Fund for the Future

Young People are the Future

At AMIGOS, we know this intimately.

We prepare youth across the Americas to lead and address the challenges that face us in our communities at home and abroad. These young people do not just serve in the moment; they realize a passion for and commitment to giving back to their communities for the rest of their lives. AMIGOS alumni venture into the world with new perspectives and a deeper understanding of what unites us despite our differences. Now 30,000 strong, our alumni impact their communities as doctors, diplomats, business leaders, politicians, and change-makers who are committed to making our world more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable.

We believe that youth-focused learning and development is more important now than ever. Today, AMIGOS is poised to significantly expand our reach and to empower greater numbers of youth to become actively engaged members of their communities and our world.

Welcome to the Fund for the Future

Over the next 5 years AMIGOS will increase our impact by more than doubling the number of youth served annually across the region, from more than 600 this year to more than 1,800, preparing a diverse generation of leaders to shape the world they will inherit.

The Fund for the Future is a transformational campaign anchored in 2 fundamental objectives:

  • Prior to the pandemic, there was greater interest in our program than at any time in our history. We achieved record enrollment and embarked on a strategic plan to expand our impact. Although the pandemic forced a pause in our growth, we maintained operations and focused on designing new programs knowing that international exchange would return. Now, AMIGOS is building additional year-round programs to activate young people to address current pressing social issues of our time focused on food security, public health, climate change, conservation, and education.

  • We dream of a world in which young people from all backgrounds can join AMIGOS despite any barriers they face, financial or otherwise. We are transforming the makeup of our volunteers and engaged alumni to match the tapestry of cultures, ideas, and lifestyles that make up our world. Leaders of all walks of life are coming together under the AMIGOS banner to create lasting solutions drawing from many points of view.

Our Objectives:

Expand Programming and Provide Access for All

Some AMIGOS history

AMIGOS was founded in 1965, at a time in our nation’s history that bears a striking resemblance to today.

Notably, it was in that year when the first group of AMIGOS youth traveled from Houston to Honduras to try and fight another pandemic – polio. Over the last 60 years the work of an AMIGOS volunteer has evolved to focus on addressing an array of critical sustainable development challenges.

Today, AMIGOS programs give volunteers the opportunity to travel and engage in issues such as sustainable coffee production, climate change adaptation, and conservation in Costa Rica; ecosystem restoration and indigenous rights in Ecuador; renewable energy in Nicaragua; and community-driven conservation in Panama.

  • 1960s

  • 1970s

  • 1980s

  • 1990s

  • 2000s

  • 2010s

  • Today

Since those early days, AMIGOS has grown to include:

✔ Year-round programming

✔Exchanges with volunteers from Latin America who come to the U.S.

✔Programs for middle school students

✔Gap Year programs

✔Fully Sponsored Programs

2020: Disruption like never before

The COVID-19 pandemic marked disruption at a scale never before experienced in AMIGOS history. And yet, the AMIGOS experience has always been about meeting the moment. The ability to adapt, to pivot, to progress is buried deep in this organization’s DNA.

During the pandemic, we leveraged deep institutional knowledge to design virtual programs, spin up in-person group experiences, and involve more Latin American Youth volunteers and Project Staff Team members. We were among the first to cancel in-person programming, and also among the first to bring it back.  

Opportunity for hope

Working with hundreds of young people throughout the pandemic we’ve learned that they yearn to reconnect, and to break the cycle of distrust and disharmony. The AMIGOS model offers them a response…and hope.

Throughout the last decade – and even during the pandemic – we invested in program innovation and access that advanced our commitment to diversity and equity. Thanks to an energized leadership team and supportive community, we are ready take an historic leap forward and meet today’s challenges with the same commitment and fervor we did so many years ago.

One truth remains constant:

To effectively tackle the world’s most pressing and complex problems, young people must be engaged as lifelong leaders who share responsibility for our global community.

“AMIGOS was so key in helping me figure out what I wanted to do. Initially, I thought, it has to be medicine or public health, etc., but I actually met some really interesting diplomats, foreign service officers, and USAID officials in my AMIGOS work and, again, decided that was what I wanted to do. So that is what I ended up doing, and I have done that 37, 38, years now. I give back to AMIGOS because it was the most consequential experience of my youth and put me on the road to a wonderful career in public service. AMIGOS nurtured my passion and potential as an effective leader and manager and set the stage for my success as a Foreign Service Officer...”

Ambassador Arnold Chacón, ‘74, ‘75, ‘76, ‘77, ‘78, ‘79

For 60 years, we have empowered youth across the Americas and evolved with every generation.

Campaign Financial Summary

$2.5 Million

Provide Access to All

Lift barriers to participation so that every young person who wishes to can join AMIGOS. 

$4.6 Million

Expand Programming

Strengthen our core systems that were impacted during the pandemic to prepare for growth. Expand programming with a focus on addressing current pressing social issues in the context of cultural competence and increased diversity. Amplify our visibility through expanded outreach, increased partnerships, and engaging our vast alumni ​​network.

$4 Million

Ensure Our Future

Create an AMIGOS fund for sustainability so youth can continue to benefit from transformative experiences for generations to come.

We are planning for an $11 million campaign at a critical time in our organization's 60-year history.

Steering Committee

  • Patricia Grad

    Campaign Co-Chair

    Partner, Head of Investor Relations

    Arsenal Capital Partners

    New York, NY

  • Elizabeth Blowers - Nyman

    Campaign Co-Chair

    Executive Director, Global New Vaccines Policy

    Merck & Co.

    Philadelphia, PA

  • Steve Sharpe

    Consultant

    Sharpe LLC

    Saverna Park, MD

  • Kevin Lanier

    Deal Lead, Acquisitions and Divestments

    Shell Oil Company

    Houston, TX

  • Samantha Schnee

    Founding Editor

    Words Without Borders

    Houston, TX

  • Michael Hafner

    Senior Advisor, Business Development, Executive Office

    ADNOC Group

    Abu Dhabi, UAE

  • Kellie Motsinger

    Retired

    Houston, TX

  • Paul Reidy

    President

    Excalibur LLP

    Austin, TX

  • Sarah Heck

    Investor, Advisor

    ex-Stripe, White House

    San Francisco, CA

  • Adolfo Jimenez

    Attorney

    Partner at Holland & Knight

    Miami, FL

  • International Board of Directors

    Click Here

  • National Advisory Council

    Click Here

  • AMIGOS Staff

    Click Here

Honorary Committee

  • Doug Alexander

    Partner at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP

    Austin, TX

  • Stacy Keaton Alexander

    Attorney, Mediator, and former Adjunct Professor

    Austin, TX

  • Steve Cook

    Founder & President, Fieldstone Partners

    Houston, TX

  • Eric Donnelly

    Director & CEO of Crossroads Impact Corp

    Los Angeles, CA