April 24, 2025
Grantees In Action
FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund achievements since its inception
- January 01, 2020
It’s been three years since the creation of FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund, a Filantropía Puerto Rico pool of contributions raised from individuals, foundations and corporations. The nearly $9M raised has supported Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and 2020’s earthquakes and pandemic.
To date, $6,709,532 have been committed to 121 grants for 76 local nonprofit organizations. Of these, $982,000 were invested in emergency relief efforts whose impact we reported in 2018. The remaining amount was aimed at projects advancing equitable recovery processes within the many crises faced by the island. Filantropía Puerto Rico plans to commit remaining funds by the end of 2021.
An external evaluator is currently examining the grants awarded and at the end of 2021 we will publish those results. In the meantime, explore the key achievements of our supported projects within its three main priorities.
PRIORITY #1: Promote social justice and transparency in the distribution of public resources, with particular emphasis on recovery funds provided by the federal government.
Grantees have designed fiscal and social observatories, as well as provided services to historically marginalized populations that advance transparency and social justice practices in the distribution and use of government recovery funds.
Efforts include:
PRIORITY #2: Facilitate data analysis and informed public dialogue and debates on the actual and potential impact of new government policies, particularly on marginalized populations.
Grantees have used the results of their investigations or those undertaken by sister organizations to promote public dialogue on policies for priority areas such as childhood poverty, citizen participation, education, governance, renewable energy and the right to safe housing. They also actively participate in committees and working groups to negotiate and bring public attention to these issues.
Some of the achievements were:
- Changing the Future of Energy Generation and Distribution in Puerto Rico
- 5 Studies on the Impact of Public Education Policies on Students, Families & Communities
- Digital Platform to Promote Citizen Engagement and Government Accountability
- A Qualitative, Socio-legal Investigation on Tenancy and Property Rights in Puerto Rico
- Investigations to Support Child/Youth Poverty Public Policy Development
PRIORITY #3: Advance the resilience and sustainability of the nonprofit sector by enhancing leadership, building fiscal and programmatic health, augmenting collective influence and voice, and enabling collaborations among organizations.
Under this priority, our grantees have:
- Validated their mission, strengthened their organizational capacity and increased their competence to manage future effects of the multiple crises faced by the communities they serve.
- Gained direct access to new investors and to grants through events facilitated by Filantropía Puerto Rico.
- Established new alliances aimed at securing relationships with key people, both within and outside the sector, to tap into the resources needed to strengthen their communities.
- Made changes to their organizational cultures by, for example, developing a savings culture and an awareness of the need to have contingency funds to operate during dire times. Specifically, grants from the FORWARD FUND seeded individual emergency funds for 15 organizations, a one-of-a-kind groundbreaking initiative for Puerto Rico’s nonprofit sector.
If you are a grantmaker seeking to improve the lives of the marginalized, become a member to connect with other philanthropic entities and amplify your impact.
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