In 2025, Austin Community Foundation (ACF) awarded $1.1 million to 29 nonprofits through the Hispanic Impact Fund and Women’s Fund—strategic programs that focus on advancing economic mobility across Central Texas. Operating as collective giving networks, these programs make unrestricted grants to local nonprofits meeting our community’s greatest needs and enacting systems-level change.
Reflecting the growing reach of this community-led effort, nearly one-third of the nonprofits awarded during last year’s grant cycle are first-time grant partners for ACF. We are excited to highlight two such grant partners whose work is opening pathways to economic mobility through leadership development and education.
Youth Justice Alliance
2025 Hispanic Impact Fund Grant Partner in the Leadership Development Impact Area
Latinos in Central Texas represent a third of the population. However, they are not proportionately reflected in key leadership positions across all sectors. That’s why the Hispanic Impact Fund makes grants to nonprofits that develop the potential of emerging Latino leaders, like Youth Justice Alliance.
Youth Justice Alliance (YJA) aims to ensure that talent and dedication, not financial access, determine who becomes a lawyer. YJA provides a four-year paid fellowship program, beginning in high school, continuing through college, and extending into law school matriculation. Fellows in this program receive scholarships, test prep, mentorship, legal exposure, and wraparound support—helping them thrive in a challenging educational atmosphere.
When asked about YJA’s origins, Armin Salek, Executive Director, shared, “We began in a classroom serving primarily Hispanic students, and it feels like a full-circle moment to now receive support from the Hispanic Impact Fund to grow the next generation of first-generation lawyers.”
With a small team, the Hispanic Impact Fund’s unrestricted, multi-year support feels especially meaningful to YJA. “Unrestricted funding is a saving grace,” Salek stated. “It gives us flexibility to invest in systems that better serve students and allows us to focus our time on what matters most: our fellows.”
According to Salek, YJA’s work is strongest when they are connected with lawyers, mentors, and community partners. Supporters of this organization are invited to donate, spread the word and help expand the network of opportunities available to future first-generation lawyers.
Austin Black Physicians Association
2025 Women’s Fund Grant Partner in the Education Impact Area
Increasing access to education is a critical component of closing the opportunity gap for women in Central Texas. That’s why the Women’s Fund makes grants to organizations that provide an ecosystem of support for women pursuing educational dreams—whether through mentorship, training, or academic attainment.
Founded in 2016 by Black physicians seeking community, Austin Black Physicians Association (ABPA) has become a leader in building pathways for current and future Black healthcare professionals. ABPA leads a comprehensive, culturally responsive Diverse Workforce Initiative that supports aspiring healthcare professionals through mentorship, financial assistance, application preparation, and career exposure.
Executive Director, Kelley Humphries-Mascoll shared, “Our leadership is primarily women who have poured themselves into the organization, so to receive this grant—it wasn’t only the amount that was meaningful, but that it was the Women’s Fund specifically. It was affirmation that the work is reaching the people it needs to reach.”
The unrestricted, multi-year funding from this grant will allow ABPA to remain flexible as community needs evolve. Humphries-Mascoll emphasized, “You have to be flexible to meet people where they are at, at the moment they need it.”
Looking ahead, ABPA invites community members to donate, volunteer as mentors, and stay engaged in creating visible, accessible pathways into medicine for the current and next generations.
The Power of Community-Led Grantmaking
Together, Youth Justice Alliance and Austin Black Physicians Association demonstrate the ripple effect of investing in people along their journeys to high-impact careers. By supporting underrepresented law students and healthcare professionals, these organizations advance individual economic mobility while promoting equity within professions that are critical to a community’s wellbeing. When future lawyers and physicians reflect the communities they serve, entire systems become better-equipped to meet clients’ and patients’ unique needs.
ACF’s Hispanic Impact Fund and Women’s Fund help make this impact possible through a community-led model. Volunteers from all over Central Texas contribute gifts and help guide the grantmaking process, ensuring resources are directed to nonprofits that address our region’s most pressing issues.
Join the Hispanic Impact Fund or Women’s Fund to be part of this collective impact and support lasting change for a more vibrant and equitable community.
