About the Cotopaxi Foundation

Giving is core to who we are. The Cotopaxi Foundation provides grants to nonprofits that help communities facing extreme poverty. Cotopaxi is also a member of 1% for the Planet, which means we're committed to donating at least 1% of annual revenue toward a healthier planet for all. To date, we've reached an estimated 3.8 million people through our impact work.

Sustainable Ethics

Our Focus

We concentrate our efforts in Latin America’s poorest communities, investing in health, education, and livelihood, categories identified by MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) to have high potential for alleviating poverty.

About the Cotopaxi Foundation

Serving as the impact arm of our company, the Cotopaxi Foundation is a Utah-based, 501c3 nonprofit through which we distribute at least 1% of our annual revenue in the form of multi-year grants. Specifically, the Foundation:

Advances our mission

Boosts our grantmaking, democratizes our impact, and helps us make a bigger difference in the communities we touch.

Personalizes our impact

Allows us to run our own programs, like card-writing and repairs, which provide refugees with hands-on employment experience.

Helps us stay focused

100% of the funds we direct to the foundation support our grantees and impact programs. Likewise, 100% of customer donations directly support these causes.

1% for the Planet® Member

We're proud to be a business member of 1% for the Planet, a global collective of companies and individuals committed to donating 1% of sales to causes that support a healthier planet for all.

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Our Impact Partners

Based on extensive research, we select outstanding nonprofits dedicated to improving standards of living for communities experiencing poverty. We support our partners with multi-year grants so they can create lasting impact through long-term programs. We do not accept grant applications.

ROMP in Guatemala

Range Of Motion Project (ROMP)

Providing high-quality prosthetic care

ROMP provides high-quality prosthetic care and rehabilitation services to underserved people with amputation, improving their mobility and independence. ROMP operates full time prosthetic clinics in Quito, Ecuador and Guatemala City, Guatemala helping hundreds of people with amputation access high-quality care and follow up services each year. To date, ROMP has provided over 5,000 custom made prosthetic devices to people in need.

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CARE Ecuador

CARE Ecuador

BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE THROUGH GENDER EQUITY

While their efforts are focused in Ecuador, CARE is responding to the Venezuela migrant and refugee crisis with a gender-sensitive approach. Currently, CARE’s programs focus on sexual and reproductive health; water, sanitation, and hygiene; food and nutrition security; and shelter.

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Bataan, Philippines

Escuela Nueva

EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION

As its name suggests, Escuela Nueva’s focus is education. More specifically, the organization seeks to provide student-directed education models to communities affected by conflict and limited opportunity. With over 86 schools throughout Latin America, Escuela Nueva empowers students to be active participants in their education and brings schooling to those without access.

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Tianjin, China

IRC

RESPONDING TO THE WORLD’S WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. In more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, their teams provide clean water, shelter, health care, education, and empowerment to refugees and displaced people. We support IRC efforts in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Denver, as well as in Colombia. We also plan to help fund their expanding work in Ecuador in 2022.

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Chinnakarai, India

Mona Foundation

PROVIDING EQUAL EDUCATION ACCESS

Founded in 1999, the Mona Foundation is a global community of individuals and organizations that believes the key to alleviating poverty and sustaining community transformation lies in education and gender equality. It supports grassroots initiatives around the world that educate children and empower women and girls, thereby helping them to transform their own communities. We work with the Mona Foundation specifically to provide education access to girls in Brazil and Panama.

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Shanghai, China

Mercy Corps

EMPOWERING PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM CRISIS

One of the most recognized global humanitarian organizations, Mercy Corps empowers people recovering from crisis. Currently, Cotopaxi supports Mercy Corps’s efforts to meet the urgent needs of Colombian and Venezuelan refugees through cash assistance, medicine, and small business grants. Over the next 18 months, the organization will lead a consortium to provide emergency cash assistance to nearly 90,000 Venezuelan refugees.

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

United to Beat Malaria

A NEW ERA OF NOTHING BUT NETS

A campaign of the UN Foundation, United to Beat Malaria (previously Nothing But Nets) is on a mission to eradicate malaria. United to Beat Malaria's (UBM) campaign has evolved to provide a full suite of innovative tools and strategies that meet the greatest needs of the communities they serve. We've teamed up with UBM to expand its work to end malaria in Ecuador and other parts of Latin America.

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Chain Collaborative

INVESTING IN LOCAL LEADERS FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

With the firm belief that lasting change comes from community driven strategy and buy-in, the mission of The Chain Collaborative is to invest in the capacity of Change Leaders in coffee-growing regions and accompany them as they drive grassroots, sustainable development in their own communities, according to their own visions for change. We've partnered with The Chain Collaborative to support the collective livelihoods of coffee growing communities in Manabí, Ecuador.

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Ending youth homelessness

True Colors United

ENDING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

True Colors United (TCU) aims to prevent and end homelessness among LGBTQ youth, youth of color, and other highly impacted groups. They utilize advocacy and education to create a long term solution to an issue that disproportionately affects LGBTQ youth. Because nearly 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, True Colors makes it their mission to learn directly from affected youth in order to create accessible programming and provide them with leadership opportunities. We have partnered with TCU to support their programming both in Latin America and here in the US.

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Ending youth homelessness
Photo Credit: Juan Arredondo/Getty Images/Images of Empowerment

J-PAL LAC

Promoting gender equity and women’s agency to reduce poverty

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of 294 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. Cotopaxi is partnering with J-PAL South America to support capacity building and outreach for gender agency  in Central America.

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Ending youth homelessness

ALIADOS

Incubating regenerative value chains to strengthen livelihoods, conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change in the Ecuadorian Amazon

ALIADOS is an Ecuador based nonprofit that builds resilient community businesses based on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity—and connects them to markets across the globe, with a vision to transform the way business is done in these precious ecosystems. Cotopaxi is partnering with ALIADOS to support indigenous smallholder farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon to reduce poverty and strengthen livelihoods.

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Driving community-led change in Ecuador

GlobalGiving

Expanding reach and increasing community capacity in Ecuador

GlobalGiving is a nonprofit that supports other nonprofits by connecting them to donors and companies. We’re working with Global Giving to increase our reach and connect with vetted organizations on the ground, supporting in areas like food security, workforce training, gender equity, violence prevention and more.

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Provides permanent clean water for the world’s most vulnerable communities

Water1st

Provides permanent clean water, sanitation and hygiene solutions for the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Water1st is a nonprofit that works with communities around the world to implement and sustain projects that integrate a clean water supply, toilets, and hygiene education. We’re supporting their efforts in rural Honduras, with goals to end the “walk for water” and empower communities to thrive.

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Provides permanent clean water for the world’s most vulnerable communities

OneGoal

Eliminating the “opportunity gap” so all students can realize postsecondary success.

One Goal believes every student should have an equitable opportunity to achieve their greatest postsecondary aspirations. They help students in the US achieve postsecondary success by working with schools and districts to transform advising and support so that all students can define their futures.

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Provides permanent clean water for the world’s most vulnerable communities

New Story

PIONEERING SOLUTIONS FOR SAFE, ACCESSIBLE HOUSING.

New Story is a nonprofit building safer, more inclusive housing for low-income families in Latin America. By asking families what they want and need, New Story creates housing solutions that will work for them, with a goal of housing one million people by 2030.

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2021 Outcomes

poverty alleviation

Aided 1,255,490 people directly through poverty alleviation programs

supply chain

Assisted 63,300 workers across our supply chain

masks

Donated 202,000 masks (total value: $707,000)

malaria treatment

Provided 67,000 malaria treatments benefitting 403,416 families

refugee assistance

Assisted over 89,100 refugees in Ecuador and Venezuela

sponsored education

Sponsored education for over 24,000 children

2022 Outcomes

poverty alleviation

Aided 3.8 million people directly to date through poverty alleviation programs

malaria treatment

Provided 171,827 people in South America with malaria treatments and testing

Ecuador refugee assistance

Assisted over 8,505 refugees in Ecuador and Venezuela

sponsored education

Sponsored education for over 19,181 children

Ukrainian refugee assistance

Helped support 76,817 Ukrainian refugees through emergency fundraising campaign

Do Good

With Us

One of the goals of the Cotopaxi Foundation is to provide anyone out there with a way to give responsibly. When you donate directly to the Foundation, 100% of your contribution goes to vetted nonprofits focused on fighting poverty.

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Gear For Good

Gear for Good®

As our company grows, so does our ability to reach those in need. Gear for Good is our promise to make durable products as sustainably as possible, and to use our revenue to support communities experiencing poverty. We hope you'll join us so we can make an even bigger impact together.

Shop Cotopaxi

Corporate Donations

The Cotopaxi Foundation is a nonprofit member of 1% for the Planet, so if your business is a member of 1% for the Planet, you'll receive credit toward your membership when you donate.

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Impact Reports

Do Good