7 Organizations To Support This Hispanic Heritage Month

The Latine community represents nearly 20% of the total U.S. population, yet only 2% of U.S. foundation funding goes to Latine-serving institutions.  

This disparity persists even though Latines are one of the largest and fastest-growing demographic groups in the country: a community of 62.5 million people (about twice the population of California) encompassing a rich diversity of backgrounds including Puerto Rican, Haitian, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian, Jamaican, and other Latin American and Caribbean heritages. Latines are Black, Asian, Indigenous, and white, embodying the vast diversity of both the United States and the world. 

Latine-Led Nonprofits Are Vital and Deserve More Support

Latine-led, Latine-serving nonprofits are the heartbeat of many of these diverse communities, where they play a crucial role in advancing social justice by driving transformative change, fostering cultural pride, and addressing unique challenges with cultural competence. Despite their profound impact, they frequently operate on limited budgets. Not only are fewer dollars going to Latine-serving institutions, but there are few Latines making decisions within philanthropy: fewer than 4% of Latinos serve as trustees at foundations and fewer than 3% are CEOs. 

This Hispanic Heritage Month, as we celebrate the rich tapestry of Latine culture and its contributions to the world, we call on funders to transform appreciation into action. By increasing support for Latine-led and Latine-serving organizations, we can help bridge the funding gap and make a difference. These contributions will honor the legacy of Latine heritage and empower those who work at the forefront taking care of these communities. And we call on funders to offer support that goes beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, as it is continuous support which will allow these organizations them to build the capacity needed to provide their services over the long term.  

To get you started, we’ve curated a list of Latine-led, Latine-serving organizations making an impact in two of Tides’ core focus areas: advancing civic engagement and building a pro-immigrant future.

Getting Out the Vote in Latine Communities

In 2024, voters across the U.S. will have the opportunity to make their voices heard. From city council representatives to the presidency, voters’ decisions will affect all of us. Across the country, in 2020, nearly 30 million Latine people were registered to vote — which makes Latines the second-largest voting demographic across the country.   

Despite being such a large segment of the U.S. electorate, Latine communities often face barriers to voting, such as voter suppression, voter intimidation language barriers, and misinformation. Groups advocating for voting rights work to eliminate these barriers and promote equal access to the electoral process. 

The Equis Institute shows what this kind of work can look like. Equis is a hub for leaders in the Latine community who want to foster a better connection between Latine communities and the democratic process. They convene partners around innovative research and ideas and provide capacity building and training opportunities for national, state, and local leaders. 

Another important organization bringing this work to life is the Poder Latinx Collective Fund. This fund started out of a desire to build political power for Latines across the country. The team at Poder Latinx civically engages the community from every angle: voter engagement, issue-based campaigns, leadership development, voting reform, and bringing stories of the community to the forefront to shape political consciousness. The team at Poder Latinx does the core strategic work of meeting people wherever they are, whether that be by helping skill up the next generation of leaders or providing information on how to go vote.  

Build Power for Immigrants This Hispanic Heritage Month

As we celebrate the rich cultural, historical, and social contributions of Latine communities to American culture, we must also celebrate the roles immigrants have played and continue to play in shaping the traditions, culture, and social fabric of the United States.  

Tides Foundation’s Immigrants Belong Fund (I-Belong) champions a pro-immigrant future by investing in the storytelling power of immigrant communities and proximate leaders at the forefront of community change. The I-Belong Fund helps counter xenophobic narratives by equipping immigrants and community leaders with the storytelling tools to counter harmful and divisive misinformation. As technology and social media sites are being used to fuel xenophobic narratives, it is more important than ever to amplify the voices of immigrants.  

While I-Belong focuses on narrative change, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) works with and educates immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to help build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. The ILRC seeks to improve immigration law and policy, expand the capacity of legal service providers, and advance immigrant rights. One way they impact the everyday lives is by focusing on local policy interventions to protect immigrants, as those policies are the ones that most directly impact people. Some of the other areas of expertise they have are asylums, citizenship and naturalization, civic participation, DACA, LGBTQIA+, policy advocacy, and post-conviction relief.  

In essence, supporting immigrants during Hispanic Heritage Month is about honoring their stories, addressing their needs, and acknowledging their role in the larger Latine community and society as a whole. 

Seven Latine-Led, Latine-Serving Groups to Support This Hispanic Heritage Month

When Latine-led organizations succeed, we all succeed. Here’s our full list to get you started — plus another 11 regional/state-specific organizations who also deserve your support. All suggested grantees have previously received Tides funding and are serving and empowering the Latine community.  

Civic Engagement 

Poder Latinx Collective Fund empowers the Latinx community to become decision-makers in our country’s democracy and win on economic, immigrant, and environmental issues. The fund supports voter engagement and activities, with a focus on voter turnout for the 2024 presidential election.  

Voto Latino Foundation is a civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs and authentic voices, they shepherd the Latinx community toward full realization of its political power. 

Mi Familia Vota Education Fund is fighting for a future where Latino voices shape and advance policies that promote the health, safety, and prosperity of Latino communities across the country. They stand firm in their commitment to organize, educate, and mobilize people to make an impact. 

Equis Institute is a hub for leaders in the Latino community who want to foster a better connection between Latinx communities and the democratic process. They convene partners around innovative research and ideas and provide capacity building and training opportunities for national, state and local leaders. 

Supporting Immigrants 

Tides Foundation’s Immigrants Belong Fund promotes a pro-immigrant future by investing in the storytelling power of immigrant communities and proximate leaders at the forefront of community change. 

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) works with and educates immigrants, community organizations and the legal sector to help build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. The ILRC seeks to improve immigration law and policy, expand the capacity of legal service providers, and advance immigrant rights. 

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCAA) is the leading national organization for Latino/a workers and their families. LCLAA was born out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latino/as in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latino/as in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. 

Regional / State-Specific Organizations To Support This Hispanic Heritage Month

Arizona 

Aliento Education Fund serves undocumented, DACA, and mixed immigration status families in Arizona to transform trauma into hope and action. As a DACA, undocumented, and youth-led organization, Aliento is deeply invested in the well-being, emotional healing and leadership development of those who lack an immigration status.

California  

Comunidades Indigenas En Liderazgo (CIELO) is an Indigenous women-led nonprofit organization that works jointly with Indigenous communities residing in Los Angeles to fight for social justice through a cultural lens. CIELO’s fight for social justice includes ending gender-based violence, providing language access rights, cultural preservation and reproductive justice. 

La Luz Center strengthens community through family services, economic advancement and community engagement. The family services program supports families from early childhood through adulthood; economic advancement initiative addresses families’ desire to gain new skill sets that translate to better jobs and higher salaries; community engagement creates events that promote community-wide participation and provide opportunities for community service and leadership. 

California / Mexico Border  

Al Otro Lado provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice.  

Florida 

Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) is a grassroots movement led by a diverse membership throughout the state including community organizations, farmworkers, youth, advocates, lawyers, union members and more. FLIC grows the connection, capacity, and consciousness of communities to strengthen pro-immigrant power in Florida. 

Multi-State  

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is a homegrown nonprofit dedicated to providing free and low-cost legal services to low income immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, victims of crime and families seeking reunification in West Texas, New Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. 

Chicanos por la Causa is an advocate for underserved individuals and communities with operations in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Their five areas of impact are health and human services, housing, education, economic development and advocacy. 

 Tennessee 

Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is nationally recognized for their multiethnic, multigenerational coalition building, effective legislative advocacy, and award-winning communications initiatives. They organize both individual immigrants and refugees, as well as organizations and multifaith congregations that serve immigrant and refugee communities.

Texas  

La Union Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) builds stronger, healthier communities where colonia residents use the power of civic engagement for social change. From fighting deportations to providing social services and English classes, LUPE responds to the needs of the community and takes actions that create a chance for a better life throughout the Rio Grande Valley. 

Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) believes that legal advocacy and litigation are critical tools to protect and advance the civil rights of everyone in Texas, particularly the state’s most vulnerable populations, and to effect positive and lasting change to law and policy. 

Wisconsin 

Voces de la Frontera is a membership-based community organization led by low-wage workers, immigrants and youth whose mission is to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development, community organizing and empowerment. 

This blog was written in partnership with Tides’ Latine ERG.