The Tinker Foundation Institutional Grants program is a grantmaking program from the Tinker Foundation that supports policy and practice changes improving the lives of Latin Americans. The Foundation funds work across two active program areas, Democratic Governance and Environmental Sustainability, through research, innovation, scaling of proven models, and cross-border exchange.

Note that the Sustainable Resource Management program area was closed in 2025. Grants typically range from $50,000 to $150,000 annually. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research organizations, NGOs, and policy-focused nonprofits working on issues affecting Latin America.

Most funding is directed through invited or targeted initiatives; prospective applicants should contact Foundation program staff to discuss alignment before submitting a letter of inquiry.

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. Sustainable Resource Management – This program area was closed in 2025.

If you are interested in learning about our current and past grantees, visit our grants database to learn more. Sustainable Resource Management 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.

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: Promoting effectiveness, transparency, and accountability in the justice sector The selection, training, and assessment of justice sector actors, as well as developing next-generation talent Increasing access to justice, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized groups 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.

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. Tinker welcomes promising projects from across the region that: Promote foundational learning recovery and acceleration, with a specific focus on literacy and numeracy in early primary school.

Evolve curricula and teaching approaches to increase educational equity and quality. 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: Diagnostic and formative evaluations to improve learning outcomes Teacher training and coaching (in-service and pre-service) In-school targeted support and learning remediation to perform at grade level 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. Focus on Foundational Learning.

As noted above, improving early literacy and numeracy is a priority for the Foundation. We invite projects that use methodologies with a strong evidence base, or that propose to generate relevant evidence on improving learning outcomes. Funding and Project Duration.

From $50,000 to $100,000 per year and up to three years of support, depending on the scope and scale of the project. We will consider projects of up to $150,000 per year in extraordinary cases where projects focus on securing longer-term changes or larger scale work with educational systems. Educational Level.

Tinker will prioritize projects focused on lower primary school education (typically ages 5 – 10) where foundational learning strategies can make the biggest difference. Type of Organization. Civil society organizations founded and based in Latin America will be prioritized.

However, regional and international organizations with substantial on-the-ground presence and a proven track record of collaboration with local stakeholders may apply. Education System Engagement. We anticipate many projects will involve working directly with school systems and educational communities.

The Foundation generally encourages projects that engage public school systems, teachers, and students, especially those that serve marginalized or vulnerable populations. The Foundation typically does not fund work in individual schools or private schools. Populations Reached.

The Foundation will prioritize projects that address longstanding gaps in access to quality education due to geography, socioeconomic conditions, or other factors.

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 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 .

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: Promoting Sustainable Management Practices: Projects addressed crucial links between effective resource management and the communities that depend on them, ensuring economic returns from improved management policies benefited local populations through best practices development, technical training, and mechanisms to prevent overexploitation.

Water Access and Management: Recognizing that water scarcity disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, we supported innovative policies and locally determined watershed management approaches, water policy development based on hydrological assessments, and replicable freshwater management models.

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 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.

Democratic Governance and Education For additional information, please reach out to: ckronley[at]tinker[dot]org