Latino Community Foundation’s investment aims to pay off for Latino community needs
The Latino Community Foundation – which was founded in 1989 in an effort to increase workplace donations to United Way in the Bay area – is betting that a $1.4 million investment in 35 Latino-led organizations will assure that American Rescue Plan dollars address the priorities of Latino communities.
“After a devastating season of loss and heartaches for families across California, community leaders are determined to ensure that these federal funds reach the people most impacted by the pandemic,” said foundation CEO Jacqueline Martínez Gárcel in a press statement.
Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat, gave his approval to the foundation’s efforts to leverage the federal funds.
“I was proud to cast one of my first votes in the U.S. Senate for the American Rescue Plan,” he said in a statement. “This historic piece of legislation has already helped Latino families across California, many of whom were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
“I am grateful that the Latino Community Foundation is working with grassroots leaders to ensure these federal resources continue to reach the people who need it most.”
Christian Arana, vice president of policy for the foundation, expects the community groups to lobby at the state and local levels for an equitable distribution of the $16 billion that cities and counties are expected to get from the federal government.
“Our leaders on the ground are going to be the ones that show up at the city council meetings, to the county supervisor meetings, and in Sacramento,” said Arana during a telephone interview.
Who better than community members to decide on where those American Rescue Plan funds should go, he asked.
“Now that we’re slowly coming out of COVID-19, we need to make sure that Latino families, Latino youth are on the forefront of designing what the recovery looks like,” said Arana.
The Bakersfield-based Dolores Huerta Foundation and Hanford-based Valley Voices were among the six Central Valley organizations that will get funding from the foundation. The two groups were active in redistricting efforts.
Also selected were 99 Rootz (Power California), the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, and the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.
No dollar amounts per group were announced.
Arana said the money comes from the foundation’s Latino Power Fund, which seeks to “build power for the Latino community in the state.”
“We’re going to be very much entrenched in conversations about making sure that every single dollar from the American Rescue Plan is spent and distributed equitably,” said Arana.
The foundation is looking for the federal funds to be spent on expanding broadband access, providing emergency rental assistance, and making mental health resources available to youth, among other areas.
Latinos want to get involved in how those federal funds are spent, said Arana, “but that can’t happen if they don’t know about the opportunity, and if they don’t have the resources to organize and go out there and make their rightful claim to these dollars.”
Cities and counties have until 2024 to spend the federal funds.
Additionally, the foundation will be working with community organizations to get out the vote in “a consequential midterm election,” said Arana.
“We want to make sure that our community understands what’s at stake, that they understand the basics of our democracy such as how to register to vote and how to turn in your ballot,” said Arana. “These are things that we can’t take for granted. There’s a lot of misinformation out there in our communities.”
Organizations funded
Bay Area: Chicana Latina Foundation; Monument Impact; Resilient Fruitvale Collaborative
Central Coast: Center for Farmworker Families; Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County; MILPA; Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP); Mujeres en Acción; Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos
Central Valley: 99 Rootz (Power California); Dolores Huerta Foundation; Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability; California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation; Valley Voices
Greater Sacramento: Western Service Workers Association; United Latinos, Promoviendo Acción Cívica
North Bay: Bilingual Broadcasting Foundation (KBBF FM); UpValley Family Centers of Napa County; North Bay Organizing Project
Northern California: UVA, Vecinos en Acción
Silicon Valley: Fondo de Solidaridad de Mountain View; Latinas Contra Cancer Nuestra Casa of East Palo Alto; SOMOS Mayfair
Southern California: Alianza Coachella Valley; CHIRLA - Immigrants are Los Ángeles Coalition Chispa Education Fund; Comíte Cívico Del Valle, Inc.; Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition; Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA); Pomona Economic Opportunity Center; The Translatin@ Coalition; TODEC
Statewide: Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN); Youth Leadership Institute
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 20 de abril de 2022, 1:40 p. m..