What Seattle International Foundation does

Seattle International Foundation (SIF) is a Seattle-headquartered 501(c)(3) philanthropic foundation and supporting organization of Seattle Foundation, operating since 2008 to advance equality, human rights, and democracy in Central America. It functions as a philanthropic intermediary that mobilizes resources from individuals, foundations, governments, and corporations and channels them to locally rooted civil society organizations across Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Quintana Roo, Mexico.

SIF's portfolio is organized around six core programmatic offerings: the Central America Donors Forum (CADF), an annual convening that has brought together 6,700+ leaders from 20+ countries; the Central America and Mexico Youth Fund (CAMY Fund), which provides grants to young adult leaders aged 18–35; Centroamérica Adelante (CAA), a year-long civil society leadership program implemented with IIE and Cristosal; the Independent Journalism Fund (IJF); the Anti-Impunity Fund (AIF); and the Central America in Washington, D.C. (CA in DC) policy initiative. The foundation also produces publications such as the 'Money & Feminisms' toolkit and policy analyses on issues including El Salvador's state of emergency.

SIF does not develop proprietary technology. Its operating model is donation- and grant-funded: it receives charitable contributions and regrants funds to partner organizations (60+ active partners; 243 organizations supported historically across 81 countries), with cumulative grantmaking of $18M+ since founding. Technology use is limited to standard SaaS for communications, events, donations, and analytics (Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Zoom, Click & Pledge, Google Analytics). Leadership comprises Executive Director Adriana Beltrán (appointed August 2021) and a board led by Tony Mestres, CEO of Seattle Foundation.

Name

Seattle International Foundation

Legal name

Seattle International Foundation

Website

https://seaif.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seattle International Foundation is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic intermediary that mobilizes donor resources and convenes leaders to advance equality, human rights, and democracy across Central America through grantmaking, regional forums, and leadership programs serving 60+ local partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Human rights funding
• Donor convening
• Civil society support
• Democracy philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: SIF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that receives funding from individuals, foundations, and institutions committed to Central America. The organization mobilizes resources and makes grants to social organizations and leaders advancing equality, human rights, and democracy. Revenue is derived entirely from charitable contributions rather than commercial activities.
2. Donor Contributions: SIF receives funding from corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals to support its mission of alleviating poverty and promoting equity in Central America. The foundation has received support from partners such as The Summit Foundation for specific initiatives like the CAMY Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seattle International Foundation is a philanthropic intermediary and convener that advances equality, human rights, and democracy in Central America. It mobilizes charitable resources and distributes them as grants, leadership programs, and dedicated funds (CADF, CAMY Fund, Centroamérica Adelante, Independent Journalism Fund, Anti-Impunity Fund, CA in DC) to locally rooted civil society organizations, journalists, youth leaders, and women's movements across the region.

Product overview

Seattle International Foundation operates as a philanthropic intermediary and convener for Central America, offering a portfolio of programs and funds rather than a single product. Core offerings include the Central America Donors Forum (CADF) for regional convening, the Central America and Mexico Youth Fund (CAMY Fund) for youth-focused grants, and the Centroamérica Adelante leadership program. Additional products include the Independent Journalism Fund (IJF) for media support, the Anti-Impunity Fund (AIF) for justice sector work, and the Central America in Washington D.C. (CA in DC) initiative. The foundation also produces publications including the Money & Feminisms Toolkit and policy analysis on regional issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Central America Donors Forum (CADF): SIF's flagship regional forum convening civil society, philanthropy, business and government leaders from across Central America.
• Central America and Mexico Youth Fund (CAMY Fund)
• Centroamérica Adelante (CAA)
• Independent Journalism Fund (IJF)
• Anti-Impunity Fund (AIF)

Products and services

• Central America Donors Forum (CADF) Annual flagship regional forum convening donors, civil society leaders, and partners for dialogue, coordination, and collective action on equality, human rights, and democracy in Central America.
• Central America and Mexico Youth Fund (CAMY Fund) Grant fund providing flexible support to young adult leaders aged 18-35 in Central America and Mexico for projects addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
• Centroamérica Adelante (CAA) Training, learning, and collaborative space for civil society leaders working on drivers of forced migration in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; a year-long intensive focused on personal growth, skills development, and social capital building.
• Independent Journalism Fund (IJF) Fund supporting independent journalism as a cornerstone of democracy and accountability, providing financial support and resources to journalists and outlets to protect freedom of expression and the public's right to information.
• Anti-Impunity Fund (AIF) Fund supporting efforts to combat impunity and strengthen rule of law in Central America by backing organizations working on justice sector accountability and anti-corruption initiatives.
• Central America in Washington, D.C. (CA in DC) Initiative connecting Central American leaders with partners across borders to strengthen dialogue and share strategies, bringing local perspectives into broader conversations on democracy and justice in the U.S. capital.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 years of experience advancing human rights, democracy and equality in Central America
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CristosalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Cristosal joined as implementing partner for Centroamérica Adelante in 2019. The organization has offices in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and specializes in human rights defense and forced internal displacement due to violence. The partnership strengthens SIF's regional programming on forced migration.
• INCAE Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018SIF partners with INCAE on transparency initiatives. The collaboration addresses ethics and transparency in Central America through educational programs and research.
• Institute of International Education (IIE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2015IIE serves as implementing partner for the Centroamérica Adelante leadership program. With presence on four continents, IIE brings educational expertise to SIF's civil society leadership development initiatives. The partnership has graduated 176+ participants across Central America and Nicaragua.
• Seattle FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008SIF operates as a supporting organization of Seattle Foundation. Seattle Foundation CEO Tony Mestres serves as SIF Board President. The relationship enables SIF to leverage Seattle Foundation's infrastructure and expand international philanthropy from the Pacific Northwest.
• Bill and Paula ClappcoreOthers · 1 January 2008Bill and Paula Clapp founded SIF in 2008 as a supporting organization to Seattle Foundation. Their leadership united thousands of leaders to promote global development, supported youth movements, lifted up women's voices, and strengthened independent journalism. Their journey into international development began with a 1992 trip to El Salvador where they witnessed the power of microfinance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Global grantmaking foundation that funds civil society, independent media, and democratic governance, including in Central America. Comparable to SIF in mission and grantee profile, though it operates at much larger scale across many regions.
• Seattle Foundation: SIF's parent and supporting organization. Seattle Foundation is a large community foundation in the Pacific Northwest and is directly comparable as a U.S.-based grantmaking and donor-services institution, but operates at a broader regional and thematic scale.
• Ford Foundation: A major international grantmaking foundation with significant democracy, human rights, and governance programming in Latin America. Comparable to SIF as a private U.S. foundation funding civil society, though at vastly greater scale and with a global mandate.

Emerging players

• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL): Global nonprofit that works to defend civic space and strengthen the legal environment for civil society worldwide, including in Central America. Overlaps with SIF's 'defending civic space' priority as a thematic peer.

Direct peers

• Avina Americas: Latin America-focused philanthropic organization that funds civil society leaders and sustainable development across the region. Closely comparable to SIF in its model of mobilizing resources for locally led change in Latin America.
• Heinrich Böll Foundation: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens that funds human rights, democracy, and ecological initiatives across Latin America. Comparable to SIF as an internationally-funded foundation supporting civil society in Central America, particularly through its Mesoamerica office.
• NIMD (Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy): International democracy-support organization with active programming in Latin America. Comparable as a democracy and governance-focused intermediary working with political and civil society actors in Central America.
• Tinker Foundation: U.S. private foundation focused on Latin America, supporting governance, education, and civil society. Comparable as a similarly sized U.S. foundation with deep regional expertise in Latin America, though with a broader thematic scope.
• The Summit Foundation: Washington, D.C.-based foundation that has provided SIF's CAMY Fund with a decade-long commitment on youth leadership in Central America and Mexico. Direct peer as a similarly sized U.S. private foundation funding regional civil society in Latin America.
• Cristosal: El Salvador-based human rights organization that is both an SIF implementing partner (Centroamérica Adelante) and a peer in the Central America human rights and civic-space ecosystem. Closely aligned mission and geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/seaif_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/seattleinternationalfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-international-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Seattle International Foundation