The Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities is a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity in the USA and a  registered A.C. civil society organization in Mexico.  Our purpose is to receive donations from  private contributors and distribute those funds to qualified charitable organizations working in  communities surrounding Lake Chapala in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. 

We partner with local organizations that provide social welfare, community services, medical aid,  educational assistance, and care for animals.  In keeping with our charter, we are not able to  sponsor organizations that participate in political activities or advocate for religious beliefs.  

Organizations wishing to join with us are asked to submit an application that will be reviewed for  approval by our Board of Directors. 

We support civil service organizations that are legally established as charities in Jalisco, such as  those registered as an A.C. “asociación civil”, as well as informal citizen-sponsored associations  created to carry out local charitable works. 

The informal or unregistered associations we support are required to comply with some of the  same general principles followed by legally established charities, including the following: 

(1) they operate as not-for-profit organizations; 

(2) they have 2 or more members; 

(3) they have a bank account in Mexico; 

(4) they are funded by donations from the general public, rather than from a single benefactor; 

(5) their purpose is to provide social welfare, community services, medical aid, educational  assistance, or care for animals; 

(6) the donations they receive are used for charitable purposes only; 

(7) their directors, members, and advisors do not receive any material benefits from the  organization; 

(8) they acknowledge that if their association is disbanded then any donations or assets that  remain will be contributed to another qualified charity and will not be distributed among the  association’s founders, members, or associates. 

We periodically ask our partners to submit a report or statement that highlights their  accomplishments, summarizes their revenues and expenditures, indicates any changes in  leadership, and outlines the plans and objectives they have for the future.