Denver, CO – The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC), in partnership with the national organization Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), awarded grants this week totaling $258,600 to strengthen 16 nonprofit organizations across the state that serve Latinos. In addition to funding, grantees will receive technical assistance, leadership training and networking opportunities. The LCFC has awarded 65 grants totaling more than $1 million since its inception in 2007. Individual contributions were matched by HIP through its Latino Giving Partnerships for Strong Latino Communities.
Housed at Rose Community Foundation, the LCFC grew from a three-year initiative of Rose Community Foundation in partnership with HIP. The goal of the LCFC is to expand the amount, impact and leverage of individual giving by Latinos to the community. The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation and the Western Union Foundation have also been key partners on the project. The LCFC’s early success was recognized by National Philanthropy Day in Colorado in 2012 when it was named “Outstanding Foundation.”
“The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado demonstrates the power of collective giving,” says Ronald Montoya, chairman of the LCFC board of directors and a Rose Community Foundation Trustee. “Surpassing $1 million in grants awarded to community Latino nonprofit organizations is testament to the growing influence and impact LCFC is having in Colorado. We look forward to expanding our ability to grant even more to worthy organizations making a difference across the state and we welcome others to join in the effort.”
For more information about the LCFC, contact Yolanda Quesada at 303.398.7448 or yquesada@rcfdenver.org, or visit www.rcfdenver.org/content/latino-community-foundation-colorado. A list of new grants recently awarded by the LCFC is below.
About the Funders
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) is a national membership network of funders committed to making positive change in Latino communities in the U.S. and in Latin America. HIP’s mission is to increase philanthropic investments in Latino communities, increase the participation of Latinos in philanthropy, and foster policy change through philanthropy to enhance equity and inclusiveness. More information can be found at hiponline.org.
Rose Community Foundation
Rose Community Foundation supports efforts to improve the quality of life throughout the Greater Denver community through its endowed grantmaking programs, and by advising and assisting donors who wish to make thoughtful charitable investments to better the community. The Foundation has granted more than $193 million since it was founded in 1995. For more information, visit rcfdenver.org.
The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado – Announced Grants
Café Cultura: $10,000 to develop fundraising tools for this organization promoting unity and healing among Indigenous peoples through creative expression while empowering youth to find their voice, reclaim oral and written traditions, and become leaders in their communities.
El Centro Humanitario: $10,000 to develop and implement a communications plan, including staff training, a revised logo, new brochures, banners and annual reports. El Centro Humanitario also received a Transnational Investment Fund grant of $47,600 in partnership with Bamboo Foundation and an anonymous donor to promote the rights and well-being of day laborers through education, job skills, leadership development, united action and advocacy.
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition: $10,000 to implement a board- and member-led process to restructure and strengthen its governance structure; and to develop stronger financial planning strategies for this organization improving the lives of immigrants and refugees by making Colorado a more welcoming, immigrant-friendly state.
Denver Children’s Advocacy Center: $6,000 for a strategic planning process, including board and staff development; program funding/alignment with mission; sources of funding; communications and organizational branding for this organization preventing abuse, strengthening families and restoring childhood.
Girls Inc. of Metro Denver: $10,000 for the development of a marketing initiative to strengthen brand awareness, increase cultural competency, support fundraising efforts and improve community engagement activities for this organization inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.
Hispanic Affairs Project: $10,000 to support new fundraising tools such as a new database, grant writing and grassroots fundraising for this organization dedicated to attending to the needs and social development of the Hispanic immigrant community living in the Western Slope through leadership formation, community organizing and advocacy.
IPODERAC’S Children Fund: $17,000 Transnational Investment Fund grant in partnership with Cordillera Foundation to provide scholarships for 8 – 10 students from the shelter who are pursuing college education. IPODERAC is a boys’ homeless residential shelter in Puebla, Mexico that serves children who live on the street, are in vulnerable situations, and/or have been abandoned.
La Gente Youth Sports Inc.: $8,000 to build the capacity of board to diversify funding strategies, purchase a donor database and develop and implement an e-marketing and fundraising strategy for this organization serving low-to-moderate-income youth in Pueblo.
Latina Safehouse: $10,000 to support the creation and implementation of a fundraising plan, create stronger accounting processes, and financial audit services for this organization working to meet the needs of Latina domestic violence victims by removing barriers through culturally and linguistically competent advocacy and education services.
Mexican Cultural Center: $8,000 to strengthen the organization’s governance structure and to help to develop and implement a three-year fund development strategy for this organization promoting the richness of Mexican culture in Colorado.
Museo de las Americas: $25,500 Transnational Investment Fund grant in partnership with ReadyFoods for an art exhibit and educational workshops from artists of Tonala and Jalisco. Museo de las Americas educates the community about the diverse arts and cultures of the Americas from ancient to contemporary, through innovative exhibitions and programs.
Rights for All People: $10,000 for the development and maintenance of policies and procedures to strengthen organizational capacity for this organization working to bring the voices of immigrant leaders and their allies to the struggle for equality, mutual respect and justice through education, community organizing and campaigns.
Project C.U.R.E. $51,000 Transnational Investment Fund grant in partnership with Fundación Curando Mexico to support the shipment of medical equipment from the US to a clinic/hospital in Mexico. Project C.U.R.E. identifies, solicits, collects, sorts, and delivers medical supplies and services according to the imperative needs of the world.
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network: $8,500 Transnational Investment Fund grant in partnership with Jared Polis Foundation and an anonymous donor to process paperwork for young immigrants who qualify for deferred action for this organization serving low-income individuals in immigration proceedings; promoting legal rights; providing representation; working to improve detention conditions; and promoting a more humane immigration system.
San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center: $10,000 for a technology upgrade and training to maintain their BIA accreditation for this organization connecting and empowering immigrants with resources to achieve legal documentation, fulfill their economic need, and integrate into the community.
Sisters of Color United for Education: $7,000 to support the purchase of a new server and expand the usage of software to improve how information and services are tracked, reported, shared and evaluated for this organization supporting the health of the community through promoting health equity by balancing mind, body and spirit.