Global Americans is an international affairs think tank focusing on United States relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. The group was formed in 2015 and has a four-person staff operating remotely from Washington, D.C., and New York City, and focuses on publishing research regarding multilateral agreements in the Western Hemisphere and U.S. relations with individual countries in South and Central America. The group is funded by left-of-center grantmaking foundations including the Foundation to Promote Open Society and the Ford Foundation. ^{1 2 3}

Background

Global Americans Inc was founded in 2015 and operates from Washington, D.C., and New York City. The group provides research and analysis for government officials, business executives, journalists, academics, and others regarding U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. The group has also held in-person and virtual events. The group provides its content online and also hosts a podcast discussing international issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. The group does not take institutional policy positions. ²

Global Americans has a annual budget, with $414,000 in expenses in 2022, and is solely funded by contributions from foundations and individual donors. ⁴

Activity

A large portion of Global Americans funding has come from the Ford Foundation, which gave $520,000 to the organization from 2016 to 2018 to fund general support for the organization as well as “create an informal network of groups in Latin America to conduct research, multimedia campaigns and meetings with policymakers on issues of social inclusion.” ⁵ Global Americans’ tax records list the Ford Foundation-backed program as the group’s largest, stating that “Global Americans is convening a high-level working group on inter-American relations, comprising former policymakers, business leaders, and scholars, to discuss bipartisan and cross-regional ways that the current U.S. administration can build and improve upon the achievements of the past two decades of inter-American relations.” ⁴ The working group’s activity has centered around publishing several policy papers annually. ⁴

Research

Global Americans’ research consists of publications labeled as “explainers” and “commentary.” The group has been critical of the socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, with a publication stating, “Venezuela’s electoral crisis, more specifically the Maduro regime’s willingness to engage in blatant theft of the vote, has divided Latin America’s democratic left, which in past elections had largely stood behind the chavista government.” ⁶

An October 2024 report from Global Americans titled “The Economic Implications of Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ Economic Policies on Latin America” stated that policies of both candidates in the 2024 U.S. presidential election would potentially negatively impact Latin America in varying ways. The report stated that “neither platform would be favorable to the U.S. economy, and by extension, the regional economies. Both candidates exhibit protectionist tendencies and pay scant attention, if any, to the serious fiscal challenges facing the U.S.  Both approaches could lead to potentially negative consequences for LatAm trade, economic growth, inflation, and the dollar.” ⁷

Funding

In addition to receiving $520,000 from the Ford Foundation between 2016 and 2018, Global Americans has also received funding from the Foundation to Promote Open Society and the National Endowment for Democracy. ^{8 1}

1. “Full text Search: Global Americans.” Nonprofit Explorer. Query Conducted October 14, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=%22global+americans%22
2. “About Us.” Global Americans. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://globalamericans.org/about-us/
3. “Analysis: Explainers.” Global Americans. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://globalamericans.org/analysis-explainers/
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Global Americans. 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/473979681/202333129349303843/full
5. “Global Americans.” Ford Foundation Grants Database. Query Conducted October 14, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?page=2&search=global+americans
6. “Explainer: The Latin American Left Reacts to Venezuela’s Electoral Crisis.” Global Americans. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://globalamericans.org/explainer-the-latin-american-left-reacts-to-venezuelas-electoral-crisis/
7. Vera, Tulio. “The Economic Implications of Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ Economic Policies on Latin America.” Global Americans. October 1, 2024. https://globalamericans.org/the-economic-implications-of-donald-trumps-and-kamala-harris-economic-policies-on-latin-america/
8. ^[1] “Global Americans.” Ford Foundation Grants Database. Query Conducted October 14, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?page=2&search=global+americans