Bridge Fund

To promote sustainable economic development, cultural heritage preservation and environmental conservation on the Tibetan Plateau.

The Bridge Fund (TBF) of The Philanthropic Collaborative / Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1996. The Bridge Fund promotes cultural and environmental conservation, health and humanitarian initiatives, education and Tibetan language literacy, and sustainable livelihood development in Tibetan communities located in Tibetan areas of western China — the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Tibetan autonomous areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai Provinces.

Our vision for every Tibetan living in China, down to the most remote nomad, is inclusion in a thriving community grounded in respect for Tibetan culture and values. The Bridge Fund emphasizes self-reliance and promotes the development of regionally based, locally-run institutions, organizations and businesses.

Bridge has a solid track record of implementing high impact programs across the Tibetan Plateau and is now focusing on scaling up or replicating successful programs, creating new models with input from key stakeholders and strengthening the capacity of staff and partners to improve quality and sustainability.

The following are TBF’s over-arching strategies. We strive to continually incorporate these core guiding principles within each project that we implement –

• Working in partnership with local communities, organizations and institutions to ensure sustainable, lasting change.
• Ensuring that our programs equally benefit women and men and that children and elderly are given special consideration and voice.
• Replicating and growing programs that work in the local context.
• Respecting the local conditions.
• Incorporating environmental conservation and cultural heritage preservation into all of our programs.
• Promoting partnerships and alliances with NGOs, foundations, and corporations to maximize and leverage resources to have a greater impact.