Nurturing the roots of holistic wellbeing
Rather than focus on project-based outputs or services, we seek to invest in the holistic wellbeing of people living in vulnerable communities around the world.
Through our grantmaking, we prioritize community-led initiatives that seek to heal people’s connections to God, self, others, and creation. As communities embrace new mindsets about their own identity and purpose, and learn to steward resources in more innovative ways, new paths unfold.
We believe if you heal the spirit of a people, they will lead themselves
We believe that it is not simply lack of access to such things as education, healthcare and job creation that keeps communities from flourishing, but a much deeper brokenness of spirit evidenced by lack of voice, purpose, meaningful relationships, agency and connection. (See Theory of Change)
Choosing our Grant Partners
When exploring new partnerships, we use the following criteria in our evaluation process.
We focus on 4 geographic areas – Mexico, Haiti, Northern India, and East Africa – prioritizing community-based organizations in specific regions of each country that can be connected and learn from each other.
Our support goes beyond funding. We seek to be mutual partners, creating opportunities for networking and collaboration across regions.
We seek partners who share our values and approach to living and working in community.
We are place-based, prioritizing rural communities; we are faith-inspired, responding to God's call to service and justice; and we are healing-centered, prioritizing grassroots initiatives that promote healing and reconciliation.
At this time, funding applications are available by invitation only.
Our Partners
Our current grantees work in one or more of the following areas of community development.
Stories
Changing Mindsets and Livelihoods in India
Inderpaul is a cotton farmer in the Vidarbha region of India. Due to poor weather conditions, he fell into heavy…
Combatting Gender-Based Violence in Latin America
In 2018, VHF hosted our first international grant partner retreat in Mexico City. Forty people from 15 organizations attended. Following…
We For Others: Mindset Change in India
When I (Joseph) joined Vista Hermosa Foundation as a Program Officer to steward relationships with partners in East Africa and…
Changing Mindsets and Livelihoods in India
Combatting Gender-Based Violence in Latin America
We For Others: Mindset Change in India
Hope is a Decision
Jim Wallis of Sojourners community and magazine visited the Collegium last week and reflected with a group of about 30 community members. He took time out of a busy book tour to visit Vista Hermosa Foundation, the Center for Sharing, and Jubilee Foundation,
International Day of the Girl Child
October 11 marks the International Day of the Girl Child, one of the days nearest and dearest to our hearts here at Vista Hermosa. Since the UN designated this day in 2012, it has aimed to highlight and address the unique needs and challenges that girls face
Scholars Impacting their Communities
Soroptimist is an organization that focuses on giving women and girls the tools they need to achieve economic empowerment. Elizabeth Perez, pictured on the far left standing in the front row with black rimmed glasses, volunteered for Soroptimist at their Dream it, Be It Career
NELA Students: Voice & Choice
It’s back to school week here! Darilyn Hackett, principal of Nueva Esperanza Learning Academy (NELA), asked her teachers some important questions just before the first day of school: “What will you be doing this year to spark your students’ interest in learning?
Te Veo, Te Escucho, Te Honro
At a recent gathering of six Vista Hermosa Foundation grantee partners near Mexico City, one of the participants from Amextra, a Baptist pastor, opened our time together with this simple exercise: ‘Te veo, Te escucho, Te honro.’ We all stood in a circle, and each person said
Celebrating World Holidays
In honor of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (August 9) and International Youth Day (August 12), we are spotlighting two of our partners working on these important issues. Tierra Nativa provides accompaniment, legal and technical advice to indigenous pueblos
Congratulations to FirstFruits Scholars!
On July 18th the FirstFruits Scholars Program in partnership with FirstFruits Farms Community hosted new, renewing, and graduated scholars and their families for the annual Scholars Banquet. The community youth rallied together to help set up for the event and serve the guests
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING
In American culture, how things appear is often taken as the truth. But reality goes deeper than appearance. Ralph and I went out on our deck that looks out over the orchard one night. When we looked down from our second story porch, we saw at the edge of our lawn a beautiful, fully loaded…
Global Partner Spotlight: Capable
Alice is a member of Wanen Anyim (translated “we look forward”) Capable farmers group in Lelabaro village, Uganda. She comes from a large polygamous family. Due to economic hardship, she dropped out after primary school and was married off at the age of 16.
Restoring hope at the border.
In these moments when we’re bombarded by images of suffering and death at the southern US border, it’s hard to have any hope or know what to do or how to respond. Sojourners, a national faith-based organization whose mission is to ‘seek to inspire hope and build a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the…