Amigos de San Cristobal

What Amigos de San Cristobal does

Amigos de San Cristóbal AC is a community foundation legally constituted on April 14, 2005 in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The organization functions as a philanthropic intermediary that identifies local civil society organizations with solid social impact initiatives in Los Altos de Chiapas and procures external resources to strengthen them. Its core activities include an annual call for proposals (Convocatoria), a technical assistance and capacity building program with sub-grants of approximately $1,000 USD, and the Círculos de Dar (giving circles) model that mobilizes local resources for community philanthropy. Over 20 years, the foundation has supported 58 organizations, strengthened 183 projects, and benefited 134,848 people directly and indirectly across 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The foundation's revenue model is a diversified mix of grants from international foundations (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Daniele Agostino Derossi Foundation, Hahn Air Foundation, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Inter-American Foundation), annual membership fees (individuals, small businesses, European and USA supporters), individual donations via bank transfer, PayPal, and GlobalGiving crowdfunding, in-store collection campaigns at Soriana supermarkets, and event-based fundraising (concerts, races, bazaars). It holds Donataria Autorizada and CLUNI registrations (obtained 2014) enabling tax-deductible donations in Mexico and partners with the International Community Foundation (ICF) for US tax-deductible giving. Operational scale is modest, with a 4-person core operative team (Operations Director, Administrator, External Accountant, Projects and Strengthening Lead) plus a volunteer Board of Directors led by President Hileana García.

The organization's go-to-market combines community-led philanthropy, event-driven fundraising, and direct-to-consumer crowdfunding. Distribution channels include the annual Convocatoria for proposals, a Technical Assistance Program providing sub-grants and training, the GlobalGiving platform for online donations, and the Soriana Híper in-store donation campaign. The foundation is a member of Mexican philanthropic networks CEMEFI, Comunalia, and REDECIM, and maintains academic partnerships with Indiana University, ECOSUR, and Centro de Estudios La Salle San Cristóbal.

Name

Amigos de San Cristobal

Legal name

Amigos de San Cristóbal AC

Website

https://amigosdesc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Amigos de San Cristóbal AC is a Mexican community foundation, founded in 2005 in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, that procures philanthropic resources and channels them to local civil society organizations serving indigenous and vulnerable populations in Los Altos de Chiapas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Civil society support
• Capacity building programs
• Grantmaking foundation
• Corporate social responsibility

Headquarters

HQ city

San Cristóbal De Las Casas

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with tiers for individuals, small businesses, and international supporters in Europe and USA. Provides recognition, website listing, event invitations, and networking opportunities.
2. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals via bank transfer, PayPal, or through GlobalGiving platform. Also through Empresas Amigas corporate membership program.
3. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Funding from international foundations including W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Daniele Agostino Derossi Foundation, Hahn Air Foundation, Maya Education Foundation, GFCF, and IAF. Also through ICF for US tax-deductible donations.
4. Crowdfunding Campaigns: Online collective fundraising through GlobalGiving platform for specific projects. Generates small contributions from many people around specific initiatives.
5. Event Fundraising: Revenue from fundraising events including concerts, costume parties, bazaars, running races, member breakfasts, themed events, karaoke, cinema, pottery sales, and dance events.
6. In-Store Collection Campaigns: Point-of-sale donations collected at Soriana Hypermarkets where customers can add a small donation at checkout.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Amigos de San Cristóbal AC is a community foundation that procures, manages, and channels philanthropic resources to civil society organizations working in health, education, and the environment in Los Altos de Chiapas, Mexico. Its core offerings combine grantmaking through an annual call for proposals, a capacity-building program with technical assistance and sub-grants, giving circles (Círculos de Dar) that mobilize local resources, corporate membership (Empresas Amigas), individual memberships, crowdfunding campaigns via GlobalGiving, and in-store point-of-sale donation campaigns at Soriana supermarkets.

Product overview

Amigos de San Cristóbal AC is a community foundation that operates as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single product. The core offering is philanthropic resource mobilization for civil society organizations in Los Altos de Chiapas. Key programs include Círculos de Dar (giving circles for indigenous and local communities), the Programa de Empresas Amigas (corporate membership), the Fondo de Comunidades Activas (grant program), and the Programa de Asistencia Técnica (capacity building). Supporting services include crowdfunding campaigns via GlobalGiving, membership programs, annual reports and newsletters in multiple indigenous languages, educational materials, and fundraising events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Círculos de Dar (Giving Circles) Community-based groups that mobilize local philanthropic resources (money, time, knowledge, and networks) for community causes, including Sekj'ubal Kuxlejal for indigenous Tzeltal and Tsotsil peoples and La SEMILLA for San Cristóbal residents.
• Programa de Empresas Amigas (Corporate Membership) Corporate social responsibility program enabling local small businesses to support community welfare through annual memberships, with benefits including recognition, logo stickers, counter flyers, website listing, newsletter mention, networking breakfasts, and informative talks on CSR.
• Membresías (Annual Memberships) Annual membership tiers for individuals, small businesses, and international supporters in Europe and the USA, providing recognition, website listing, event invitations, networking opportunities, and tax-deductible donation options through ICF for US supporters.
• Programa de Asistencia Técnica (Technical Assistance / Capacity Building Program) Technical assistance and training program for partner civil society organizations covering topics of interest to strengthen their work teams; provides sub-grants of approximately $1,000 USD, semi-annual project visits, and progress report feedback.
• Convocatoria (Annual Call for Proposals / Grant Program) Annual open call for civil society organizations in Los Altos de Chiapas to apply for funding and support for projects in health, education, and the environment; the primary grantmaking channel of the foundation.
• Crowdfunding Campaigns via GlobalGiving Online collective fundraising campaigns hosted on the GlobalGiving platform to raise small contributions from many people for specific community projects in Los Altos de Chiapas.
• Eventos Recaudatorios (Fundraising Events) Series of fundraising events including concerts, costume parties, bazaars, running races (e.g., Amigos corriendo por San Cristóbal), themed member breakfasts, karaoke, cinema, pottery sales, and dance events to raise funds and community awareness.
• Fondo de Comunidades Activas (Active Communities Fund) Grant fund implemented in partnership with Comunalia, IAF, and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation from 2021-2022 to strengthen community foundation capacity and provide COVID-19 response support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 134,848 people benefited directly and indirectly over 20 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CEMEFI (Centro Mexicano de Filantropía)coreOthersMembership in CEMEFI, a community of organizations committed to generating social change through philanthropy. Founded in 1988, integrated by more than 1,600 members including foundations, associations, companies and individuals.
• Comunalia (Alianza de Fundaciones Comunitarias de México)coreOthersAlliance of 17 community foundations in Mexico operating in 16 states. Strengthens community leadership for sustainable development and connects foundations with financial and human resources.
• REDECIM (Red de Cooperación Internacional Mexicana)coreOthersNonprofit association aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights seeking to contribute to the 2030 Agenda with Sustainable Development Goals. Strengthens linking and professionalization between civil society and international cooperation.
• GlobalGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline crowdfunding platform partner since 2019. Used for collective online fundraising and campaign management for specific projects.
• Universidad de IndianaminorOthersAcademic partnership with Indiana University (International Relations department) for student visits and information exchanges.
• Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR)minorOthersCollaboration with ECOSUR research institution for information exchange and potential volunteer activities.
• Centro de Estudios La Salle San CristóbalminorOthersEducational partnership established in 2024 for collaboration, information exchange, and volunteering opportunities.
• Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro San CristóbalminorOthersCultural partnership established in 2024 with support from Grupo Impulsar for community engagement.
• SorianaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCampaign partner for in-store donation collection at Soriana Híper San Cristóbal. Campaign ran during 2023-2024 allowing customers to donate at checkout.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fundación Comunitaria de Oaxaca: Mexican regional community foundation channeling philanthropic resources to local CSOs in Oaxaca, with similar grassroots grantmaking, capacity-building, and giving-circle methodologies.
• FECHAC (Fundación del Empresariado Chihuahuense): Mexican state-level community foundation combining business-sector donations with philanthropic grantmaking for civil society organizations, structurally similar to Amigos de San Cristóbal.
• Fundación Merced: Mexico-based community foundation operating in multiple states with a comparable model of mobilizing philanthropic capital for grassroots CSOs and running capacity-building programs.
• Comunalia (Alianza de Fundaciones Comunitarias de México): Alliance of 17 Mexican community foundations across 16 states. Amigos de San Cristóbal is a member; comparable community-philanthropy grantmaking model targeting civil society organizations in underserved Mexican regions.

Broad incumbents

• CEMEFI (Centro Mexicano de Filantropía): Mexico's leading philanthropic-sector umbrella organization with 1,600+ members; Amigos de San Cristóbal is a member and operates within the broader Mexican philanthropic ecosystem CEMEFI coordinates.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Major US-based foundation that has been a core funder of Amigos de San Cristóbal since 2012; relevant as a comparable large-scale philanthropic grantmaking organization shaping the field.
• REDECIM (Red de Cooperación Internacional Mexicana): Mexican network linking civil society organizations with international cooperation; Amigos de San Cristóbal joined in 2020 and participates in collaborative grantmaking and capacity-building.

Others

• GlobalGiving: Online crowdfunding platform that has hosted Amigos de San Cristóbal's fundraising campaigns since 2019; comparable as a digital fundraising intermediary for community-based nonprofit projects.
• Inter-American Foundation (IAF): US federal agency funding grassroots development in Latin America; a co-funder (2020) of Amigos de San Cristóbal's community philanthropy project and a comparable grantmaking body.
• Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF): International donor/peer funder that has directly financed Amigos de San Cristóbal's community philanthropy project (2020); operates at the same layer of the community-philanthropy ecosystem globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AmigosdeSanCristobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/amigosdesc
• Xx.com/amigossanc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amigosdesc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amigos de San Cristobal