Bravo Family Foundation

Last updated
Bravo Family Foundation
Formation2017;6 years ago (2017)
Founder Orlando Bravo
Type 501(c)(3)
82-3513069
Legal statusfoundation
Headquarters San Francisco, California
Disbursements$1,040,193 (Form 990) [1]
Website www.bravofamilyfoundation.org

The Bravo Family Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is "to promote the basic principles of social justice in Puerto Rico." The organization was established in 2017 by Thoma Bravo founder Orlando Bravo in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect Puerto Rico. [2] Following the foundation's initial involvement in hurricane relief, it has continued to provide long-term education and entrepreneurship programs for young adults in Puerto Rico, as well as healthcare initiatives and early childhood education programs. [3] The foundation also provides grants to entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico and has $37 million in assets, of which $1,040,193 had been disbursed as of 2020. [1]

Contents

History

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 hurricane, caused catastrophic damage to the northeastern Caribbean, killing an estimated 2,975 in Puerto Rico [4] and causing approximately $90 billion in damage. [5] In response to news of the lack of supplies in many Puerto Rican communities as a result of the hurricane, combined with the local government's professed inability to help, Thoma Bravo founder and Puerto Rico native Orlando Bravo used his personal resources to bring supplies to the island. Bravo used means such as a chartered cargo plane and two large container ships to transport over 600,000 pounds of supplies to Puerto Rico. [2] [6] The supply-chain solution established by the foundation helped bring humanitarian aid to the west coast of Puerto Rico. [7]

Later that month, Bravo formed the Bravo Family Foundation [8] and pledged $10 million to hurricane recovery efforts through a program called "Podemos Puerto Rico" ("We Can Puerto Rico"). [9]

In the years following Hurricane Maria, the foundation launched long-term programs focused on strengthening underserved communities in Puerto Rico by providing opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs, including the Exceptional Community Leaders program, the Rising Entrepreneurs Program [2] and the Puerto Rico Digital Education Access Initiative. [10]

The Bravo Family Foundation made a quarter of a million donation to help victims of the Surfside condominium building collapse, a tragic event that occurred on June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Florida. [11] [7] In 2022, the foundation pledged support for communities in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Fiona. [12]

Programs and initiatives

In August 2018, the foundation launched the Exceptional Community Leaders program, [2] with the goal of "increasing the number of youth in Puerto Rico who are running successful service-culture ventures." [13] The program provides chosen nonprofit organizations with a $100,000 grant and a content facilitator and works to professionalize the organizations and improve their internal structures. [2]

In May 2019, Orlando Bravo announced that he would be personally contributing $100 million to the foundation to start a program aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and economic development in Puerto Rico. The foundation is motivated to support, among others, the engineering students at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, on the west coast of Puerto Rico hoping to stop the brain drain. [14] [6]

In January 2020, the foundation launched the Rising Entrepreneurs Program in Mayagüez, Orlando Bravo's hometown. [15] The program functions as a startup accelerator for early-stage Puerto Rican companies, with a mission of providing participants with "knowledge, access and capital as a means to create a more inclusive and sustainable ecosystem for tech companies in Puerto Rico." [16] In that first edition of the program, ten Puerto Rico startup businesses were selected out of 32 entrants and each received a one-time seed grant of $30,000; three of the ten later received additional prizes. [17] [18] [19]

In November 2020, the foundation launched the Puerto Rico Digital Education Access Initiative, gifting equipment that provides free internet access to public school students in poor communities throughout Puerto Rico and by March 2021 almost 6,700 students had been directly impacted by this specific foundation initiative. [10] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico</span> City and municipality in Puerto Rico

Cabo Rojo is a city and municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cidra, Puerto Rico</span> Town and municipality in Puerto Rico

Cidra is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and west of Caguas. Cidra is spread over 12 barrios and Cidra Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albizu University</span> Private, non-profit Puerto Rican university

Albizu University is a private university with its main campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a branch campus in Miami, Florida, and an additional instructional location in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It focuses on psychology, health, education, and human services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostos Community College</span> Community college in the Bronx, New York, U.S.

Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York is a public community college in the South Bronx, New York City. It is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system and was created by an act of the Board of Higher Education in 1968 in response to demands from the Hispanic/Puerto Rican community, which was urging for the establishment of a college to serve the people of the South Bronx. In 1970, the college admitted its first class of 623 students at the site of a former tire factory. Several years later, the college moved to a larger site nearby at 149th Street and Grand Concourse. The college also operates a location at the prow building of the Bronx Terminal Market.

Angelo Falcón was a Puerto Rican political scientist best known for starting the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy (IPR) in New York City in the early 1980s, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy center that focuses on Latino issues in the United States. It is now known as the National Institute for Latino Policy and Falcón served as its president until his death. He was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia University School of Public and International Affairs (S.I.P.A.).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stateside Puerto Ricans</span> Ethnic group and nationality and citizens of Puerto Rico in the US

Stateside Puerto Ricans, also ambiguously known as Puerto Rican Americans, or Puerto Ricans in the United States, are Puerto Ricans who are in the United States proper of the 50 states and the District of Columbia who were born in or trace any family ancestry to the unincorporated US territory of Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico National Guard</span> Component of the US National Guard of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) –Spanish: Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico– is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions, which includes to provide soldiers and airmen to the United States Army and U.S. Air Force in national emergencies or when requested by the president of the United States, and to perform military operations at the state level or any other lawful service as requested by the governor of Puerto Rico. The PRNG responds to the governor of Puerto Rico, who serves as its commander in chief and imparts orders with the Puerto Rico adjutant general acting as conduit, and its local mission is to respond as requested in military or civilian tasks. Abroad, its main function is to train a reserve capable of providing additional personnel in a war scenario.

Pedro Julio Serrano is an openly gay and HIV+ human rights activist and president of Puerto Rico Para Todes, a non-profit LGBTQ+ and social justice advocacy organization founded in 2003. He is a former advisor to former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and to former San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. He also served, for more than three years, as executive director of Programa Vida and Clínica Transalud of the Municipality of San Juan. He now works as Director of Public Affairs at Waves Ahead.

Phi Delta Gamma (ΦΔΓ) of Puerto Rico is the first Puerto Rican organization of Greek letters, which was founded in the western town of Mayagüez, on April 25, 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academia de la Inmaculada Concepción</span> Catholic school in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

The Academy of the Immaculate Conception is a coeducational Catholic school located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1905, it is among Puerto Rico's oldest institutions of learning. Though established by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, since 2015 it is owned and operated by the Colegio Católico Notre Dame in Caguas.

Zeta Phi Beta Fraternity (ΖΦΒ) of Puerto Rico is a nonprofit fraternal organization that has served the Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic communities for more than 50 years. The group was founded on November 21, 1957 at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez campus by 7 young students from diverse backgrounds. Today, the fraternity has over 3,000 members and 11 chapters at university level, including 2 chapters in the Dominican Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio A. Cabral Corrada</span> Puerto Rican investment banker and social advocate

Julio A. Cabral Corrada is an entrepreneur, social advocate and policy advisor from Puerto Rico. He focuses on Latin America and Puerto Rico's fiscal, economic, and political affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Bravo</span> Puerto Rican billionaire businessman

Orlando Bravo is a Puerto Rican billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, a private equity investment firm that specializes in software and technology-enabled services sectors. The 2019 Forbes 400 listed Bravo as the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire, debuting at No. 287. As of September 2022, his net worth is estimated at US$8 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Puente (coalition)</span>

El Puente is a non-profit arts and social justice organization located in the communities of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. El Puente was founded in 1982 by the late Luis Garden Acosta and co-founded with Eugenio Maldonado, and Dr. Frances Lacerna. Garden Acosta's mission was to stop the epidemic of violence stemming from youth gang/drug activity and street violence. El Puente's initiatives focus on fighting for a wide variety of social justice issues, including racial, environmental, immigration, educational, economic, housing justice, and more. As a renowned Latinx art's and cultural institution, El Puente does most of its activism through various visual and performative art forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Central Kitchen</span> Not-for-profit NGO providing disaster food aid since 2010

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. Founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, the organization prepared food in Haiti following its devastating earthquake. Its method of operations is to be a first responder and then to collaborate and galvanize solutions with local chefs to solve the problem of hunger, immediately following a disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Forgotten Spot</span> Song performed by American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda

"A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)" is a song performed by American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda along with Puerto Rican singers Zion & Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela and Lucecita Benítez. It was released on September 20, 2018 by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. The song was written by Miranda, along with the rest of the collaborators.

The Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development is a government agency of Puerto Rico that manages projects to improve and develop "Special Communities of Puerto Rico",. The agency works with other government agencies, as well as with community members, to improve the infrastructure and economic opportunities of marginalized communities. Its original founding was in 2001 with Law 1-2001 passed by Governor Sila María Calderón. The new entity, employing some of the same people it had under a preceding office, is now responsible for "administering disaster funding".

Ciencia Puerto Rico is US-based non-profit organization that advocates for science in Puerto Rico and supports Puerto Rican researchers. Their online community of more than 14,000 researchers, educators, students, and allies work to show that science can empower people to improve their lives and society. They provide resources in both English and Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luisa Seijo</span> Puerto Rican academic, activist and social worker

Luisa Rosario Seijo Maldonado is a Puerto Rican academic, activist, and social worker.

Crystal Díaz Rojas is a Puerto Rican entrepreneur with over 18 years of experience in food businesses, sustainable tourism, media, marketing, and distribution.

References

  1. 1 2 "Find Grantmakers & Nonprofit Funders". Foundation Directory Online. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Truong, Kevin (November 1, 2019). "Puerto Rico's first billionaire turns focus and funds back to island". San Francisco Business Times.
  3. ↑ Borg, Linda (April 17, 2019). "Puerto-Rican alum gives Brown $25M to study economic disparities". Providence Journal.
  4. ↑ Baldwin, Sarah Lynch; Begnaud, David (28 August 2018). "Hurricane Maria caused an estimated 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico, new study finds". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Table of Events (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Gara, Antoine (October 31, 2019). "Meet Wall Street's Best Dealmaker: New Billionaire Orlando Bravo". Forbes.
  7. 1 2 "Bravo Family Foundation dona $250,000 para apoyar a Surfside". CB en Español (in Spanish). 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  8. ↑ "Bravo Family Foundation - About Us". Bravo Family Foundation.
  9. ↑ Tucker, Jill (September 29, 2017). "SF tech investor, Puerto Rico native pledges $10M for hurricane aid". San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. 1 2 "Bravo Family Foundation Provides Free Internet to Students Across Puerto Rico". Caribbean Business. March 24, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Billionaire Orlando Bravo Makes $250K Donation to Help Victims of Miami Condo Collapse". PEOPLE.com. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  12. ↑ "Orlando Bravo, Founder of the Bravo Family Foundation, Commits $10 Million to Communities Affected by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico". PR Newswire. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Community Leaders - Bravo Family Foundation". www.bravofamilyfoundation.org.
  14. ↑ "Businessman donates $100 million to help Puerto Rico". CNN. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
  15. ↑ "Las 32 empresas finalistas del programa Rising Entrepreneurs". Sin Comillas (in Spanish). January 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Rising Entrepreneurs - Bravo Family Foundation". www.bravofamilyfoundation.org.
  17. ↑ Kantrow-Vázquez, Michelle (September 24, 2020). "Up-and-coming start-ups complete Rising Entrepreneurs program". News is my Business.
  18. ↑ "Tres empresas ganan la primera edición del programa Rising Entrepreneurs del Bravo Family Foundation". Sin Comillas (in Spanish). September 25, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Bravo Family Foundation announces 10 co's picked for Rising Entrepreneurs Program". News is My Business. 2020-01-28.
  20. ↑ "Bravo Family Foundation continues to impact communities by bringing Internet connection to students". PR Headline News – Top Stories Without The Fluff. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.