About Us

Read a small bio in Spanish of our staff and Board members

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The organization is currently governed by an Assembly of Associates and a Board of Directors and Officers. Since 2004, Alternativas is registered as a tax-exempt non profit organization, able to receive tax deductible donations. Since 2005 it has subscribed to the Federal Register of Civil Society Organizations, a registry of civil society organizations vetted by the federal government.

RESUMÉS OF FOUNDERS

Mónica Tapia Álvarez

Monica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from El Colegio de México, a MSc. in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics, and a MPhil. from the University of Oxford. 

She previously worked in the Mexican non-profit sector as a volunteer, consultant and program officer in community development and citizen participation projects. She has also worked for the federal government, in the Office of the Presidency for regional development planning, and in an advisory unit in education policies and the Chiapas conflict negotiation. She has taught courses on "Development and Social Policy" to undergraduate and graduate students at prestigious Mexican universities.

She is founder and currently the General Coordinator of Alternativas. The organization’s most relevant projects include: redesigning pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s corporate philanthropy program in Mexico, which has been recognized with best practices awards in Mexico and by the corporation’s global headquarters; evaluating Microsoft’s community technology center program; and strengthening grantmaking procedures for Mexico’s largest charitable organization, Nacional Monte de Piedad, which is funded by revenue from pawnshops across the country.

In addition, she has coordinated and taught public policy advocacy workshops. She has also coauthored publications on capacity building, the legal and fiscal framework for CSOs, legal incorporation handbook, and transparency in the allocation of public resources to CSOs, as well as corporate social responsibility.

Patricia Carrillo Collard

Patricia has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), where she also earned a certificate in the Preparation and Social Evaluation of Projects. She received a Fulbright-García Robles Scholarship to undergo a Master’s in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning, with a concentration on Development Studies, at Princeton University.

While in the United States, she worked for Community Resource Exchange (CRE) in New York City, where she advised local CSOs on fundraising, program planning and proposal writing. She also worked in the financing and coordination of affordable housing projects in New York State. In Mexico, Patricia worked for the Jalisco State government, in their Human Development Ministry. There, she collaborated in the design of state-wide surveys on citizens’ perceptions of various social issues and in the coordination of inter-institutional projects on behalf of residents affected by natural disasters.

She is one of the founding partners of Alternativas and coordinates the Guadalajara Office. She has participated in various projects, including research and evaluations commissioned by community foundations. She is also the main author of the organization’s publication on capacity building and philanthropy.

Read a small bio in Spanish of our staff and Board members.