OUR HISTORY
The Public-Private Alliance Foundation (PPAF) began in the United Nations, and with the vision of three ambassadors—from Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. They shared a conviction that that companies, large and small, working with governments and nonprofits, could create meaningful change in vulnerable communities.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) endorsed the concept, establishing the UN Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development. It later evolved into a U.S.-based 501(c)3 nonprofit: the Public-Private Alliance Foundation.
Inspired by the UN Global Compact, the UN Millennium Development Goals, and the Sustainable Development Goals, PPAF has always sought to turn big ideas into practical solutions. A volunteer-driven organization, it has engaged dozens of interns, fellows and skilled partners, who have lent their energy and expertise.
Starting in Madagascar
PPAF’s earliest efforts were in Madagascar, where the president and prime minister took an interest. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) gave support and local partners collaborated on rural development, microfinance, and handicraft exports. Land O’Lakes Inc. made an eye-popping presentation at the UN. This prompted Madagascar’s president to invite the company to co-sponsor a business-oriented rural development master plan. PPAF was part of this groundbreaking effort.
Expanding to the Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic, PPAF’s first focus was remittances— funds sent home by the diaspora to help support their families. Partnering with the Office of the President, the Dominican Mission to the UN, and money transfer organizations, PPAF promoted recognition of remittances as a development tool, even helping to advance a UN resolution on the subject.
Working with the Dominican Fish Farming Association, PPAF co-organized two national conferences and assisted small producers with technical improvements. Then, with the Ministry of Agriculture and local groups, PPAF explored export opportunities for small farmers.
In a major undertaking, PPAF joined the National Commission on Energy and the Dominican ambassador to lead a series of seminars on renewable energy, at UN Headquarters and in Santo Domingo.
Responding to Crisis in Haiti
The devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti reshaped PPAF’s mission. Amid widespread destruction and urgent responses, PPAF recognized a less-noticed crisis: how to cook food. Most Haitian households rely on wood or charcoal, which damages health, strains finances, and devastates the environment. Women and children are particularly affected.
Partnering with Haitian-American investors and a US nonprofit, PPAF promoted ethanol cookstoves for cleaner cooking solutions. The Inter-American Development Bank supported PPAF’s efforts to tap small-scale distilleries that convert sugarcane into alcohol. Low-income mothers associated with the Art Creation Foundation for Children, and cooks at a hotel’s breakfast buffet in Jacmel, tested and approved the stoves and fuel. With support from the UN Environment Programme, PPAF then partnered with a Haitian company to design and test local ethanol stoves.
In other options, PPAF and associates enabled the Université Notre Dame d’Haiti to establish the country’s first college-level course on solar cooking and biodigesters for fuel and fertilizer. In Côtes-de-Fer, the team assisted a new community center to set up and promote these technologies. Broadening its reach, PPAF joined the Clean Cooking Alliance and Solar Cookers International.
In recent years, the capital city and surroundings have been overrun by murderous gangs, displacing communities and disrupting supply chains. This has stalled imports, but the team in Hinche has designed locally made solar cookers, and the team in Jacmel has focused on sessions to build a roster of future customers.
PPAF has arranged shipments of solar cooker kits from U.S. companies, trained local collaborators in Hinche and Jacmel, and supported a workshop in Hinche. PPAF representatives have held community demonstrations and training sessions, and have sold cooker kits way below low cost - to develop entrepreneurial skills and to reach low-income families.
Sharing Knowledge and Sustaining the Mission
Beyond country projects, PPAF has consistently used platforms at the UN and with the UN Association of the USA to share lessons and encourage collaboration. Early seminars at the UN evolved into annual events with the UNA-USA during sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, and with Solar Cookers International for exhibits and presentations during the ECOSOC High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
PPAF has sustained its work primarily through the generosity of individual donors, civic clubs, schools, churches, and one long-standing corporate sponsor. Grants from the Inter-American Development Bank and UNEP, along with opportunities hosted by the UN and Ford Foundation, have further strengthened its efforts.
PPAF maintains a valued presence on GlobalGiving.org, where its project site Tracking Clean Cookstoves and Fuel in Haiti provides visibility, accountability, and fundraising opportunities. Regular reporting to the UN Global Compact and the UN itself underscores its commitment to international principles and transparency.
A Legacy of Turning Policy into Practice
Across Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, PPAF has demonstrated what is possible when vision, persistence, and partnership converge. From handicrafts to microfinance, from fish farming to renewable energy, from ethanol stoves to solar cooking, the foundation has consistently translated global goals into practical solutions that improve daily life. Its story is one of innovation, resilience, and above all, a deep belief in the power of public-private alliances to fight poverty and promote sustainable development.