Maria Lourdes Santos
President, Philippines Operations
Leads CJF Philippines and also serves as Director of Global Growth and Strategy for Neyius.
About CJF Philippines
Rooted in the islands. Connected to the world.
CJF Philippines carries the Courtney Jordan Foundation’s mission of sustainable independence to communities across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
Who we are
A global foundation, a Filipino heart.
CJF Philippines is the Philippine branch of the Courtney Jordan Foundation — a global advocate of poverty prevention founded by Courtney Jordan in 2011, with offices in London and Dhaka and sister foundations in North America, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.
We exist to make independence possible. That means helping people earn and save, learn and lead, stay healthy, have a say in the decisions that shape their household and community, and connect with networks that open doors.
We do it the Filipino way — through bayanihan. Not by carrying communities, but by standing shoulder to shoulder with the people already lifting them.
Our emblem
Why a dandelion?
- 1 · The golden core. One person — the student, the shopkeeper, the young leader — at the centre of everything we do.
- 2 · The branching network. Every line is a relationship: family, neighbours, mentors, partners. Strength travels along them.
- 3 · The red and blue threads. The colours of the Philippine flag, woven into the Foundation’s global design — proof that this work belongs here.
- 4 · The seeds in flight. Opportunity, released. What begins with one person is carried on the wind to places we may never see.
Our story
From one city to seven thousand islands.
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2011
It begins in Durham
Courtney Jordan founds the Courtney Jordan Group, running education, youth and homelessness-prevention programmes.
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2016
A foundation is born
The Group becomes the Courtney Jordan Foundation, focused on poverty prevention.
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2017
Help One, Save Many
A new name, a sharper mission, and the motto that still guides every decision.
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2018
Going global
The Foundation’s base of operations moves to the United Kingdom.
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2019
Winter in Summer
The Winter in Summer Gala in Durham, as Dr. Mackenzie Robinson and Noah Burch step into leadership.
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2020
Backing entrepreneurs
The Entrepreneur Relief Fund launches with Venture Beyond Capital and Courtney Jordan Holdings.
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2022–23
Regional foundations grow
CJF America is re-established and a Startup Fund launches in the Americas, funding 19 ventures in its first round.
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2025
A night in London
The Foundation celebrates Noah Burch’s doctorate and a lifelong commitment to purpose.
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Today
CJF Philippines
The mission comes to the archipelago, led by Maria Lourdes Santos — with Filipino communities setting the direction.
Leadership
The people holding the thread.
Dr. Mackenzie Robinson
Chief Executive, Courtney Jordan Foundation
Leads the Foundation globally, guiding strategy across every regional branch.
Dr. Noah Burch
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director, Courtney Jordan Foundation
Oversees operations across the CJF network and writes on local capacity, agriculture and development.
Sister foundations