“The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.” – The Huffington Post
In a Nutshell: We fight extreme poverty.
Mission Statement: The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. We’re the innovative, national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.
IN THE NEWS
Formed: 2003
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Cities with volunteers: 180
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Nazar Al Baharna
Former Bahrain Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and member of the Ministerial Cabinet.
Donald Girskis
Former Head of Boost Mobile and served as CEO of ShoreTel.
Jennifer Houston
Former President of WE Studio at Waggener Edstrom. Led Microsoft Windows’ public relations team responsible for global communications.
Kip Knight
Former Vice President of Marketing for eBay and current President of KnightVision Marketing.
Congressman Dave Reichert
Former Sheriff who led the task force that caught the Green River Killer.
Congressman Adam Smith
Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Christian Thwaites
President and CEO of Sentinel Investments and a regular guest expert on CNBC and Bloomberg.
FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Clint Borgen
Widely regarded as one of the most politically influential humanitarians in the U.S.
[Read bio]
HISTORY
In 1999, while working as a young volunteer in refugee camps during the Kosovo War and genocide, Clint Borgen recognized the need for an organization that could focus U.S. political attention on extreme poverty. In 2003, after graduating from Washington State University and interning at the United Nations, Borgen began developing the organization.
In need of startup funding, Borgen took a job living on a fishing vessel docked in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (the same location as “The Deadliest Catch”). From humble beginnings in one of the most remote regions of the world, The Borgen Project was born. One man with a laptop and a budget that came from his Alaska paychecks has evolved into a national campaign with volunteers operating in 180 U.S. cities.
THE NATIONAL TEAM
Representatives for The Borgen Project operate in over 180 cities. View a detailed map.
HEADQUARTERS
Look inside The Borgen Project’s Seattle Headquarters.
FOCUS OF ADVOCACY:
- Newborn, Child and Mother Survival.
- Global Food Security.
- Access to Clean Water.
OUR METHODOLOGY
From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote, nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The Borgen Project addresses the big picture. We operate at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living conditions for those living on less than $1 per day.
[Read more]
HOW WE OPERATE
Advocate: We meet with U.S. Congressional leaders to secure support for crucial poverty-reducing legislation.
Mobilize: We mobilize people across the globe behind efforts to make poverty a political priority.
Educate: We teach basic advocacy skills that allow citizens to communicate with their government.
Issue Message: We build awareness of global issues and innovations in poverty-reduction through our online and community presence.
The Borgen Project Named Top 5 on the West Coast
“Greatest Achievement by a Poverty and Hunger Relief Organization.”
THE MOVEMENT
Millions of people, from all walks of life, have rapidly grown The Borgen Project into a high-impact campaign that is advocating for the world’s poor. The Borgen Project, in the words of those who know us best, those operating inside the movement:
“Cutting edge, hip, non-partisan and a cause that is noble.”- Bill Childers, Charleston, SC
“The Borgen Project has the power to help the most people.” - A. L. Loy Fort Collins, CO
“The Borgen Project has a very clear mission and has a very realistic, solid plan for achieving its goals. It is well organized, well respected.” - Jessica Muller-Pearson, New Orleans, LA
“I have volunteered for organizations and food kitchens that help a handful of people or a specific family. This is great, however, I wanted to have a bigger impact and affect more people. That is what drew me to The Borgen Project: by influencing political leaders, we can help millions more people than would of been possible at the organizations I have previously worked with.” – Amelia Merritt, Mercer Island, WA
“The Borgen Project is the voice for the world’s voiceless.” Adrienne Ostrove, Albany, NY
“Most organizations focus on raising money to bring clean water and improve sanitation/living conditions, which is amazing, but The Borgen Project focuses on policy – which is where real changes can be made.” – Kayla Ring, Poway, CA
“I was interested in the advocacy aspect of The Borgen Project. Many non-profits seem to circumvent the political process when dealing with international aid and development, and I was impressed and intrigued with how The Borgen Project works through the political channels by lobbying Congressional leaders and staff, as well as engaging and mobilizing the greater population to do more to end global poverty.” – Cailyn Torpie, Seattle, WA
“For me, The Borgen Project is the gateway to the end of global poverty.” – Patricia Ashe, Birmingham, AL
“The Borgen Project is people who care about ending global poverty bringing it to the attention of the people in power.” – Sonya Servine, Seattle, WA