First Meeting of Partner Organizations and Grant Award Ceremony for the Mano Amiga Program of the Plaza Las Américas Foundation and Plaza Del Caribe Foundation

San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 6, 2025 — The Plaza Las Américas Foundation and the Plaza Del Caribe Foundation held the 19th presentation of grants from the Mano Amiga Program, together with the celebration of the First Meeting of Partner Organizations, held at the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation in San Juan.

The event brought together more than 75 nonprofit organizations from across Puerto Rico that have been part of the program over the years for a day of learning, collaboration, and celebration of shared achievements.

During the event, grants were presented to 25 organizations from across the island to support programs that promote education, health, art and culture, and women’s empowerment. The foundations’ social investment in this edition exceeds $250,000.

“The organizations gathered here represent commitment, hope, and action for a better Puerto Rico. Through their programs, they impact the lives of thousands of people, and at Mano Amiga, we reaffirm our support so that they can continue to offer quality services to those who need them most,” said Jaime Fonalledas Rubert, President of the Plaza Las Américas and Plaza Del Caribe Foundations.

The activity took place within the framework of the First Meeting of Partner Organizations of the Mano Amiga Program, which provided a space for guidance, connection, and institutional strengthening, with an agenda that included conferences on sustainability, finance for non-profit organizations, and social marketing, as well as an informational session on the new digital platform for project applications and follow-up.

The conference “Sustainability in Times of Change” was led by Amanda Rivera of Causas Strategies, accompanied by a panel of leaders from the nonprofit sector, including Caribe Girl Scouts, Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico, and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.

Other guest speakers included Aida Rivera, Agnes Suárez, Astrid Navarro, and April Manzano, representing Asesores Financieros Comunitarios, and Dayani Centeno Torres, who offered practical tools for managing and communicating social causes.

The organizations that received grants from the Plaza Del Caribe Foundation’s Mano Amiga Program in this edition are Hogar Albergue Jesús de Nazaret, the Pediatric Diabetes Foundation, the Ponce Art Museum, Ferrán and Punta Diamantes Service Center, ESCAPE, and Fundación Música y País. For its part, the Plaza Las Américas Foundation supported programs run by the La Fondita de Jesús Corporation, the Atención Atención Foundation, the CRECE Center, the Network for the Rights of Children and Youth, the American Red Cross, MAVI, Casa La Providencia, VOCES, the Nueva Escuela Institute, the Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico, Mauro Ballet, Niños de Nueva Esperanza, Alianza para un Puerto Rico sin Drogas, the G-8 Group, ACUTAS, the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation, the CAP Foundation, and the National Network of Shelters for Gender Violence.

Since its creation, the Mano Amiga Program has benefited 143 non-profit organizations throughout Puerto Rico, providing more than $4 million in grants and contributing to the development of initiatives that promote progress, equity, and solidarity.

About the Mano Amiga Program

The Mano Amiga Program is an initiative of the Plaza Las Américas Foundation and the Plaza Del Caribe Foundation, aimed at providing financial support to non-profit organizations working for social welfare, education, health, culture, and economic development in Puerto Rico. Through this alliance, the foundations reaffirm their commitment to being agents of change and allies of the third sector in building a better country.

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