By: Staff Writer
January 27, 2026
A new report from the Rockerfeller Foundation, “Five Agendas to Drive the Transformation of the Philanthropic Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean,” asserts that mobilizing just 1 percent of Latin America and the Caribbean’s private wealth could unlock over $5 billion annually, which would be comparable to the aid the region receives annually.
The urgency of the region’s challenges creates favorable conditions to accelerate the evolution of philanthropy. To help seize the moment, The Resource Foundation and Dalberg Advisors, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, surveyed more than 70 leaders from across the region to understand their needs and develop five interconnected transformations essential to the sector’s future in the region:
- Collaborate for real: Work across sectors around a co-created purpose, creating formal roles and shared governance.
- Mobilize more capital: Cultivate a new generation of donors to unlock new investment opportunities.
- Finance better: Focus on quality, strategic, and long-term social investments over short-term charity.
- Localize philanthropy: Treat local actors as co-creators and joint owners of change, not beneficiaries.
- Raise the sector’s standard: Invest in the development of the philanthropic sector to enhance its legitimacy and effectiveness.
The report also said: “Over the past two decades, the region has achieved meaningful progress and shown a remarkable capacity to adapt to growing challenges. Citizen movements have driven legislative progress on Indigenous rights and gender equality. Digital connectivity has reached rural communities, while vibrant ecosystems of social innovation and entrepreneurship are giving rise to new models of development. In response to climate change, the region has also made significant strides in conservation, protecting more than 24 percent of its land and 17 percent of its marine areas.
“Yet the underlying problems remain, and in some cases, have worsened. For more than three decades, LAC has been the most unequal region in the world. The richest 10 percent earn twelve times more than the poorest 10 percent. Around 200 million people live in poverty and 70 million in extreme poverty. Violence continues to exceed global averages, eroding social cohesion. Eight countries now sit in the global “red zone” for climate risk.”