Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc.

What Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc. does

Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc. is a New York-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that supports indigenous Wayuu communities along the Venezuela-Colombia border through humanitarian and cultural programs. Its mission centers on improving living conditions for indigenous populations while respecting their traditions, cultures, and beliefs, with primary operations in the Mara region of Zulia state, Venezuela and an operational base in Maracaibo. The foundation runs six programmatic areas: Education (including the Tepichi Talatshi school and the Intercultural Orchestra with El Sistema), Food, Water (Agua para Todos, since 2022), Health, Agroecology (Apüna and Mirabello farms), and cultural preservation (including the ancestral music program and the Shukumajaya Women's Project). It has reached over one million people since inception, including 326,617 across five programs in 2025.

The foundation operates a standard nonprofit technology stack consisting of a website donation portal, email newsletters, and analytics capabilities. Its most distinctive proprietary asset is the first computer dictionary in the Wayunaiki language, used for bilingual education and cultural preservation. Its go-to-market is donation-driven, with dual revenue streams of individual giving (credit card, Apple Pay, bank transfer, cryptocurrency, stock, donor-advised funds, checks, and wire transfers) and institutional grants from corporate and foundation partners including Direct Relief, Acceso, Core Response, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, World Central Kitchen, Colgate-Palmolive, Food for the Poor, VSP Vision Care, El Sistema, and others. Programmatic distribution is executed directly through local staff and partner organizations to beneficiary communities in Venezuela.

The organization is governed by an eight-member board led by Patricia Velasquez (President), Limayri Estevez (Secretary), and Michelle Jean (Treasurer). The US entity makes grants to a separate Venezuelan operating entity, Fundación Wayuu Taya, with the two organizations explicitly independent. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The foundation demonstrates event-driven fundraising capability, most recently mobilizing a joint earthquake-response campaign with Core Response and Acceso following the 2024 Venezuela earthquakes.

Name

Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

The Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://wayuutaya.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that delivers food, water, health, education, agroecology, and cultural programs to indigenous Wayuu communities along the Venezuela-Colombia border. It is funded by individual donations and grants from corporate and foundation partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Water Supply (4941), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Indigenous community support
• Food assistance programs
• Clean water distribution
• Cultural preservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverview

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Online donations via credit card, Apple Pay, bank transfer, cryptocurrency; stock donations; check donations; wire transfers. Recurring donation capabilities through donor portal.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Support from organizational partners including Food for the Poor, Direct Relief, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Core Response, Acceso, World Central Kitchen, Colgate-Palmolive, VSP Vision Care, and others.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wayuu Taya Foundation provides humanitarian aid and development programs to indigenous Wayuu communities along the Venezuela-Colombia border, organized around five pillars: Health (medicine and medical supply distribution), Food (meal programs and food distribution), Water (clean water delivery via the Agua para Todos initiative), Education (the Tepichi Talatshi school and intercultural orchestra), and Music (cultural preservation through El Sistema partnership). It also operates sustainable agroecology farms and a women's empowerment weaving project.

Product overview

The Wayuu Taya Foundation is a nonprofit humanitarian organization rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio consists of social programs organized around five core areas: Health, Food, Water, Education, and Music. These programs include the Tepichi Talatshi school, the Agua para Todos water distribution initiative, the Programa Agroecológico operating Apüna and Mirabello farms, food and nutrition programs in partnership with Acceso, health programs with Direct Relief support, and cultural programs including the Orquesta Intercultural Wayuu Taya and Programa de Música Ancestral. The organization also operates donation infrastructure via its own portal at donate.wayuutaya.org, the Better Giving platform, Donate Stock, wire transfer, and check-based giving options. The foundation does not offer a technology product, API, or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programa de Alimentación (Food Program) A food and nutrition program operating since 2019 in partnership with Acceso, distributing food supplies and meals to vulnerable populations along the Venezuela-Colombia border, benefiting tens of thousands of people including school children. Through 2023, the program distributed 990,828 kg of food and served 3,256,223 meals benefiting 75,829 people.
• Agua para Todos (Water for All) A water distribution initiative providing clean drinking water to indigenous communities in La Guajira, operating a 'One for One' model where for every water truck delivery purchased, an additional one is donated to schools, elderly centers, and hospitals. The program has distributed millions of liters of water since 2022, benefiting 86,852 people with 3,977,140 liters of water donated through December 2025.
• Programa Agroecológico A sustainable agroecology program for Apüna and Mirabello farms in the municipality of Mara, Zulia state, focused on productive land use, natural resource management, and environmental respect. Produces organic crops including corn, guajiro bean, pico negro, auyama, yucca, tomato, and pimentón, with plans for grape cultivation on five trellises.
• Programa de Salud (Health Program) A health program distributing medicines, medical supplies, and hygiene products to indigenous communities, with support from Direct Relief and Colgate-Palmolive Venezuela, including ophthalmological health campaigns and hygiene kit distribution. 142,583 people received medicines and medical supplies from Direct Relief between 2020-2023, and 110 healthcare institutions received support in 2025.
• Tepichi Talatshi School The first preschool and elementary school operated by the foundation in the Mara region of Venezuela, offering education in Spanish and Wayuunaiki to indigenous children, with basic facilities to house 447 children in the first cycle of formal education.
• Tecnología para la Educación del Wayuu (TEW) An educational technology project designed by the foundation to support the formation of children as bilingual individuals, strengthening their identity and sense of ownership and leadership through the use of computerized technology. In 2007, HP opened three classrooms and a virtual lab equipped with 11 computers at Unidad Educativa Jesús Redentor, and the foundation created the first computer dictionary in Wayunaiki.
• Orquesta Intercultural Wayuu Taya An intercultural orchestra program launched in 2022 in collaboration with the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela (El Sistema), directed by Gustavo Dudamel. Currently serving 271 children aged 5 to 14 from 17 indigenous communities in the Mara Municipality, preserving Wayuu music, language, and culture through orchestral education.
• Programa de Música Ancestral A cultural preservation program led by Professor Carlos Amaya, teaching and preserving Wayuu culture and identity through music, dance, and traditional instruments using natural and experiential learning, covering anthropology, history, cosmogony, nature, and onomatopoeias. Currently serving 75 children.
• Shukumajaya Women's Project A women's empowerment initiative providing a protected workspace (churuata) for Wayuu indigenous women to weave traditional 'Susu' handbags, with counseling and orientation in family planning, nutrition, and hygiene. Each bag takes approximately 8 hours per day over 20 days to complete.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million people helped since 2002
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Music Heals InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since July 2023, providing guitar lessons to 18 Wayuu children at Apuna farm in Mara municipality, Venezuela. Partnership with Core Response.
• El Sistema (National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Since 2022, partnership on intercultural orchestra program serving 271 children from 17 indigenous communities. Program aligns with El Sistema's values of social justice, inclusion, and human development. Under direction of Gustavo Dudamel.
• AccesocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Since 2019, Acceso has partnered on food program distributing 990,828 kg of food and 3,256,223 meals to 75,829 people. Transporting fresh produce from Colombia-Venezuela border to Apuna Farm.
• HP (Hewlett-Packard)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006In 2007, HP opened three classrooms and a virtual lab with 11 computers at Unidad Educativa Jesús Redentor. Volunteers taught computer skills to educational community. Project funded via HP corporate Technology for Education program and LOCTI law.
• Core ResponsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint emergency response partner for Venezuela earthquake relief and ongoing water programs. Partnered on Water for All initiative distributing clean water to indigenous communities since 2022.
• World Central KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood assistance partner providing support for meal programs in beneficiary communities.
• FedExminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLogistics support partner enabling transportation of supplies to remote communities.
• Food for the PoorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian aid partner supporting food and essential supplies programs.
• Good NeighborsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for community development initiatives.
• Mental Health InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed among supporters.
• GASP WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed among supporters.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• charity: water: charity: water is a nonprofit devoted to bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries — the same mission as Wayuu Taya's Water for All program. Both operate water access programs globally for underserved populations.
• World Central Kitchen: WCK is a food assistance partner of Wayuu Taya and a comparable nonprofit providing emergency food relief and meal programs to disaster-affected and food-insecure communities. Both organizations operate disaster response and ongoing food distribution programs internationally.
• Food for the Poor: Food for the Poor is a listed partner of Wayuu Taya and a comparable humanitarian aid organization providing food, water, housing, healthcare, and education to impoverished communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Both serve overlapping beneficiary populations in the region.
• Direct Relief: Direct Relief is a major institutional partner of Wayuu Taya, providing medicines and medical supplies since 2020. Both organizations distribute medical aid and humanitarian supplies to vulnerable populations in Latin America and globally, with a focus on underserved communities.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is an international nonprofit focused on clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for marginalized communities. Wayuu Taya's Water for All program (3.97M+ liters since 2022) is directly comparable in mission and beneficiary focus.
• CORE Response: CORE Response is a strategic emergency response partner of Wayuu Taya, joint-responding to the 2024 Venezuela earthquake and co-running the Water for All program since 2022. Both focus on disaster response and water access for vulnerable communities.
• Acceso: Acceso is a core operational partner of Wayuu Taya, running the food program along the Venezuela-Colombia border since 2019. Both organizations focus on food security and rural livelihoods for vulnerable populations in Latin America, making them direct peers in the humanitarian food systems space.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Disaster Philanthropy: Center for Disaster Philanthropy is a long-term funding partner of Wayuu Taya's Water for All program. As an intermediary funder, it is a broader incumbent in the disaster philanthropy and humanitarian grantmaking space.
• UNICEF: UNICEF operates broader programs in child health, nutrition, education, and water/sanitation that overlap with Wayuu Taya's mission focus areas (maternal/child health, nutrition, education, water access) for indigenous and vulnerable children globally.
• GlobalGiving: GlobalGiving is the crowdfunding platform through which Wayuu Taya runs its emergency response campaigns. As a global nonprofit fundraising marketplace, it is a broader incumbent in the international humanitarian aid and disaster response fundraising space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wayuu-taya-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Wayuu Taya Foundation, Inc.