This week, about 5,000 freshly cooked meals will be served to children and families in the Ti Plas Kazo community of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. And more than 800 students will attend classes there in the beautiful three-story Father Jeri School built especially for them.
And nearly all of this has been funded exclusively by the caring and committed donors of the What If Foundation. But now there’s a new structure to support the food program and the Father Jeri School, and a new way for donors to give: The OSDE Haiti Fund.
You’ll find all the information you need about the new fund here on this page. And if you’re ready to get started, you can give now.
Why the Change?
The What If Foundation is undergoing a major transition this year, one that promises a new beginning and an exciting step forward for our longtime partner, Na Rive (also known as OSDE, the acronym for their registered Haitian nonprofit name, Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique), and for the food and education programs in Haiti.
Inspired by the 25th Anniversary of the food program, the What If Foundation Board of Directors has collaborated with Na Rive/OSDE to focus on these key questions:
– How can we help ensure the sustainability of the programs in the years to come?
– How can we support OSDE’s continued success in a way that strengthens their autonomy, honors their vision, and broadens their opportunities?
– And how can our beloved community of donors stay directly connected to the school and food program they helped create?
This work has led to a new vision for the future — and flowing from that, a new partnership arrangement for OSDE. When the transition to this new structure is finalized, it will be time to lovingly wind down the What If Foundation. It’s a complete transformation of the way we’ve worked together, yet we all agree it’s a natural and exciting evolution.
To learn the whole story about why we’re making this change, you can read more here.
To understand why we now use the name OSDE, see the FAQ section below.
New Partners
OSDE has already begun a new partnership with the Haiti Development Institute (HDI) that will support OSDE’s operation of the food program and the Father Jeri School.
Formed as an initiative of the Boston Foundation, HDI is a well-respected Haitian nonprofit with a ten-year history of empowering community-based organizations in Haiti by providing training, coaching, and grantmaking services.
HDI will serve as OSDE’s capacity-building partner and will also manage the routine transfer of donor funds to OSDE for the food program and Father Jeri School.
You’ll find an excellent video about HDI on the homepage of the HDI website.
New Fund
There’s a new way to donate to the food and education programs: The OSDE Haiti Fund.
This new fund is hosted by the Boston Foundation and will be exclusively used to support OSDE’s food and education programs. The OSDE Haiti Fund has its own page with a special donation form on the Boston Foundation website, and donors will receive charitable tax receipts for donations made online or by mail.
When you give to the OSDE Haiti Fund, your contact information and donor records will remain safe and secure at the Boston Foundation.
Download the OSDE Haiti Fund Gift Instructions to learn about the different ways you can make your donation.
FAQ
What is OSDE’s full name, and why have we always called them Na Rive?
Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique — that’s their official name as a registered nonprofit organization in Haiti, where most people call them OSDE. The Haiti Development Institute and the Boston Foundation also call them OSDE. The new fund needs to use their registered Haitian nonprofit name in the title, so that’s why it’s called the OSDE Haiti Fund.
The name Na Rive comes from Father Jeri’s wise words of encouragement, “piti piti na rive“, a Haitian saying that means “little by little we will arrive.” When the community members operating the food and education programs in Ti Plas Kazo registered as the nonprofit Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique in 2011, they realized the long name wouldn’t be easy for What If Foundation donors to remember — so Lavarice Gaudin, OSDE’s manager at the time, and What If founder, Margaret Trost, suggested using “Na Rive” as a nickname. That idea was enthusiastically embraced, and that’s what the What If community has affectionately called them ever since. But now, it’s important to use their official Haitian nonprofit name, abbreviated as OSDE, for the new fund and in our communications to support the beginning of this new chapter.
Why is the new fund hosted at the Boston Foundation?
There are a few reasons why the Boston Foundation (TBF) is an ideal sponsor for the OSDE Haiti Fund. 1) The Haiti Development Institute is an initiative of TBF, so they already have over ten years of experience working together. 2) TBF is a top-rated organization with a 98% rating on Charity Navigator, as you can see here. 3) TBF serves as a fiscal sponsor for selected charitable programs and nonprofit initiatives, and they manage hundreds of donor-advised funds, so we know our donors can trust them.
Will my contact info be automatically forwarded to the OSDE Haiti Fund?
No, we never give your information to another organization. When you donate to the new OSDE Haiti Fund, you’ll be giving your information to the Boston Foundation which hosts the fund, and your information will remain safe and secure there.
What percentage of my donation will go to OSDE?
You’ll be happy to know that 90% of your donation will go to OSDE to support their food and education programs. The percentage is 85% if you give by credit card because standard bank processing fees will be deducted from the donated amount. But no matter how you give, you can feel good knowing that such a high percentage of your donation will be used to support the programs.
Can I make a gift from my Donor Advised Fund?
Yes you can. Recommend a grant to “Boston Foundation Inc.” (EIN: 04-2104021) and put “OSDE Haiti Fund” in the grant purpose section. Please include your mailing address in the paperwork so the Boston Foundation has the information they need to acknowledge your gift, as they send thank you notes for gifts over $1000. You can also email your address to donorservices@tbf.org so they can enter it into their system. For a handy reference about all this, you can download the OSDE Haiti Fund Gift Instructions.
How will I know my donation was received?
If you give online with a credit card, you’ll receive a confirmation tax receipt email from the Boston Foundation right away, and then a follow-up email thank you note for gifts over $1000.
If you give by check (personal, Bill Pay, IRA, a check issued from a brokerage account, etc.), the Boston Foundation will mail you a receipt if your mailing address or email address is included with the check.
If your address or email are not included (which is often the case with checks issued from IRA or brokerage accounts), please email donorservices@tbf.org with your contact information the first time you donate so they can record it in their system and make sure you receive receipts and acknowledgments.
Who do I contact if I have questions about my donation?
The Donor Services team at the Boston Foundation is happy to answer your questions, confirm
your donation has been received, discuss your charitable tax receipt, update your contact
information, etc. You can reach them at donorservices@tbf.org or call 617-338-2213.
Can I set up automatic monthly credit card donations to the new fund?
Unfortunately not. The Boston Foundation does not currently offer this option, though we’re hopeful they will in the future.
How will I get updates about the programs in Haiti?
Beginning in 2026, the updates you’ll receive about the food program and the Father Jeri School will be written by OSDE — and that’s why we encourage you to sign up for the new OSDE Email List. The OSDE Email List will initially be hosted and managed by the What If Foundation as part of the transition to the new structure, and we’ll be helping OSDE to put out communications until they get set up to do this on their own with the help of their new partner, the Haiti Development Institute. You’ll find the email registration form on the new donate page here on our website.
The OSDE Team wants to stay in touch with you so you can hear about how your donations are making a difference for children and families in Ti Plas Kazo, so we hope you’ll join the list. Starting in 2026, this is the only way you’ll be able to get program updates.
Will I receive emails from the Boston Foundation?
You might, and they will likely be communications that highlight their philanthropic work in the Boston area. You’ll always have the option to unsubscribe at any time, and that won’t affect your participation as a donor to the OSDE Haiti Fund.
What If Foundation is named in my estate plans. Do I need to change this?
Since the What If Foundation will be winding down sometime in 2026 once the transition is stabilized, we encourage you to consider updating your beneficiary designation from the What If Foundation to the “OSDE Haiti Fund, c/o The Boston Foundation.”
What if I have more questions?
You are always welcome to ask questions by sending an email to us at this address: info@whatiffoundation.org