Latino Equity
Fund
Building a future of shared prosperity
for Greater Boston.
Aixa is the co-founder of the Latino Equity Fund, a unique partnership between local Latino leaders and the Boston Foundation (TBF), and the first Latino-focused fund in the Greater Boston area. The Latino Equity Fund uses its influence and platform to amplify diverse voices and perspectives within the Latino community in Greater Boston, with a focus on achieving greater and more equitable access to economic prosperity and wellbeing. We partner closely with nonprofits, funders, government leaders, and the private sector, leveraging the strengths of the Latino community to educate stakeholders about issues and surface the most effective solutions to achieve systemic change. Since it was established in 2013, LEF has raised more than $5 million, established a $1 million endowment to support the Latino community in Greater Boston in perpetuity, made more than $1.8 million in grants to over 50 community-based organizations, and created a dynamic platform to increase and galvanize Latino philanthropy.
Partnerships
Since 2014, the Latino Equity Fund (LEF), housed at the Boston Foundation, has been a vital resource for grantmaking, dedicated to supporting Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits. In response to the challenges of 2020, the LEF played a critical role by partnering with the Boston Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. Together, we rapidly mobilized resources to provide much-needed support to Latino organizations that were on the front lines, addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, particularly immigrants and Latinos deeply affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Building on this momentum, in 2021, the Latino Equity Fund broadened its scope. No longer solely a grantmaking entity, the LEF evolved into a civic leadership force. Now, in addition to providing grants, the Fund engages in research, convenes dialogues among key stakeholders, and advocates for equitable public policies that address the pressing issues affecting the Latino community.
In alignment with this expanded vision, the LEF has embarked on a $10 million campaign aimed at securing the sustainability and impact of its work. This bold initiative reflects a commitment to grantmaking and shaping Latino communities by advancing equity and access to opportunities. With the support of the Boston Foundation, the LEF is positioning itself as a key player in ensuring long-term change and empowerment for Latinos across Massachusetts.
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Our Strategic Priorities
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Strengthen Civic Leadership
Utilize the LEF and its members to expand and strengthen the civic leadership role of Latino and BIPOC communities in Greater Boston for greater influence and equity.
Amplify platform and partnerships
Employ all possible tools to achieve well-being and economic prosperity for Greater Boston’s Latino community and other communities of color.
Raise $10 million
Ensure the long-term sustainability and legacy of the Latino Equity Fund and its mission of enabling the Latino community to achieve equal access to opportunity.
Latino Equity Fund grantees
include:
In 2017, the Latino Equity Fund, in partnership with the Boston Foundation, produced a first-of-its-kind report on the impact of the growth of Greater Boston's Latino population on the region's demographics and economy. The report, which has been cited in various publications about the Latino community, noted that, despite the sharp growth of Greater Boston’s Latino population since 1980, Latino representation in leadership, government, and business significantly lags the overall population percentage.
In December 2019, the Latino Equity Fund collaborated with the Boston Foundation to create a crucial research report which evaluated the social and economic return on investment in the region’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs. It finds that vocationally-focused ESOL programs can have an almost immediate payback for students and for the community, but the number of ESOL seats of any kind for adults in Greater Boston falls woefully short of the need, with a serious shortage of programs that focus on ESOL training to enhance professional or job-related skills and opportunities.
The Zoom forum, hosted by the Latino Equity Fund, discussed the recently released report, ¡Avancemos Ya! Persistent Challenges and Opportunities for Massachusetts Latinos. The report, a collaboration between Boston Indicators and The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Development, highlighted the historical and socioeconomic challenges faced by the state's Latino population, including high levels of poverty and unemployment. Despite the difficulties, the forum emphasized the potential for positive change, citing opportunities in the federal infrastructure bill and discussing ways to address systemic challenges in areas such as race, housing, childcare, and education policies.
Latino Equity Fund Grantees
2023
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Mujeres Unidas Avanzando - $25,000 (Dorchester)
MUA empowers Latina girls and women to believe in themselves and grow into leadership roles through free classes and social services. These leaders serve as mentors to their peers, families, and community. With program graduates serving within the organization, MUA understands the Latina community on the grassroots level and is committed to increasing Latina access to education and professional mobility.
Hyde Square Task Force - $25,000 (Jamaica Plain)
Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) envisions a city where all youth reach their full potential and are reflected in Boston’s culture and leadership. Our mission towards that vision is to amplify the power, creativity, and voices of youth, connecting them to Afro-Latin culture and heritage so they can create a diverse, vibrant Latin Quarter and build a just, equitable Boston.
ACT Lawrence Inc - $20,000 (Lawrence)
Founded in 1996, ACT Lawrence is a Latina-led, award-winning nonprofit Community Development Corporation (CDC) whose mission is to achieve social and economic justice by empowering low to moderate-income populations in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Through shared values of inclusiveness and collaboration, we desire to reclaim a voice for Lawrence and advocate self-determination for its residents through community development initiatives such as affordable housing, financial coaching, and youth leadership programs.
Agencia ALPHA - $20,000 (Greater Boston)
ALPHA stands for “Alcanzando Logros Para Los Hispanos Ahora.” Their mission is to enable Latinos to reach their social and legal goals through services and programs specially created and curated for the Latino community.
Alianza Services - $20,000 (Holyoke)
Alianza DV Services (formerly Womanshelter/Companeras is dedicated to assisting, supporting, and empowering those whose lives are affected by battering and domestic abuse. We strive to reduce and prevent domestic violence through public awareness and education efforts.
Brazilian Worker Center, Inc. - $20,000 (Allston/Brighton)
The Brazilian Worker Center is a non-profit organization that capacitates immigrant workers to learn about workplace rights, immigration, and health equity. We empower immigrants with knowledge and skills to promote economic, social, political and racial justice for all.
Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity - $20,000 (Greater Boston)
The Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity-CCDS provides educational, technical, financial, human, intellectual, and organizational support to people in and around East Boston, mostly low-income immigrants, to explore the creation of worker-owned cooperatives as an economic alternative.
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East Boston Ecumenical Community Council - $20,000 (East Boston)
Founded in 1978 to promote racial harmony, East Boston Community Council (EBCC) is a neighborhood-based organization that today promotes the advancement of Latino immigrants of all ages through education, services, advocacy, community organizing, and leadership development.
Innovation Studio - $20,000 (Roxbury)
Innovation Studio fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and business ownership by creating an inclusive and empowering network of innovation centers and personalized pathways.
Junior Achievement of Greater Boston - $20,000 (Greater Boston)
Junior Achievement’s (JA) mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.
Latino Economic Development Corporation - $20,000 (Springfield)
Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) promotes economic empowerment and community development among Latino and other underserved populations in Springfield, Massachusetts. Its goals include providing access to capital, access to connections/networking opportunities, and access to coaching and training.
Latinx Community Center for Empowerment - $20,000 (Lowell)
Latinx Community Center for Empowerment empowers community members using education for their active participation in the workforce, civic engagement, and decision-making to promote socioeconomic development
Lawrence Community Works - $20,000 (Lawrence)
Lawrence Community Works (LCW) is a community development corporation that weaves together community planning, organizing, and asset-building efforts with high-quality affordable housing and commercial development to create vibrant neighborhoods and empowered residents. By facilitating conversations and action on community priorities, LCW engages partners and a network of youth and adult residents in opportunities to move themselves and the city of Lawrence forward.
MA Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health Inc (Immigrant Workers Center) - $20,000 (Statewide)
MassCOSH strives to ensure that all workers earn their living and can return home alive and well, free of workplace injury and illness. MassCOSH unites workers, unions, and community groups with environmental and health activists to end dangerous work conditions, organize for safe, secure jobs, and advocate for healthy communities.
Pathways Adult Education & Training (Lynn Rapid Response) - $20,000 (Lynn)
Pathways’ mission is to (1) provide a supportive educational environment for adult learners from the greater Lynn area; (2) provide opportunities for non-native English speakers to learn English and improve their English language arts and math skills; (3) encourage students to explore a variety of career pathways available in the regional labor market; (4) develop employment, career and college readiness skills; and (5) successfully make the transition to postsecondary education, training, and employment. The Lynn Rapid Response Network, housed within Pathways, provides curated resources and programming to Lynn’s immigrant community.
Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project - $20,000 (Statewide)
Founded in 1989, PAIR ensures the due process rights of asylum seekers and detained immigrants through high-quality and reliable pro bono programs so that they have equal protection of the law and access to legal counsel without charge.
La Colaborativa - $15,000 (Chelsea)
La Colaborativa empowers Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community.
Amplify Latinx - $10,000 (Statewide)
Amplify Latinx’s mission is to advance a new era of Latinx prosperity by expanding Latino representation within important public, private, and civic institutions, supporting the continual economic mobility and vitality of Latino businesses, and magnifying the community's priorities.
La Alianza Hispana Inc - $10,000 (Roxbury/Dorchester)
La Alianza Hispana (LAH) is a community-based, Latino-led nonprofit serving Greater Boston’s Latino community by empowering individuals, families, and communities and providing high-quality public health, educational and social services, advocacy, and community organizing. Our mission is to improve the lives of the Latino community of MA.
Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund - $10,000 (Lynn)
The Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide scholarships for Lynn Latino youth to continue with their postsecondary education. The LHSF provides education counseling, tutoring, and placement assistance to Hispanic/Latino students to help them gain entrance to colleges and preparatory, vocational, and other schools.
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Read more about the Latino Equity Fund and its previous grantees here...