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Border Community Alliance Inc
Tubac, AZ · EIN 611726630 · Form 990 · FY2022 · NTEE S21 · Community Improvement · Small ($100K-$1M) · bordercommunityalliance.org
revenue
$368K
expenses
$349K
net assets
$183K
employees
1
volunteers
25
program ratio
89%
mission · from form 990

Foster education, collaboration, social advocacy and cultural exchange between U.S. and Mexico border communities

profile · synthesized from sources

Border Community Alliance (BCA) bridges the U.S.-Mexico border by fostering community through education, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Operating in the Southern Arizona/Sonora region, BCA partners with Mexican community foundations and NGOs to support social investment projects. The organization aims to promote a balanced narrative about Mexico and strengthen binational relationships.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022

what they reported doing

Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.

  1. #1 primary $117K
    Provided Mexican charities with humanitarian funding through Fundacion Del Empresario Sonorense
  2. #2 $41K
    Provided internships to college and graduate students that provided exposure to border issues and hands-on experience to the realities of border life.
named programs · 8 · from sources

what they call their work

ARSOBO Project for Inclusion
Supports ARSOBO, an organization providing adaptive-technology, low-cost, assisted devices to individuals with disabilities in Nogales, Sonora.
ATIC (Agencia para el Tratamiento Integral de la Conducta)
Supports an organization focused on training parents for behavioral management of their children, including those with autism, in Nogales, Sonora.
Albergue San Juan Bosco
Supports a family-run shelter offering temporary housing, meals, religious services, and social resources to migrants in Nogales, Sonora.
Borderlands Forum
Convenes discussions and events to share information and perspectives on the border region.
Cross Border Tour Program
Organizes tours to promote binational relationships and understanding of the borderlands.
DEIJUVEN (Desarrollo Integral Juvenil de Nogales)
Supports a community center offering services and after-school youth programs in underserved areas of Nogales, Sonora.
Let's Speak Spanish classes
Offers Spanish language classes to engage participants with the cultural heritage of the borderlands.
Student Internship Program
Offers internships, such as the Borderlands Ambassador interns, to engage students in border issues.
activities · 4 groups

what they do

  • Immigration Immersion & Education Programs 5 activities
    • Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program
      Offers an immersion internship program in partnership with FESAC for college students, providing cross-border cultural experiences and covering issues, perspectives, and cultures in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. The program includes final presentations by the interns.
    • Borderlands Ambassador Internship Program
      Runs an annual immersion internship program in partnership with FESAC that provides college students with cross-border cultural experiences and education on U.S.-Mexico borderlands issues, perspectives, and cultures. The program concludes with final presentations held both online and in-person, including at the Tubac Center of the Arts.
    • Borderlands Public Forums
      Hosts public forums on critical immigration and borderlands issues featuring experts and practitioners, including forums on U.S. immigration basics, humanitarian aid work, borderlands reporting, asylum policy, and migration control. Events have been held from 2022 through 2025 with both in-person and online participation.
    • Cultural Exchange and Immersion Tours
      Organizes cross-border cultural exchange tours to Nogales, Sonora, and other borderlands sites, including private, customized, and group tours limited to 10–15 participants. Tours visit partner organizations, historical sites, and cultural institutions such as the Amerind Museum and sites featured in the "Renaissance of Nogales, Arizona" walking tour. The organization has led over one hundred such tours without any incident of violence.
    • Organizing Cross-Border Cultural Exchange Tours
      Organizes and leads cultural exchange tours to the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, including day tours to Nogales, Sonora, private tours of the Amerind Museum, and customized group tours and retreats. These tours aim to provide participants with cross-border cultural experiences and understanding of the region.
  • Documentary Film Production for Social Awareness 4 activities
    • Documentary Film Production
      Produces documentary films that highlight cross-border cultural practices and narratives, including the award-winning 30-minute film "The Pilgrimage to Magdalena," which documents the annual pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora.
    • Producing Documentary Films
      Produces documentary films, such as the award-winning 30-minute film "The Pilgrimage to Magdalena," which documents the annual cross-border pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora.
    • Social Media Storytelling
      Creates, develops, and distributes stories via social media to share narratives from borderlands communities, challenge misconceptions, and promote a positive image of the borderlands.
    • Storytelling and Narrative Campaigns
      Creates and distributes stories through social media to amplify voices from borderlands communities, challenge misconceptions, and promote a positive, nuanced image of life along the U.S.-Mexico border.
  • Structured Language Classes and Conversation Practice 2 activities
    • Spanish Conversation Sessions
      Offers private and joint Spanish conversation sessions with facilitators during the summer break.
    • Spanish Language Conversation Sessions
      Offers private and joint Spanish conversation sessions with facilitators during summer break to support language learning in a cultural context.
  • Uncategorized 3 activities
    • Borderlands Literature and Film Circle
      Operates a monthly online event, the Borderlands Literature and Film Circle, featuring discussions with authors, filmmakers, and guest speakers to expand understanding of the Mexico-U.S. borderlands. An archive of past event recordings is maintained.
    • Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC)
      Hosts a monthly online event featuring discussions with authors, filmmakers, and guest speakers on topics related to the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, including culinary heritage, citizenship, and regional history. Past events are archived and available for ongoing access.
    • Hosting Forums on Borderlands Issues
      Hosts forums and discussions on various topics related to the U.S.-Mexico border, including immigration basics, humanitarian aid, borderlands reporting, and migration control policies, often featuring expert speakers.
financials · form 990 · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$368K
Contributions & grants$255K69%
Program service revenue$112K30%
Investment income$1K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$349K
Program expenses89%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$73K
Grants paid out$75K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$228K
Cash$179K
Investments$42K
Liabilities$44K
Net assets$183K
Liquid reserves7.6 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +27.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Celia Bavier Executive Dir. 40 $68K
board members · 9
  • Cecilia Quade — President
  • Dan Anderson — Vice President
  • Jan Saunders — Director
  • Jerry Leggett — Director
  • Jim Hoff — Director
  • Jose Lopez — Treasurer
  • Rita Cantu — Director
  • Sara Martin — Director
  • Susan Scott — Secretary
relationships · 13

who they work with

  • Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors (Arizona JFON) Partner — Alba Jaramillo, Executive Director of Arizona JFON, presented at a forum on immigration and asylum.
  • BCA Frontera Voices Media Project Partner — Project under BCA focused on media and storytelling to represent borderlands communities.
  • Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona Partner — Geoff Boyce, Research Associate at the Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona, presented at a forum.
  • Border Chronicle Partner — Melissa del Bosque, a journalist with Border Chronicle, presented at a forum on Borderlands Reporting.
  • Borderlands Restoration Network Partner — Katherine Gaia Barbaree from the Borderlands Restoration Network discussed environmental work in desert ecosystems and binational wildlife corridors at a BLFC event.
  • Earlham College Partner — Geoff Boyce, Academic Director & Faculty at the Border Studies Program, Earlham College, presented at a forum.
  • FESAC Partner — Close partner organization based in Nogales, Sonora; collaborates on cross-border programs and pass-through donations to NGOs in Sonora.
  • FESAC Partner — Mexican community foundation partner that collaborates on cultural exchange tours and provides local guidance.
  • Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense, A.C. (FESAC) Partner — Partners with FESAC in Nogales, Sonora to co-deliver an internship program offering cross-border cultural immersion.
  • Mexico City Partner — Hosts a discounted week-long immersion program for Spanish students.
  • Salvavision Partner — Dora Rodriguez, Director of Salvavision, presented at a forum on humanitarian aid for migrants at the Arizona border.
  • Tubac Center of the Arts Partner — Hosts a reception and final presentations for Borderlands Ambassador Interns.
  • United Methodist Church of Green Valley Partner — Hosts Borderlands Ambassador Intern final presentations.