Our Mission
Border Community Alliance is bridging the border and fostering binational community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. We focus on the borderlands region of Southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. We are inspired to share with the public the “good news” of civil society in the borderlands region.
Our Vision
Our borderlands is a vibrant place of collaborative discovery.
Our Values
We believe in social investment to elevate a strong sense of international community, not charity.
We seek to listen and learn from each other, rather than presume we know it all.
We respect the cultures and traditions of both Mexico and the United States and advocate for wider public knowledge.
We value working together with like-minded organizations and individuals on both sides of the border.
We welcome participation in our programs regardless of one’s viewpoint on divisive issues.
Our History
We are a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization with no religious or political affiliations. BCA depends on donations and grants for funding. BCA was incorporated in 2013 in the state of Arizona and our board members reside in various states. Our office is in Tubac, Arizona, a community forty miles south of Tucson and twenty miles north of the US-Mexico border.
Border Community Alliance grew out of relationships with people who wanted to promote binational relationships between non-profit organizations. They sought to encourage a more balanced narrative about Mexico to replace the media’s narrow focus of drugs, violence and immigration. From the beginning, BCA has had a close relationship with FESAC, a Mexican community foundation. Through this and other partnerships, BCA’s program was created, including the cross border tour program, the Borderlands Forum and student internship program.
Bob Phillips was BCA’s founding Executive Director. In 2015, Bob transitioned into the role of Founding Director and Senior Consultant and in 2016, Jerry Haas became Executive Director and Co-Chair of the Board with Marty Bronstein. In 2021, Celia Bavier became Executive Director. Jerry Haas remains as Senior Advisor to the Board.