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| The Big Heart Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Big Heart Foundation |
| Formation | 2002 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Region served | International |
| Leader title | CEO |
| Leader name | Maria Duarte |
The Big Heart Foundation is a private philanthropic organization focused on humanitarian relief, community development, and health initiatives across multiple continents. Founded in 2002, the foundation operates grantmaking, program delivery, and advocacy activities with an emphasis on rapid response to natural disasters, long‑term public health, and educational access. Its work has involved collaborations with international agencies, municipal governments, and academic institutions.
The organization was established in 2002 by philanthropist Alejandro Ramos after his involvement in relief efforts following the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2002 El Salvador floods. Early activities included partnerships with American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and local NGOs in Haiti, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Throughout the 2000s the foundation expanded from emergency relief into longer‑term programs, aligning with stakeholders such as World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and municipal actors in New York City. Major milestones included a 2010 commitment to health systems strengthening in collaboration with Harvard University, a 2015 initiative with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and a 2018 launch of an education fund with Save the Children and CARE International.
The foundation’s stated mission centers on reducing vulnerability from disasters, improving maternal and child health, and increasing equitable access to education. Program areas have included emergency response teams deployed alongside Federal Emergency Management Agency operations after hurricanes, vaccination campaigns coordinated with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and school‑rebuilding projects in partnership with UNESCO and municipal education departments in Lima, Nairobi, and Manila. Other programs emphasized livelihood restoration with International Labour Organization frameworks, mental health services referenced to World Mental Health Survey Initiative, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects implemented alongside WaterAid and OXFAM.
Funding derives from individual donors, corporate philanthropy, and institutional grants. Major corporate partners have included Google, JP Morgan Chase, Coca-Cola Company, and Microsoft, while institutional grants have come from entities such as European Commission humanitarian aid offices and private foundations like Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The foundation publishes annual reports audited by Deloitte and has maintained 501(c)(3) status under United States tax law. Fiscal transparency has been highlighted in ratings from charity evaluators including Charity Navigator and GuideStar.
A volunteer board of directors provides governance, including leaders from finance, public health, and humanitarian sectors. Past and present board members have included executives formerly of Goldman Sachs, academics from Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and former diplomats from United States Agency for International Development and European Union External Action Service. Executive leadership includes a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and directors for programs, policy, and development. The foundation adheres to board policies influenced by governance standards from Council on Foundations and International Non‑Governmental Organisations Accountability Charter.
The foundation reports metrics across beneficiaries served, clinics supported, and schools rebuilt; independent evaluations have been conducted by research centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, and Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy. Impact assessments commonly reference reductions in child mortality in program areas, enrollment increases in supported schools, and time‑to‑recovery indicators following disasters. Evaluation methodologies have employed randomized controlled trials in partnership with Institute for Fiscal Studies and quasi‑experimental designs used by analysts at Brookings Institution and Center for Global Development.
Strategic partnerships form a core operational model, spanning multilateral agencies, academic institutions, and corporate partners. Collaborators have included International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, BRAC, Rotary International, and national health ministries in Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Academic research partnerships have involved Yale School of Public Health, University College London, and Princeton University, while private sector alliances have included supply chain coordination with Maersk and logistics support from FedEx during emergency deployments.
The foundation has faced criticism over allocation priorities and transparency during high‑profile relief campaigns, attracting scrutiny from investigative reporters at The New York Times and The Guardian. Critics have questioned overhead ratios reported during rapid response phases and decision‑making around partner selection, prompting reviews by third‑party auditors and donor advisory groups including GiveWell and panels convened by OECD development assistance committees. Allegations of insufficient local stakeholder consultation in a 2016 school reconstruction project in Port-au-Prince led to a corrective action plan co‑developed with local municipal authorities and Haitian Red Cross affiliates. The foundation has publicly committed to adopting stronger accountability mechanisms and expanding community engagement protocols.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City