Partners of the Americas was inspired by President of the United States John F. Kennedy, who in 1963 launched the Alliance for Progress, a program of government-to-government economic cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
At the heart of Partners is a “people-to-people” philosophy,[citation needed] which grew out of a 1962 call by President Kennedy for citizens of the Western Hemisphere to work together. Inspired by the challenge, Jim Boren, one of Partners founders, envisioned a two-way network of volunteer partnerships that would enable everyday people to contribute to the Americas.[citation needed]
Today, Partners has evolved into 120 volunteer chapters[1] linked in 60 partnerships. Chapters in U.S. states form partnerships with chapters in countries or states in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each volunteer chapter is organized as a private, nonprofit institution with by-laws and regularly elected officers.