The Border Community Alliance Inc

Name

The Border Community Alliance Inc

Legal name

Border Community Alliance

Website

https://bordercommunityalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Border Community Alliance is a Tubac, Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2013, that delivers cross-border cultural tours, Spanish classes, an internship program, and the Borderlands Literature & Film Circle to Southern Arizona residents, visitors, and college students in partnership with Mexican NGO FESAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Exchange and Cross-Border Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADABAN

Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

Keywords

• Cross-border cultural education
• Binational exchange programs
• Spanish language instruction
• Borderlands internship programs
• Social investment nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Tubac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: BCA is funded primarily through donations and grants as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. General undesignated contributions support essential operating expenses. The organization also accepts designated donations for specific projects and maintains an endowment fund.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide benefits including discounts on tours, events, and classes. Membership tiers include Individual ($75/year), Family ($100/year), and Student ($25/year). Members also receive tax deductions.
3. Tour and Program Fees: Revenue generated from cross-border tours, day trips, and cultural programs. Tour fees cover transportation, professional drivers, meals, and expert guidance. Tour fees are not tax-deductible as they represent goods and services provided.
4. Spanish Classes: Revenue from Spanish language instruction at various proficiency levels. Class fees are $100 for BCA members and $120 for non-members.
5. Film Sales: DVDs of the award-winning film 'Pilgrimage to Magdalena' are sold for $35 for private use only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers experiential cross-border cultural exchange and educational programming on the U.S.-Mexico border. Its core offerings include guided cultural tours into Sonora (Mexico), Spanish-language classes at every proficiency level, the Borderlands Forum lecture/workshop series, the monthly Borderlands Literature and Film Circle, the summer Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program for college students, and the sale of its award-winning documentary "Pilgrimage to Magdalena." All programs are delivered in partnership with FESAC and supported by donations, grants, and program/membership fees.

Product overview

Border Community Alliance (BCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a unified suite of cultural exchange and educational programs centered on the US-Mexico borderlands. Rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, BCA operates as a single mission-driven organization with interconnected programs: Cross-Border Tours provide experiential cultural immersion; Spanish Classes offer language instruction at all levels; the Borderlands Forum and Borderlands Literature and Film Circle deliver educational programming; the Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program provides hands-on experience; and the 'Pilgrimage to Magdalena' documentary film serves as an educational resource. Social investment opportunities through the Mexican Pass-Through Program enable donors to support verified NGOs in Sonora. The organization also offers membership benefits, private tours, and publishes the Casa de la Misericordia US Guide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Borderlands Forum: Series of classes and workshops promoting understanding and appreciation of the borderlands as a cross-cultural, binational resource.
• Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program
• Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC)
• Pilgrimage to Magdalena

Products and services

• Cross-Border Tours Cultural exchange day trips and multi-day tours across the U.S.-Mexico border, organized for residents and visitors of Southern Arizona who want guided access to Sonora and other Mexican destinations. Tour fees cover transportation, professional drivers, meals, and expert guides.
• Spanish Classes (Let's Speak Spanish) Virtual Spanish-language instruction at all proficiency levels (Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Intermediate, Advanced), including conversational and cultural classes such as "Juguemos y aprendamos con Rú," "Construyendo Oraciones Exitosas," "Platiquemos un Rato," "¿Tomamos un café?," and "¡México Hoy!" Open to BCA members ($100) and non-members ($120).
• Borderlands Forum Series of classes and workshops that promote understanding and appreciation of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands as a cross-cultural, binational resource, featuring guest speakers on immigration, environmental work, border issues, and humanitarian aid.
• Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC) Monthly virtual event on Zoom featuring author and filmmaker discussions covering borderlands themes such as immigration, culture, history, and the environment, with an extensive archive of past interviews available on demand via Vimeo.
• Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program Summer experiential internship program for college students providing comprehensive exposure to U.S.-Mexico borderlands issues, perspectives, and cultures, including service-learning with Sonoran nonprofits, cross-border experiences, and dialogue with borderland writers, teachers, politicians, artists, migrants, social activists, environmentalists, and attorneys.
• Pilgrimage to Magdalena (Documentary DVD) Award-winning 30-minute documentary film documenting the centuries-old cross-border October pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora, sold to the public on DVD for $35 for private, non-commercial screenings as an educational and cultural resource.
• Private Tours and Borderlands Immersion Retreats Customized private group tours and borderlands immersion experiences/retreats, designed and arranged by BCA on a schedule-permitting basis for groups seeking a tailored cross-border experience.
• Annual Membership Program Annual membership program with three tiers (Individual $75, Family $100, Student $25), providing members with discounts on BCA tours, events and classes, special membership gatherings, and tax-deduction benefits. Membership is automatically granted to qualifying general donors.
• Mexican Pass-Through / Social Investment Program Donation pass-through program that channels donor contributions through BCA's partner FESAC to verified Sonoran NGOs, including ARSOBO (adaptive technology for people with disabilities), Albergue San Juan Bosco (migrant shelter), ATIC (behavioral therapy), DEIJUVEN (youth services), and Taller de Costura (women's sewing workshop).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 cultural exchange tours conducted with zero safety incidents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FESAC (Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense, A.C.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFESAC is a Mexican community foundation based in Nogales, Sonora. This is BCA's primary partner organization, enabling cross-border programming, internship facilitation, and pass-through donations to Sonoran NGOs. FESAC serves as the local counterpart that enables BCA to provide immersive experiences on the Mexican side of the border. Alma Cota de Yanez has served as FESAC Director since January 2003.
• ARSOBO ProjectminorOthersARSOBO is a revolutionary organization in Nogales, Sonora that provides low-cost adaptive technology and assisted devices for individuals with disabilities. BCA facilitates donations to ARSOBO through its Mexican Pass-Through Program. Featured on NPR's Weekend Edition and in Arizona Luminaria.
• Albergue San Juan BoscominorOthersFamily-run migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora founded in 1982. Offers temporary housing, meals, religious services, and access to social resources to deported migrants and those preparing to journey into the US. BCA interns volunteer at the shelter.
• DEIJUVEN (Desarrollo Integral Juvenil de Nogales)minorOthersCommunity center offering services and after-school youth programs in an underserved area of Nogales. BCA interns have worked with DEIJUVEN and produced a video about their programs.
• ATIC (Agencia para el Tratamiento Integral de la Conducta)minorOthersCivil association focused on training parents for behavioral management of children, including autism. BCA facilitates donations through its pass-through program.
• Taller de Costura, Centro Comunitario GuadalupanominorOthersWomen's self-employment sewing workshop in Nogales, Sonora. BCA supports through donations facilitated via the Mexican Pass-Through Program.
• Arizona Community Foundation (ACF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BCA Endowment is established under the auspices of Arizona Community Foundation. ACF provides financial management of the Endowment for a 5% annual fee derived only from investment income. BCA Board of Directors manages disbursements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Large, established nonprofit operating study-abroad, cultural exchange, and international education programs. Overlaps with BCA's educational exchange and internship offerings, but at a significantly larger scale and broader global footprint.
• Inter-American Foundation (IAF): Independent US government agency that funds community-led development across Latin America and the Caribbean. Adjacent to BCA's binational development and donor coordination mission, but operating at national-policy scale and serving a much broader geography.
• Sister Cities International: National membership organization supporting US-Mexico (and other) sister city relationships, with cultural exchange and cross-border community programming. Operates at substantially larger scale and broader geography than BCA, but with overlapping binational cultural-exchange activities.

Direct peers

• No More Deaths / No Más Muertes: Humanitarian aid organization operating in the Sonoran border region with shared staff history (multiple BCA team members came from No More Deaths). Comparable regional scope and binational community-engagement model focused on the Arizona-Sonora corridor.
• International Community Foundation (ICF): San Diego-based binational community foundation that manages cross-border giving and pass-through donation programs to Mexican civil society. Closely comparable operating model to BCA's Mexican Pass-Through Program and similar binational donor-coordination function.
• FESAC (Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense): Mexican community foundation in Nogales, Sonora, and BCA's primary binational partner. Operates a near-identical donor coordination and civil-society support model on the Sonoran side of the border, making it both a strategic counterpart and the closest functional peer in scope.
• US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership: Binational philanthropic partnership serving the California-Baja and Arizona-Sonora border regions. Directly comparable in mission scope: convening donors, civil-society organizations, and community foundations across the US-Mexico border to coordinate social investment.
• Kino Border Initiative: Jesuit-run binational ministry based in Nogales, Arizona/Sonora providing direct services, education, and advocacy on border issues. Operates in the same Southern Arizona-Sonora geography with a comparable combination of humanitarian services, education, and binational programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/bordercommunityalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/BorderCommunityAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/border-community-alliance

Compliance1 record

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 The Border Community Alliance Inc