The Trust has provided comprehensive training to more than 500 organizations in 20 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

Public-Private Partnerships & Corporate Social Responsibility

All Trust programs aim to build strong partnerships with the private sector stakeholders throughout the Americas. In this regard, we work closely with small businesses, large corporations and local chambers of commerce to design initiatives that respond to accordingly to varying community needs, such as training, employment, and economic opportunities for program participants. In collaboration with the OAS, The Trust also foments cooperation between the private and public sectors in addressing policy reforms related to free trade, labor protections, freedom of the press, and public transparency.

Each year, The Trust gives its Corporate Citizen of the Americas (CCA) Award to companies with outstanding CSR programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The selection criteria require projects to be replicable, sustainable, and cost-effective, while performing measurable and tangible results.