HIP & CAMMINA Join Forces: Protecting Migrants, Asylum Seekers, & Human Rights
Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) is pleased to announce that the Central America and Mexico Migration Alliance (CAMMINA) will become part of its human rights program starting this July. CAMMINA is a multimillion-dollar funder collaboration created in 2010 by the Ford Foundation, Fundación Avina, and the Open Society Foundations to address migration in the context of growing violence and instability, coupled with increasingly restrictive national and regional migration policies. After eight years working jointly through this philanthropic alliance — which has contributed more than $15 million USD to the field — the founding donors have agreed to transition CAMMINA from a funder collaborative into a new program at HIP, which will allow it to become a flexible and dynamic network of allies working to advance the human rights and migration agenda in the region. They perceived HIP as the ideal home for this new stage in the life of CAMMINA due to HIP’s long history of building partnerships with the philanthropic community to foster social change in the Americas. CAMMINA’s transition to HIP is a natural fit, considering that issues around immigration and human rights have been central to HIP’s core values since it was founded 35 years ago with the mission to strengthen Latino communities across the Americas. Since 2008, HIP has successfully addressed different needs within the migrant community. This includes raising awareness and philanthropic support for the issue of unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border with key partners, as well as local economic development opportunities in various Latin American countries supported by the diaspora in the U.S. Almost ten years later, HIP is honored to welcome CAMMINA to its programmatic work, and together continue building upon CAMMINA’s impactful trajectory. Unfortunately, the need to protect the rights of people moving through the migrant corridor has only become greater over time. Today’s political environment jeopardizes migrant rights and increases the strategic importance of collaboration in this ever-more complex arena. HIP is committed to moving forward with CAMMINA as one of its programs, ensuring continuity of the current work while opening the possibility for long-term sustainability through a framework that attracts new donors and offers greater opportunities for civil society in the region. “Human mobility continues to be a great concern in the Americas and, as migrants continue to risk their lives to help build a better life for themselves and their families, it is important that we stand by them and help build the capacity to make the transition easier,” said Ana Marie Argilagos, HIP President and CEO. “This CAMMINA-HIP partnership will help strengthen the existing regional capacity and financial resources, and create a more strategic pathway forward.” For further information, please contact HIP’s executive vice president, Gracia Goya, at gracia@hiponline.org.Hispanics in Philanthropy, with headquarters in Oakland, CA, and offices in Mexico, is a network of funders with the mission to strengthen Latino equity, leadership, and voice to build a more equal and prosperous America and Latin America. In 2017, Mexico granted nonprofit status to HIP-Latinoamérica, which is based in HIP’s Mexico City office.