Kino Border Initiative

What Kino Border Initiative does

Kino Border Initiative (KBI), also known as Iniciative Kino para la Frontera, is a binational nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in January 2009 in Ambos Nogales, the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora. It operates from a Migrant Outreach Center on the Mexican side of the border, with a U.S. mailing address in Nogales, AZ, and an in-kind donation drop-off site at 81 N. Terrace Ave. KBI provides direct humanitarian aid to migrants deported to Nogales, Sonora, including meals (199,420 served), shelter (capacity of 85 people per day, up to a 10-day stay), clothing, first aid, COVID-19 testing, food baskets, and psychosocial accompaniment. Its primary constituents are deported migrants and asylum seekers/families fleeing violence who are stranded in Mexico due to policies such as Title 42 and metering.

KBI's service portfolio spans four core pillars: Humanitarian Aid and Holistic Accompaniment; Education (including immersion programs for groups and schools, the Kino Teens youth advocacy group, and digital resources); Advocacy rooted in Catholic teaching to influence U.S. and Mexican immigration policy; and the Border Action Team, a legal services partnership established in 2017 with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project that provides asylum orientations, pro se assistance, and detained representation. Supporting services include a medical clinic staffed by Dr. Madrigal, a Livelihood Project offering embroidery and sewing skills workshops, digital workshops for CBP One asylum applications, and ongoing abuse documentation used for advocacy and research. The organization documents abuses through surveys at the Aid Center and in-depth reporting to inform policy.

KBI operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit included in the IRS group exemption of the U.S. Catholic Conference, governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Father Sean Carroll, S.J. and Associate Director Javier Fierro. Revenue is generated entirely through donations (monthly recurring gifts at $10/$25/$50/$100/$500 tiers and custom amounts, plus one-time gifts), an annual Phoenix Dinner fundraiser, Arizona Gives Day participation, and AmazonSmile; the organization also accepts in-kind donations of clothing and goods. It is governed independently despite affiliations with Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and Catholic religious orders, and does not have external institutional investors or PE backing.

Name

Kino Border Initiative

Legal name

Kino Border Initiative

Website

https://kinoborderinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kino Border Initiative is a binational 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid, shelter, legal services, education, and advocacy to migrants and asylum seekers at the Nogales, Arizona-Sonora border, funded entirely through individual donations and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Migrant shelter assistance
• Immigration legal services
• Border education programs
• Immigration policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Nogales, AZ

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: KBI relies on financial donations from individual benefactors to provide direct humanitarian relief services to deported migrants, offer educational programs and talks to visiting delegations, and sponsor research and advocacy efforts. Donations are tax-deductible as the organization is a 501(c)(3) organization included in the IRS group exemption of the U.S. Catholic Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kino Border Initiative provides direct humanitarian aid and holistic accompaniment to migrants at the US-Mexico border, including meals, shelter, clothing, first aid, medical care, psychosocial support, and legal assistance through its Migrant Outreach Center in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The organization also delivers educational immersion programs, policy advocacy rooted in Catholic teaching, abuse documentation, and the Border Action Team legal partnership. All services are offered free of charge to migrants and funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Kino Border Initiative is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides a comprehensive suite of services to migrants at the US-Mexico border. The organization operates across four core service areas: Humanitarian Aid and Holistic Accompaniment (providing food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and psychosocial support through its Migrant Outreach Center); Education Programs (including immersion experiences, the Kino Teens youth advocacy group, and educational presentations); Advocacy (policy work rooted in Catholic teaching to promote humane immigration policies); and the Border Action Team (legal services partnership with the Florence Project for asylum seekers). Supporting services include a medical clinic, livelihood/occupational programs, and CBP One application assistance. The organization documents abuses against migrants to support advocacy efforts and recently developed the Migrant Community Campus as a community gathering space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Humanitarian Aid and Holistic Accompaniment Direct humanitarian assistance including meals, shelter, clothing, medical attention, psychological and social work accompaniment to migrant men, women, and children in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, provided free of charge through the Migrant Outreach Center.
• Education Programs (Border Immersions and Kino Teens)
• Advocacy Policy advocacy rooted in Catholic social teaching that partners with other organizations to advocate for humane immigration policies in the United States and Mexico.
• Border Action Team (Legal Services) Legal services provided through a partnership with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, including legal orientations, pro se assistance, and legal representation for migrants seeking asylum who are later detained.
• Abuse Documentation Systematic documentation of abuses committed against migrants through surveys at the Aid Center and ongoing in-depth reporting, used to support KBI's policy advocacy efforts.
• Medical Clinic Medical services provided at the Migrant Outreach Center shelter by Dr. Madrigal, with office hours Monday to Friday for migrants receiving shelter and other services.
• Livelihood Project Occupational support program offering embroidery and sewing workshops to help migrants develop skills and access economic opportunities while sheltered at the center.
• CBP One Application Assistance Digital workshops helping migrants complete the CBP One application to schedule asylum appointments, available through self-serve digital channels.
• Migrant Community Campus A community space providing services and gatherings for migrants, including the Migrant Outreach Center dining facilities (comedor) at the Nogales, Sonora campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 199,420 meals served to migrants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (Florence Project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Since 2017, KBI has partnered with the Florence Project to provide legal services to migrants at the aid center in Nogales, Sonora. The partnership started with one attorney and has grown to two attorneys and three legal assistants. The Florence Project provides legal orientations, pro se assistance, and legal representation to migrants seeking asylum who are later detained. The Border Action Team offers weekly asylum info sessions on Mondays and Thursdays.
• Missionary Sisters of the EucharistminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted community dinner events with KBI staff, volunteers, sisters, and migrants at the Migrant Outreach Center.
• Franciscan SistersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipate in community events and support KBI's mission alongside staff and volunteers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee: Large international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the refugee and immigrant services space with established resettlement programs.
• Catholic Charities USA: National Catholic social services network providing humanitarian aid, immigration legal services, and refugee resettlement. Comparable as a larger Catholic-affiliated social services organization with overlapping immigrant services.
• HIAS: Jewish-founded international refugee aid agency providing resettlement, legal services, and humanitarian assistance. Comparable as a larger incumbent refugee services organization with similar resettlement and integration support offerings.
• Jesuit Refugee Service USA: National Jesuit-affiliated refugee aid organization; KBI shares Jesuit heritage and operates as a partner within the JRS/USA network. Comparable as a larger umbrella refugee organization serving similar populations.

Direct peers

• Annunciation House: El Paso, Texas-based Catholic hospitality organization providing shelter, food, and humanitarian aid to migrants. Directly comparable as a border-region faith-based migrant aid organization offering similar holistic accompaniment services.
• Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project: KBI's primary legal services partner since 2017; provides free legal services to immigrants and refugees in Arizona, including detained migrants. Directly comparable as both operate at the Arizona border serving the same migrant populations.
• Humane Borders: Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to humanitarian aid and advocacy along the U.S.-Mexico border, including water station operations. Directly comparable as an Arizona-based border humanitarian organization focused on migrant safety.
• Border Angels: San Diego-based nonprofit focused on immigrant rights and border humanitarian aid, including water drops in the desert. Directly comparable as a border humanitarian organization engaged in similar advocacy and direct service.
• Casa Alitas: Tucson-based Catholic Community Services program providing humanitarian aid, shelter, and travel support to recently released migrants. Directly comparable as an Arizona-based migrant humanitarian aid organization with similar operational scale.

Regional players

• HIJOS (Hermosillo, Sonora): Regional humanitarian organization based in Hermosillo, Sonora, providing support to migrants transiting through Sonora state. Comparable as a Mexican-side regional player providing humanitarian aid and shelter in the same northern Mexico corridor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KinoBorder
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC52tzDKePuJUwZrAuDm18tw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kino.Border.lnitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kino-border-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/kinoborderinitiative

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kino Border Initiative