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The Trailblazer Foundation

From KhmerConnection
The Trailblazer Foundation
TypeCambodia aid
Focus areasWater wells; biosand filters; sanitation; rural development; food security; education support
CityFort Collins
State / provinceColorado
CountryUnited States
Headquarters countryUnited States
AddressPO Box 271767, Fort Collins, CO 80527
Founded2004
Organization identifiersEIN (United States): 20-1063922
WebsiteWebsite
DonationDonation
Impact geographyCambodia (Siem Reap province)
Operating statusactive

The Trailblazer Foundation is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by co-founders Chris Coats and Scott Coats to support sustainable rural development in Cambodia. The founders chose the name to reflect their commitment to charting new paths in community-driven aid, and from the start they focused their work on Siem Reap province, where many rural villagers lacked access to clean water, adequate sanitation, and basic infrastructure. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us; The Trailblazer Foundation, Our staff)

History

Chris and Scott Coats first visited Cambodia in February 2002 and returned in February 2003 for two months. In May 2004 Chris Coats and founding board member Karin Ralph met local officials. In January 2005 the Coatses moved to Siem Reap to build a school, the foundation's first project, and installed the village's first two wells at the school site. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us)

Friendly Planet identifies the first project as a school in Sras village, Angkor Thom district. A 2014 GlobalGiving project document describes the organization as a Wyoming nonprofit registered as a 501(c)(3) public charity in April 2004. (Friendly Planet Travel, philanthropy: Trailblazer Foundation; GlobalGiving, Trailblazer Foundation project document (2014))

Programs and services

For more than two decades the foundation has worked on the ground in rural Siem Reap, partnering with local villages to build the vital infrastructure needed for healthier and more prosperous futures. Its core programs include the construction of freshwater wells, the manufacture and distribution of biosand water filters, latrine and sanitation projects, food security and agriculture initiatives, home construction, and education support. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us; The Trailblazer Foundation, Health program)

Trailblazer describes its approach as a self-sustaining and community-driven effort to improve health, food security, education, and economic development in rural Cambodia. Programs are designed to build local capacity rather than create dependency, and the organization emphasizes long-term partnership with the communities it serves. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us)

The foundation chooses projects through a community assessment of village needs, based on the District Integrated Workshop held each November, when commune chiefs in Siem Reap province present the infrastructure needs of their villages. Since 2004 it has partnered with more than 300 villages and reports directly reaching 101,410 people in 20,282 families. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us; The Trailblazer Foundation, home page)

Its 2014 project document reports 111 pull-pump wells and 425 biosand filters installed in 2013, more than 500 wells drilled to date, and nearly 3,000 filters giving over 100,000 people access to drinking water. Other work has included latrines, a Village Fund microfinance program, farmer community groups and chicken farms. (GlobalGiving, Trailblazer Foundation project document (2014); EXO Foundation, The Trailblazer Foundation (2015); GlobalGiving, food security project)

Organization and staff

The Trailblazer Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) public charity under EIN 20-1063922 and is supported entirely through donor contributions. It maintains an active field operation in Siem Reap alongside its United States office, and continues to expand its clean-water, sanitation, and community-development work across rural Cambodia. (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Trailblazer Foundation)

Chris Coats is co-founder and executive director and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. The foundation's two US staff work remotely in Colorado and Florida; Jeni, who joined in 2006, anchors US operations as executive assistant. The board includes members from the United States, Cambodia and Canada. (The Trailblazer Foundation, Our staff; The Trailblazer Foundation, Chris Coats; The Trailblazer Foundation, About us)

Most program work is carried out by the Cambodian affiliate Trailblazer Angkor, which the foundation helped launch and whose staff are all local Cambodians, from an office in Siem Reap. Its staff include Mr. Sor Ratanak (field director), Ms. Kong Sokun (account manager), Ms. Sou Sokcheat (store clerk and accounting assistant), Mr. Sok Samnang (health program manager), Mr. Horn Houn (economic development program and volunteer coordinator), Mr. Han Sen (agriculture specialist), and program assistants Mr. Chea Thy, Mr. Bou Bunma and Mr. Se Den. (The Trailblazer Foundation, About us; The Trailblazer Foundation, Our staff)

Finances

Federal filings report revenue of $296,785, expenses of $311,067 and total assets of $143,960 for 2023, compared with revenue of $261,670 and expenses of $277,210 in 2022, and revenue of $331,323 and expenses of $334,716 in 2021. (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Trailblazer Foundation)

Contact and participation

See also

Sources

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