From the Desk of Andrew Herrera, MPH, MBA
Executive Director, Impact Global Health Alliance (Since 2013)
What if we stopped chasing funding cycles and instead built something unstoppable? That’s the question we asked ourselves in 2015. And because we acted, the shutdown of USAID doesn’t derail our mission – it fuels our determination.
Ten years ago, our Board of Directors made a bold decision. We recognized that relying on federal grants and even large private foundations left our mission at the mercy of shifting politics and fleeting headlines. One wise leader put it best: we were fundraising like a children’s soccer game – chasing the ball wherever donors kicked it.
The cycle was predictable. Ebola, cholera, COVID-19 – each crisis brought a wave of funding, only for it to vanish as soon as the media moved on. Communities were left behind, and the deeper, systemic work never received the long-term investment it needed.
Since 1987, we’ve received $14 million in federal grants and $4 million from large foundations. We were fortunate that the USAID child survival program was perfectly attuned to our mission, allowing us to focus on our work and expand our evidence-based methodologies rather than pursuing donor priorities. However, that program unexpectedly stopped new funding in 2012.
Since 2015, we’ve received exactly $0 from federal sources. Instead, we made a choice. We committed to long-term sustainability through an endowment and grassroots support. And thanks to you, it’s working.
- The Hope through Health Endowment now stands at $3.1 million, with another $1.1 million in pledges.
- Our Mom-a-thon campaign is entering its 10th year, having grown year over year to nearly $600,000 in revenue in 2024.
- In Guatemala, 93 cents of every $1 spent on our programs now comes from within the country – proof that local ownership is the future of global health.
While the federal government pulls the plug on USAID and other agencies, leaving millions of vunerable people in limbo, our work continues – unabated and uninteruppted.
Our concious and conscientious decisions to pivot away from the grant model mean that families still receive dignified, life-saving care. Local health leaders continue to grow their own capacity. Our partners are charting a future of impact that is not dictated by Washington, D.C.
This is what sustainability looks like. This is the power of your investment.
For more information, visit https://impactglobalhealthalliance.org/