Besides domestic resources, Mexico receives significant support from cross-border philanthropy and is one of the top recipients of cross-border giving in Latin America in absolute terms. Nevertheless, like India and the People’s Republic of China, domestic philanthropic funding by far surpasses international philanthropic funding. This chapter examines international support to Mexico using data from around 40 major foundations that report regularly to the OECD’s Creditor Reporting System (CRS). Of these, 27 provided funding to Mexico between 2020 and 2023.
Private Philanthropy for Development in Mexico
Cross-border philanthropy is mainly concentrated among US-based organisations
Between 2020 and 2023, 27 international philanthropic foundations contributed a total of USD 274 million (disbursements in constant 2023 prices) to Mexico. After a drop from USD 67.4 million in 2020 to USD 61.9 million in 2021, international philanthropic funding increased up to USD 73.1 million in 2022 and USD 71.6 million in 2023. This increase is largely driven by the LEGO Foundation, which significantly stepped up its funding for education in Mexico from USD 1.22 million in 2021 to USD 27 million in 2023.
International philanthropic funding to Mexico is highly concentrated among a limited number of foundations. The four largest donors provided more than half of the funding. The Ford Foundation provided the largest share, USD 50.9 million, representing almost a fifth of total cross-border philanthropic funding (Figure 3.1). With the exception of the LEGO Foundation (USD 35.1 million) and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (USD 10.4 million), which are headquartered in Denmark and the United Kingdom, respectively, almost all cross-border foundations with significant giving to Mexico are based in the United States.
Disbursements to Mexico, 2020–23, by providers
Note: Some foundations, including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Bezos Earth Fund and the Bloomberg Family Foundation, did not report data for every year in the period, which may affect results.
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
Mexico is one of the largest recipients of cross-border philanthropic funding in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, second only to Brazil and Colombia (Figure 3.2).1 However, when adjusting for population size, Mexico’s per capita international philanthropic funding is significantly lower than that of most other LAC countries, including Colombia, Guyana and Guatemala, which received over twice as much on average (Figure 3.3).
Disbursements to Latin American countries, 2020–23, by recipients
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
Per capita disbursements to selected Latin American countries, 2020–23, by recipients
Note: International philanthropic funding to Mexico is predominantly channelled toward the “government and civil society” sector.
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
Cross-border philanthropic flows to Mexico are largely concentrated in the government and civil society sector, with nearly half of the funding allocated to initiatives promoting human rights, democratic participation and support to civil society. Other key areas of support include education (USD 46.8 million), environmental protection (USD 33.5 million) and health (USD 27 million).2
Disbursements to Mexico, 2020–23, by sectors
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
Official development assistance (ODA)3 inflows to Mexico significantly surpass international philanthropic funding and are broadly comparable in volume to domestic philanthropic resources. Between 2020 and 2023, Mexico received over USD 3.16 billion in ODA (in constant 2023 dollars) from DAC members. However, annual ODA volumes to Mexico have fluctuated considerably over the past decade, reaching a peak of USD 972.5 million in 2020 before declining to approximately USD 653.6 million in 2023. This volatility can be attributed, in part, to the concentration of ODA among a small number of donors (Figure 3.5).
Gross ODA disbursements to Mexico, 2020–23, by providers
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
Three countries – France, the United States and Germany – together accounted for over three-quarters of total ODA flows from OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members to Mexico during this period. France alone contributed 40% of total ODA between 2020 and 2023, positioning it as Mexico’s largest bilateral donor.
The sectoral allocation of funds varied, reflecting the diverse priorities of different donors (Figure 3.6). France was the leading donor for environmental projects in Mexico, dedicating almost half (USD 589.8 million) of its financial support to general environmental protection
In contrast, the United States mainly supported government and civil society in Mexico, contributing approximately USD 414.2 million to this sector, primarily to enhance Mexico’s legal and judicial development. This focus has remained unchanged since 2008 under the Mérida Initiative, which promotes bilateral security co-operation and strengthens the rule of law, particularly in combating drug trafficking and transnational crime (United States Government Accountability Office, 2023[1]).
Germany has yet another focus and concentrated its efforts on education (USD 149.1 million), in particular higher education. In addition to promoting youth employability through dual vocational training, many of its programmes support Mexican students in pursuing higher education in Germany.
When comparing domestic philanthropy, international philanthropy and official development assistance (ODA), one can observe a complementary yet fragmented financing landscape. Domestic philanthropy plays a critical role in service delivery and direct support to communities, with over 70% of its funding concentrated in health, education, and other social infrastructure and services. However, its broader sectoral reach remains limited, with minimal contributions to areas such as environmental protection, reproductive health, and water and sanitation.
Gross ODA disbursements to Mexico, 2020–23, by sectors
Source: OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System.
International philanthropy, by contrast, allocates most of its resources to government and civil society. While it does support education and health, its overall contribution is smaller in volume and more narrowly targeted, with few resources going to broader development sectors.
ODA provides the most comprehensive sectoral coverage. Alongside large allocations to general environmental protection, banking and financial services, government and civil society, energy and education, it extends support to humanitarian aid, population and reproductive health, multisectoral programmes, and infrastructure-related sectors such as water, sanitation and agriculture. This broader distribution reflects ODA’s role in addressing both long-term structural priorities and immediate needs, including crisis response.
While all three funding streams contribute to Mexico’s development agenda, their distinct priorities and coverage areas point to missed opportunities for greater co-ordination, collaboration and scaling. A more integrated approach could help reduce duplication, address sectoral blind spots and enhance the overall effectiveness of concessional development finance in the country.
References
[1] United States Government Accountability Office (2023), US Assistance to Mexico, https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-103795.pdf.