INSTITUTIONAL
GRANTS PROGRAM
The Foundation’s Institutional Grants program seeks to support changes to policy and practice that improve the lives of Latin Americans. The Foundation’s funding encompasses three program areas in which research, innovation, scaling of proven models, and exchange of ideas have the potential to make significant, positive impact.
If you are interested in learning about our current and past grantees, visit our grants database to learn more.
OUR PROGRAM AREAS
Updated September 2025
Background
Over the past three decades, the Tinker Foundation has supported Latin American organizations working to advance the rule of law as a foundational element of democratic societies. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, Tinker provided funding to seminal efforts promoting judicial reform across the region. In the 2000s, we supported organizations across the Americas expanding access to pro bono legal services.
Today, through the Democratic Governance program area we work to strengthen justice systems and access to justice: building blocks of inclusive development. Drawing on our legacy of work on justice and rule of law, we support organizations consolidating independent, reliable, equitable, and transparent justice systems through which all people can defend their rights. This includes institutional improvements, capacity-building, digital innovation, and legal empowerment for vulnerable groups.
Funding Priorities
We will consider proposals focused at the national or sub-national level, including those with comparative or regional components. Projects may relate to what could be called the “unfinished work of judicial reform,” i.e., the challenges and opportunities involved with implementing and operating within more recently adopted structures and frameworks.
Areas of interest include:
Tinker will consider a range of project types and methodologies that match our overall grant-making parameters and capacity. These may include research and policy analysis, experimentation with new models and scale-up of proven approaches, and exchange of knowledge across countries and contexts. We generally do not fund litigation efforts.
We recognize that there are many aspects of democratic governance beyond our core focus on justice systems and access to justice. Important areas of work that fall outside our program priorities – when not directly linked to the justice sector – and that we are therefore unlikely to fund include: leadership development, civic education, citizen participation, journalism, and activities related to elections and electoral integrity. We will continue to refine our interest areas and approaches as we learn alongside our grantees.
Updated September 2025
Background
Over the past decade, the Foundation has supported programs that improve educational access and quality throughout Latin America.
While Latin America has made important gains in educational access, the region continues to see significant challenges and unrealized opportunities. In recent years, impacts on schooling and learning continuity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, natural hazards, and social disruptions have disproportionately affected populations that already faced barriers to learning. The Tinker Foundation is committed to addressing the persistent learning gaps that have widened in recent years, and supporting strategies that lead to more effective, inclusive, and resilient educational systems in the region.
Funding Priorities
Tinker welcomes promising projects from across the region that:
Through the Education program area, we will provide grants to civil society organizations in Latin America aiming to achieve these objectives by partnering with school systems, educational leaders, and families. Some examples of interventions to be prioritized include:
We welcome projects at different stages of implementation, ranging from experiments and pilots of new models, to impact evaluations for promising projects, and strategies for scaling proven interventions.
Applications to the Education program for this cycle should reflect the following elements. Please refer to Tinker’s general grantmaking guidelines for all other considerations.
While we recognize their importance and value, areas of work that fall outside our programmatic priorities include: education for peace, civic education, environmental education, middle and high school education, adult education, informal education, artistic education, physical activity and sports-related interventions, financial education, education for employment, and school nutrition.
Sustainable Resource Management: Close of Program Area
After 15 years and nearly $13 million in strategic grantmaking, the Tinker Foundation concluded its Sustainable Resource Management (SRM) program area in 2025 to focus resources on Democratic Governance and Education.
SRM Legacy (2010-2025)
The Tinker Foundation’s environmental work supported sustainable management of habitat and natural resources while incorporating social and economic dimensions affecting local community well-being. Our grantmaking addressed these challenges through policy engagement, capacity building, and standards development across two key themes:
Moving Forward
This strategic evolution enables Tinker to be a stronger partner to Latin American civil society organizations in our core areas of focus. We remain grateful to every SRM grantee for their contributions to conservation and community well-being across the region.
Questions and Answers on Tinker’s Updated Programmatic Focus
2026 INSTITUTIONAL
Grant Cycle
The Tinker Foundation’s Institutional Grants program provides project funding to organizations working to improve the lives of Latin Americans, with an emphasis on support for organizations in the region.
If you would like to apply for funding, visit our application page to learn more.

2026 Cycle
Opens January 7, 2026
Democratic Governance and Education
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional information, please reach out to:
Democratic Governance
Education