GPC Member Profile: José Ignacio and Juan Pablo Ávalos

In this edition of the GPC newsletter, we are thrilled to present our first double feature: father and son José Ignacio and Juan Pablo Ávalos share their family values, most recent accomplishments, and ambitious projects for the future.

The Ávalos family is a trailblazer in Mexico's philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. Their initiatives addressing nutrition, economic empowerment, healthcare, and rural development stand out due to their business models designed for accountability to donors, investors, and beneficiaries alike. These efforts have garnered support from major for-profit corporations, which contribute resources while benefiting from enhanced social and reputational standing.

José Ignacio credits his philanthropic motivation to his early engagement in charity work. As a devout Catholic, his endeavors are further shaped by the charitable principles of his faith.

Juan Pablo is helping bring the family's mission even further. Inspired by the recent GPC Gathering in New York, they now aim to venture into the field of mental health. He also shared with us a few personal insights in response to Rapid Fire questions.

Join us as we explore the innovative strategies behind their initiatives and their exciting plans. José Ignacio and Juan Pablo show us how a family's dedication can create a lasting impact across generations.

Your family has a long-standing tradition of social entrepreneurship and impact investing. Can you tell us about how this started?

José Ignacio – As a child, I was deeply surprised and moved by the stark inequality I observed in Mexico and around the world. This early awareness ignited a passion within me to make a difference, a drive that has shaped my entire life.

At the age of 22, I channeled this passion into action by starting a youth movement for human values called Gente Nueva. This was during a time when civil society organizations were met with significant suspicion in Mexico. Despite these challenges, my commitment to fostering social welfare never wavered. Over the years, I have founded or inspired the establishment of numerous organizations aimed at enhancing individual capacities, expanding opportunities for the underprivileged, and building essential infrastructure.

Thanks to the inspiration that Gente Nueva planted in me and many others, numerous organizations have been born, positively impacting countless lives. Through this work, I have found profound meaning in my life by dedicating myself to the pursuit of equality and social development.

What are the core values and principles that guide your approach to philanthropy? 

José Ignacio – Our values are deeply rooted in social responsibility, servant leadership, and the defense of human dignity, together with the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity to build a common good.

I am inspired by the belief that we are all God’s creatures and that he created us in His likeness, above all in our capacity to love. I believe we have the ability to go beyond ourselves and give ourselves to others. I also believe in striving for equality and opportunities, ensuring that every individual has the chance to reach their full potential. But I also know that the path of a social advocate is filled with significant challenges.

So it’s crucial to always maintain hope and a total love for my cause. These values not only inspire my efforts but also sustain my commitment through the inevitable obstacles encountered on the journey toward our objectives. It’s this combination of social responsibility, service, and resilience that forms the foundation of my work, and allows me to remain dedicated in the face of adversity while working toward a more just and equitable world.

Education seems to be a cause close to your heart. What drove you to focus on education, and what do you hope initiatives like FIESP and Mexicanos Primero can achieve?

José Ignacio – Effectively, education, along with health and early childhood, are the causes that most fuel passion and dedication in me.

Our way to tackle the challenges that these three areas represent is twofold: in the field, with efforts through numerous local initiatives, and with the reinforcement of Human Rights influencing government in the conception and delivery of public policies and Congress by promoting through legislation, justice, equity and inclusion so that in the future nobody will be left behind in progress.

The need to find the most efficient ways to ensure human dignity and conquer real social mobility is what drove me into this area. This is, without a doubt, the best way to build capacities and allow a person to be the architect of their life and to aspire true freedom.

In education, through Mexicanos Primero, we are focused on moving Mexico from the last place in the OECD PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] Index to above the average in this scale.

In health, FIESP(Fundación Para la Investigación y Educación en Salud Publica) is bringing health services for the 54% of Mexicans who still don’t have complete access to it today, revolutionizing the public and private Healthcare systems in the country.

And in early childhood, with PACTO – Pacto por la Primera Infancia [Pact for Early Childhood], we are securing that every child in Mexico can have the capacities and abilities to reach their full physical, cognitive, and emotional potential; Currently, only 27% have conditions to achieve it, and we’re on a mission to improve this scenario.

What initiatives are you working on right now? Tell us about the proudest moments you’ve had lately.

Juan Pablo – Un Kilo de Ayuda is pioneering a new frontier in early childhood development. Our innovative model comprises 18 interventions designed to provide all the essential components for raising well-rounded children by the age of six. It’s a groundbreaking approach that can pave the way for transformative government and non-government programs nationally and internationally, inspiring policymakers to redefine existing laws and regulations.

In the healthcare sector, with COFAS (Centros de Orientación Familiar y Salud), we annually provide care to more than 90,000 patients annually through our 3 hospitals. This year, we are transitioning our model to a for-profit social enterprise with the goal of reaching hundreds of thousands of patients in Mexico’s most underserved regions. We aim to deliver high-quality, low-cost interventions in almost every state across the country.

Through FIESP, we are creating a blueprint for launching the nation’s first private School of Public of Health. This pioneering initiative seeks to rectify the transparency issues surrounding research outcomes in current governmental health institutions. By inspiring scientific communities to conduct more in-depth research, we aim to generate outcomes that can effectively benefit the nation and its population.

At Promotora Social México, we have recently established a new social investment division. This initiative has the potential to transform thousands of lives through various means, including influencing public policy and providing direct support to a wide range of causes such as education, health, economic development, climate change, and the enhancement of democracy.

One of our recent proud achievements was the amendment of the third article of the Mexican Constitution to recognize the rights of children under 3 as individuals entitled to human rights, rather than as objects.

We’ve also signed a formal agreement with the incoming Mexican President outlining 12 specific goals or targets related to early childhood, along with 6 structural conditions necessary to achieve them.

We conducted the first-ever study on early childhood poverty within the country, along with the most comprehensive vaccination study for children aged zero to five. These groundbreaking studies serve as invaluable reference resources for policymakers and researchers, providing unique insights to inform decision-making processes.

Also, over the past five years, we’ve effectively secured an average annual budgetary rescue of $4.2 billion for government early childhood interventions at the congressional level, which had been definitively cut by the present administration.

Juan Pablo, as you become more involved in the family’s initiatives, what lessons have you been learning about the importance of social welfare and sustainable development?

Juan Pablo – From a young age, my siblings and I have been deeply immersed in our family’s philanthropic endeavors. Our parents instilled in us the significance of contributing to the well-being of others and ingrained in us a sense of responsibility toward our country, given our privileged position. Some of my earliest memories involve visiting communities supported by the Un Kilo de Ayuda foundation, where we assisted in measuring the health indicators of children in the early childhood development program. I also recall spending Easter holidays in our family’s rural hospitals and nearby communities, organizing medical brigades, and encouraging families to participate in health check-ups for the prevention and detection of diseases such as anemia, cervical cancer, and AIDS, among others.

These formative experiences nurtured a lifelong commitment to philanthropy within us. As I matured, my involvement expanded to include participation in an impact investment fund. This role has taught me the critical importance of blending philanthropy with investment in social impact projects, which can appeal to investors.

This approach not only sustains the initiatives but also amplifies their reach, enabling us to positively affect many more lives.

Looking ahead, what are your dreams for your family’s future in philanthropy?

Juan Pablo – Our main aspiration today is to replicate the successful model of our Rural Hospitals Foundation (COFAS) by creating a for-profit version. This would attract investment, enabling us to develop numerous hospitals in underserved communities throughout Mexico. By doing so, we aim to significantly expand our impact and provide quality healthcare services to a much larger population.

With over two decades of experience in public health, my father and the organizations we lead have established ourselves as leaders in this field, and we believe we have the expertise to elevate our model to new heights.

Another dream was inspired by a neuroscience conference we attended at the recent GPC Gathering last May. We are driven to advocate for public policies that promote mental health education for children in Mexico. Our goal is to collaborate with civil society and the Ministry of Public Education to integrate mental health as a mandatory subject in the basic education curriculum. By educating children and young people on how the mind works, we aim to raise awareness, prevent, and ultimately eradicate mental illnesses.

Rapid Fire Questions with Juan Pablo Ávalos

Share a mantra that inspires you.
I have two mantras that I have discovered during reflective periods of my life.
1.    Inner peace is true happiness.
2.    True success lies in positively impacting the lives of others.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Never settle and always go the extra mile.

What gives you hope for the future?
The ability of Mexicans to come together in the face of adversity.

If you could make one book/poem/film mandatory for all philanthropists, what would it be?
I would make a movie that inspires people to find their ikigai.
 

Some photos from initiatives supported by the Ávalos family