Oakland, CA, Oct. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), announced the latest round of Latinx Civic Participation Fund grants providing funding to community-based organizations using diverse strategies to build political power within the Latinx community in places with limited financial and electoral influence.
This year, HIP has awarded more than a quarter of a million dollars in civic participation grants. In this round, 13 community-based organizations in nine U.S. states and Puerto Rico were selected to continue providing assistance to strengthen their civic outreach efforts, including a final push for a fair and accurate Census and full and informed engagement of Latinx voters as the country heads to the polls in record numbers.
“HIP is committed to supporting these 13 community-based partners who are on the frontlines of finding new and innovative ways to better engage Latino communities during these unprecedented times,” said Ana Marie Argilagos, HIP’s President and CEO. “The pandemic has amplified the systemic injustices against communities of color and the urgent need to continue to grow opportunities for culturally appropriate information and internet accessibility to ensure our democracy at the ballot box.”
This round of grants was made possible with the financial contributions of the Tableau Foundation and Univision Communications Inc.
In April, at the start of the 2020 Census and the pandemic, HIP launched a Civic Participation Emergency Grant Fund to help build civic engagement coalitions in vulnerable Latinx communities in key southern states. The pandemic had abruptly forced community-based organizations to quickly shift from in-person outreach efforts to digital outreach tactics and platforms, amplifying the ongoing digital divide problem for underserved Latinx communities.
HIP works with an extensive network of organizations on these critical civic participation issues.
The 13 Latinx Civic Participation grantees are as follows:
Arizona
- One Arizona works to improve the lives of Arizonans, especially people of color and young people, by building a culture of civic participation.
Florida
- The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) builds power among farmworkers and rural low-income communities to respond to and gain control over the social, political, economic, workplace, health, and environmental justice issues impacting their lives.
- Florida Immigrant Coalition’s mission is to amplify the power of immigrant communities to impact the root causes of inequality, defending and protecting basic human rights, including the right to live without fear.
New Mexico
- NM Comunidades en Acción y de Fe (CAFé) has been a crucial actor in southern New Mexico creating a “land of opportunity” by challenging our elected leaders to put the needs of families and the common good of New Mexico first.
North Carolina
- Latin American Coalition is made up of a community of Latin Americans, immigrants, and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic, and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration, and advocacy.
Pennsylvania
- Esperanza works in North Philadelphia offering programs that cultivate self-belief, grit, and knowledge acquisition, allowing clients and students to develop agency, voice, and influence over their own lives.
Puerto Rico
- Voz Activa facilitates systemic change for the common good, through community development and the solidarity economy.
Texas
- Texas Civil Rights Project serves the movement for equality and justice, in and out of the courts, by using litigation and legal advocacy to protect and advance the civil rights of everyone in Texas.
- LUPE builds stronger, healthier communities where colonia residents use the power of civic engagement for social change.
- Southwest Workers Union organizes its grassroots members through decolonization, emancipatory education, leadership development, and direct action for worker rights, environmental justice, and systemic change.
Wisconsin
- Voces de la Frontera is a 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.
National
Focusing on Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina
- Poder Latinx seeks to build a political wave where the Latinx community plays a key role in the transformation of our country, where immigrants, Latinx, and other people of color are decision-makers of our political process.
Focusing on Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Texas
- Mi Familia Vota Education Fund is a national organization that helps to build Latino political power by expanding the electorate, strengthening local infrastructures, and through year-round voter engagement.
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Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) is on a mission to strengthen Latino leadership, influence, and equity by leveraging philanthropic resources, and doing so with an unwavering focus on social justice and shared prosperity across the Americas. As the leader of a transnational network of foundations, donors, and nonprofits, we are making impactful investments in the Latino community and developing our leaders so they can effectively address the most pressing issues impacting communities in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. Follow HIP on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.