,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #big  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #ca1
 #bjai ,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4
 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 and  
,mr4 ,kaine7 submitted the following    
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,relations       
,,resolution  ,commending the           
,inter-,american ,foundation 7,,iaf7 on 
the occasion of its #ejth anniversary   
for its significant accomplishments and 
contributions to the economic and social
 development of the ,americas4  ,whereas
 ,december #cj1 #bjai1 marks the #ejth  
anniversary of the establishment of the 
,inter-,american ,foundation 7referred  
to in this preamble as the ,,iaf71 an   
independent ,federal agency in the      
,united ,states that prioritizes        
sustainable1 community-led development  
across ,latin ,america and the          
,caribbean2 ,whereas the ,,iaf was      
created under section #dja of the       
,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifi 7#bb 

,u4,s4,c4 #bij;f7 to achieve conditions 
in the ,western ,hemisphere under which 
the dignity and the worth of each human 
person will be respected and under which
 all men will be afforded the           
opportunity to develop their potential1 
to seek through gainful and productive  
work the fulfillment of their           
aspirations for a better life1 and to   
live in justice and peace2 ,whereas the 
,,iaf invests in effective grassroots   
solutions that promote prosperity and   
peace1 and advance the growth of        
democratic institutions2 ,whereas the   
unique development model of the ,,iaf1  
applied through more than #e1jjj        
community-led grants1 has empowered     
millions of marginalized and underserved
 people in the ,americas to achieve     
dignified livelihoods1 effective civil  
engagement1 and safer1 more peaceful1   
and more just communities2 ,whereas the 
,,iaf's model-- 7#a7 has demonstrated   
that making direct grants to grassroots 
groups and civil society organizations  

in underserved and vulnerable           
communities is cost-effective2  7#b7    
fosters self-reliance by requiring      
grantees to mobilize local resources for
 their own projects and by connecting   
them to networks of new partners2  7#c7 
leverages additional resources from     
private and community partners2 and     
7#d7 incentivizes broad civic engagement
 and local ownership of community       
development2  ,whereas the ,,iaf--by    
investing in grassroots approaches that 
create businesses1 jobs1 and leadership 
opportunities in communities--reinforces
 the commitment of individuals to       
strengthening their own communities2    
,whereas investments made by the ,,iaf  
have created an extensive network of    
grassroots innovators and changemakers  
who--  7#a7 are positively disposed to  
the ,united ,states2  7#b7 are better   
positioned to partner with other ,united
 ,states ,government agencies and other 
public and private funders2 and  7#c7   
have gone on to leadership roles at the 

local and national levels2  ,whereas    
investments made by the ,,iaf have      
improved the quality of life and        
democracy in the ,americas by           
strengthening the capacity of           
individuals to participate in civic     
life1 engage constructively with their  
local officials1 and hold their         
governments accountable2 ,whereas1 by   
listening and responding to the         
priorities of communities and investing 
in projects that utilize and validate   
local knowledge and expertise1 the ,,iaf
 has fostered trust and goodwill with   
the people of ,latin ,america and the   
,caribbean2 and ,whereas the ,,iaf's    
support of community-led efforts        
designed to increase opportunities for  
development and the strengthening of    
civil society and democratic governance 
has advanced the national interests of  
the ,united ,states and promoted        
democratic values across the ,western   
,hemisphere3 ,now1 therefore1 be it     
,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 commends the   

,inter-,american ,foundation on the     
occasion of the #ejth anniversary of its
 establishment for its significant      
contributions to strengthening          
democracy1 peace1 and economic and      
social development in ,latin ,american  
and the ,caribbean2  7#b7 recognizes    
that the bottom-up approach of the      
,inter-,american ,foundation empowers   
individuals in marginalized and         
underserved communities to be leaders1  
entrepreneurs1 innovators1 and          
changemakers in development processes2  
7#c7 recognizes that the                
,inter-,american ,foundation advances   
the foreign policy of the ,united       
,states ,government and contributes     
directly to the national interests of   
the ,united ,states2 and  7#d7 commits  
to continue to support the vital work of
 the ,inter-,american ,foundation as an 
independent agency4