Charitable Giving
The British Mexican Society is committed to its charitable mission of making a meaningful difference in the lives of people in Mexico.
Our approach focuses on raising funds for small charities in Mexico, ensuring that the relatively modest amounts we contribute — typically between £1,000 and £3,500 — have a significant impact on each project.
Through our fundraising efforts and the contributions of our members’ annual subscriptions, we are able to improve the lives of many, young and old, fostering a strong and meaningful connection between the BMS and Mexico.
If you would like to help make a difference — for example by providing children with clean drinking water, helping them learn a trade, or improving their language skills — you can support us by becoming a member or making a donation.
Help make a difference
Application for Funding Process
If you are a registered charity or community group in Mexico looking for funding we accept applications to be considered between 1stNovember and 31stDecember each year. Applications are not accepted outside this period.
The BMS Charity Sub-Committee will review all applications in January for funding recommendations to the Trustees by mid-February. Funds will be distributed in March & April each year.
The BMS Application for Funding form needs to be completed in order to be considered, together with the requested financial information.
“We were thrilled to receive the donation made by The British Mexican Society to our Association Antes de Partir AC. Thanks to this wonderful support we were able to carry out our work helping children with cancer in the final stages and improve their quality of life with palliative care and psychological support for the patients and their families.”
“We were thrilled to receive the donation made by The British Mexican Society to our Association Antes de Partir AC. Thanks to this wonderful support we were able to carry out our work helping children with cancer in the final stages and improve their quality of life with palliative care and psychological support for the patients and their families.”
Cultural Exchange Programme of Live Music Now (Scotland) and PRISMA Mexico
Live Music Now (LMN), founded by Lord Yehudi Menuhin and supported by King Charles, helps young musicians bring live music to audiences in hospitals, gaols, hospices, and children with disabilities. In 2016, internationally renowned guitarist and LMN alumnus Morgan Szymanski launched PRISMA (Programa de Retribución e Impacto Social Mediante las Artes), the Mexico branch of Live Music Now . Learn more about Live Music Now.
PRISMA has reached over 20,000 Mexican children in states like Morelos, Guerrero, Michoacán, and Oaxaca, offering workshops in music, dance, drama, and film. In 2023, with support from the British Mexican Society, LMN/PRISMA launched a bilateral exchange, bringing Scottish violinist Roo Geddes to Mexico for workshops and concerts in over 20 schools. Watch the tour here.
This success led to a 2024 Scottish tour for Mexican PRISMA musician Lavinia Negrete, supported by the British Mexican Society. She joined Morgan Szymanski for festivals and workshops at venues including Alnwick, Glasgow Hospital, and the National Gallery in Edinburgh. For further details, read the review on Edinburgh Music Review here.
We hope this bilateral exchange will continue, bringing music and learning to underprivileged children in Mexico and to the elderly, disabled, and infirm in both Mexico and the UK.
The JUCONI Foundation was set up in 1989 thanks to the efforts of Sarah Thomas MBE, Joanna Wright de Serra and Gabriel Benitez. Together, they created a professional programme for street children in the city of Puebla and this was one of the first organisations in Mexico to expand its work to include the families of street children.
The British Mexican Society is delighted to have contributed the majority of the funding needed to refurbish Fundacion Juconi’s Youth House in Puebla, enabling its residents to enjoy a refurbished recreation room in which to rest, work, and participate in shared activities.
Located in a historic building, the Youth House is a place for young men aged 14-18 who are affected by family violence, extreme poverty and/or who live on the streets. In the Youth House, JUCONI provides a long-term personalised educational and therapeutic programme to prepare these young men for an independent life as young adults who are fully integrated into society.
Bare walls ready for restoration
Hard at work during the restoration
A new floor is laid
The a/v is installed
The new recreation room
Amistad was formed immediately following the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. It now provides support to schools and healthcare institutions, especially following damage caused by any form of natural disaster.
BMS Donations
Recently, the British Mexican Society collaborated with THE BRITISH SOCIETY (in Mexico) to purchase and install two goals for the football pitch being constructed by Amistad at the secondary school in Real de Monte. Amistad had already received donations from HRH The Prince of Wales and from HSBC to build the football pitch, but were short of funds to cover the cost of the two goals. Amistad will also purchase maintenance equipment and intends to enlist the support of the Parents Association to take care of the facility. The main objective of building the football pitch is the health and education of the 706 pupils and it is based on the ideals of The Sports Creative foundation.
Amistad says: “We anticipate that the football pitch will also benefit the whole community of Real del Monte, which is where football was first introduced to Mexico by British miners.”
Previously, in 2017, the BMS donated £3,000 with which Amistad purchased six electric carpentry tools for woodwork classes at the Secondary Technical School No. 5 in Acapulco. As a result, reports Amistad´s president Colin Stabler, 250 boys and girls aged 12 to 15 are taking carpentry classes and have now been using the tools for about a year. On a recent visit Colin was shown examples of the products they make and take home to proud parents and relatives.
Several boys and girls also demonstrated how to use the equipment safely and expertly: note the goggles and ear protection!
In a speech thanking the British Mexican Society and Amistad, the headmaster, Isidro Zuñiga, pointed out that after leaving school, those pupils will have a certificate showing the number of hours they have spent learning carpentry skills, which will increase their chance of getting an apprenticeship and earning wages and benefit their family and the wider community. There is plenty of work in Acapulco for carpenters, both in new buildings and in old buildings in need of repair.
If you would like to donate to Amistad Británico-Mexicana:
