New York — Former Minister of Housing Julian Castro He sees at least one constant throughout the next decade.
Such is the need to build lasting philanthropic support for Latino Americans — who are among the fastest-growing racial or ethnic groups in the country and who he sees as facing a “fifth warning fire” with declining educational, business, and immigration opportunities.
Therefore, One-time presidential candidate He is working to grow the assets and footprint of the California-based nonprofit he has led since January 2024. In Wednesday’s announcement, the Latino Community Foundation pledged to build a $250 million endowment and expand grantmaking across southwestern states.
“The fate of the United States is intertwined with the fate of the Latino community like never before,” Castro told The Associated Press. “We are confident that by helping to ensure that the Latino community does well, we are helping to ensure that the United States does well in the years to come.”
Philanthropic support for organizations serving people of Latin American descent routinely falls below 1% of total funding, according to Hispanics in Philanthropy, despite U.S. Census data indicating that nearly 20% of the U.S. population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
This disparity has become more apparent as nonprofits help immigrant communities navigate President Donald Trump’s election Comprehensive enforcement policies. Management is – Expanding the number of detention centers It could eventually accommodate about 100,000 migrants. Crackdowns in cities like Minneapolis and Chicago have quieted majority-Latino neighborhoods, where some residents are afraid to leave their homes, regardless of their immigration status. They’ve also asked neighbors to do so Step up to each other in new ways.
The Latino Community Foundation responded last month with its first national fund. An initial $500,000 was provided to support five grant recipients in Minnesota, California and Nevada with the goal of holding federal immigration officers accountable and protecting families from harm.
The organization has come a long way since its beginnings in 1989 as an affinity group for the San Francisco United Way. But Castro aspires to give at least $10 million annually, as happened last year when… Wildfires in the Los Angeles area It pushed blanket grants to a higher level than usual.
The endowment of about $35 million — which is “modest,” Castro said, “compared to charities” — cannot meet the growing need nationwide.
“Now is the right time, given these unique circumstances we face, to expand and strive to leave a real and lasting impression on philanthropy,” he said.
Castro, who served as mayor of San Antonio before leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during President Barack Obama’s final years in office, spoke exclusively to the AP about his vision for the organization. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
There is a huge need almost everywhere in the country. Over the past two decades, the Latino community has grown tremendously. Not just in the usual shady places we think of, but in smaller communities – in the Southwest, in the Midwest, in every part of the country.
What I’ve seen in Arizona and Nevada is that there are a lot of great nonprofits that are rooted in their local communities and doing excellent work. We have a lot of great work going on on the ground to register voters, mobilize voters, provide more access to capital for small businesses, and empower the Latino community. But it is chronically underfunded.
It seems like an inevitability. The moment we are experiencing gives me and the LCF team an added sense of purpose and urgency to serve our community. Each of us on the team has an immigrant story. We all feel very fortunate to have been blessed with so much of what America has to offer and to have been able to achieve our dreams and aspirations.
And that’s what we want for everyone in the country — of course, including other Latinos, whether they’re recent immigrants or have been here for five generations. What I see happening in the country now is seizing opportunities. Subtraction instead of addition.
It is an investment source for nonprofits that often do not receive dollars from mainstream charities. LCF was born in part because a very small percentage of mainstream philanthropic dollars goes to Latino-led or Latino-led organizations.
This endowment will help ensure that if someone is doing excellent grassroots work serving the Latino community, they will always have a place to look.
Many of these organizations are very rooted in their local communities. They are short staffed. They do not have a grant book. They do not have experts in pulling charitable resources. Also, large charities still have a long way to go in terms of being visible to the country and understanding the needs of the entire country. So, I think it goes both ways.
We know that there is a very strong need. We know that this need will continue. And that the investments we make to organizations that serve Latinos comply with current law.
It is true that some have begun to reduce their investments in organizations that serve people from certain backgrounds. This is unfortunate. Because we have a lot of inequality that we’ve seen for generations that still exists. The Latino Community Foundation is fully committed to our mission. For better or worse, we will regain the community’s support.
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