The early 1970s were characterized by information control and civil-rights violations after the Marcos dictatorship declared martial law in the Philippines.
The IBON Foundation was founded in 1978 by Sister Mary Soledad Perpiñan (editor and chief coordinator), Sally Bulatao (chief researcher and finance officer) and Antonio Tujan (former political detainee, graphic artist and circulation manager), six years after the declaration of martial law in the Philippines.
IBON first operated in a Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS) Welcome House community on Zamora Street in Pandacan, Manila.
Volunteers from the urban-poor community provided stick drawings, and economists and students were asked for written contributions or help with drafting issues.
From 1978 to 1980, IBON Facts and Figures became an 8-page thematic publication which was a data source for researchers, speakers, writers and seminar facilitators.
IBON sa Himpapawid was a weekly, recorded radio program which also aimed to promote socioeconomic consciousness to a wider audience.
By 1998, the IPED expanded IBON's services to partner schools nationwide under the banner of Transformative Education (TE).
It also revitalized its capacity-building efforts by offering a wide range of advocacy-support services: seminars and training, information-network management and documentation for sectoral and regional people's organizations.
The IPED has more than 200 partner schools nationwide, and originated a TE-based critique of the 2002 Revised Basic Education Curriculum of the Philippine government.
The IBON Databank and Research Center is a core program which provides information and analysis on socioeconomic issues for advocacy issues, education, policy-making, development planning and implementation for non-government organizations, people's organizations, academic institutions, government agencies and individuals.
Research is the core of its programs with the aim of disseminating the information in popular forms particularly (but not solely) for advocacy purposes.
The foundation's research agenda was developed to help provide alternative solutions to problems in production, livelihood and services at the community level.
The Databank and Research Center also manages the quarterly IBON Surveys, in which it gathers data on people's economic conditions and opinions about issues.
This includes teacher training, textbook development and supplementary educational materials at the elementary and secondary levels.
It aims to bring together and deepen relationships among a wide range of organizations for collaboration among NGOs on aid-related issues and concerns.
[7] Our World is Not For Sale (OWINFS) – Worldwide network of organizations, activists and social movements committed to challenging trade and investment agreements which advance the interests of powerful corporations at the expense of people and the environment.
[11] The Reality of Aid – North/south international non-governmental collaboration focusing exclusively on analysis and lobbying for poverty-eradication policies and practices on the international-aid front[12] Water for the People Network – Campaign involving research, education, people's action, legislation and legal struggles, local and international networking, aimed at opposing moves by government, multilateral-funding institutions and large local and multinational corporations to privatize water resources, systems and utilities, making profits at the expense of people[13] IBON also participates in the following networks: As of 9 November 2009, this article is derived in whole or in part from the Ibon Foundation.