Spotlight On Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico context

Key organizations

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Ayuda Legal

Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico is a non-profit whose purpose is to provide free and accessible education and legal support to low-income communities. Their work includes efforts to: 1) promote collaboration between entities of the community of access to justice, organizations and communities; 2) provide free and accessible legal education; 3) train legal representatives and students; 4) provide legal support and 5) exercise and facilitate community advocacy efforts.  

  • Director of Ayuda Legal, Ariadna M. Godreau-Aubert argues that Puerto Rico needs democracy — not a 'recovery czar' in The Hill

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Center for a New Economy (CNE)

The Center for a New Economy (CNE) is Puerto Rico’s first and foremost policy think tank, an independent, nonpartisan group that advocates for the development of a new economy for Puerto Rico. Over the last 20 years, CNE has championed the cause of a more productive and stable Puerto Rico through its offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. CNE informs current policy debates and seeks solutions to the island’s most pressing and complex economic development problems by rigorously analyzing hard data and producing robust empirical research. CNE’s role in civil society expanded after Hurricane María, developing several key initiatives under its guidance and leadership (cnegrowth.org; puertoricorecoveryfund.com; reimaginapuertorico.org).

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Espacios Abiertos

Four organizations (the Center for a New Economy; the ACLU of Puerto Rico; the University of Puerto Rico law school; and the Center for Investigative Journalism) launched a new organization to advance progressive change and long-term civic capacity across Puerto Rico. The collaboration was initially based on Open Society Foundations’ “place-based” work in Baltimore and undertaken in close collaboration with OSF leaders and staff; the initiative ultimately gave rise to Espacios Abiertos, a powerful new, independent force for change in Puerto Rico.

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Kilómetro Cero

Kilómetro Cero (KM0) aspires to a Puerto Rico in which the Puerto Rican State protects human life, freedoms and dignity in the pursuit of public safety, in service of a more democratic and just society. KMO works to document and publish data, reports, and stories; support engagement and mobilization of key communities; and promotes institutional advocacy to end police violence. KM0 seeks to: 1) help reduce police violence (including use of force and repression of dissent) and failure to protect (especially in cases of gender-based violence); 2) improve transparency around data and processes for greater police accountability; and 3) increase public capacity to hold Police – and the State – accountable.

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Open Society Foundations-U.S.’ Puerto Rico Project

The Open Society Foundations-U.S.’ Puerto Rico Project provides institutional and individual grant-making programs on the island as part of OSF’s United States division. The Project represents OSF’s long-term commitment to investing in and building up civil society in Puerto Rico. The Project has launched the Mayor Exchange—an Open Society Foundations–sponsored initiative pairing mayors on the mainland with mayors on the island to show solidarity and share expertise. The Project has also implemented the Puerto Rico Youth Fellowships, an initiative aimed at supporting young Puerto Rican leaders who will elevate justice, promote human rights, and help underserved communities in Puerto Rico. After the devastating Hurricane María of 2017, Open Society also joined with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation to provide $5 million to create a “resiliency commission,” fund damage assessment studies, and invest in civil society in Puerto Rico.