By Monica Muñoz Andry and Estevan Daniel Delgado
From the start we knew the impact of this pandemic — and subsequent economic crisis — would be felt across our Latino community. Hispanics account for over 50% of the hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in Central Texas. Yet, Latinos continue to provide many of the essential services that are paving the way for our region’s recovery.
Supporting the nonprofits that serve Hispanic families and individuals in our community is vital to ensuring that the racial wealth divide facing Latinos doesn’t widen further in this crisis.
The resources we allocate now must align with our vision for the future: a fairer, more equitable Central Texas where everyone can thrive. Our response will only be effective if it includes the places and the people left out by our current systems. To get this right, everything we do now must take into account the economic, social and health issues our communities were facing before the pandemic.
In combatting racial injustice – which has been spearheaded by our friends, neighbors, and family members across our Black and Latinx communities – the Hispanic Impact Fund was humbled to revisit our grantmaking process to ensure our 2020 grant cycle moved towards that more equitable vision for our work in Central Texas. This meant continuing our practice of unrestricted grant funding, taking into account an organization’s commitment to Latinx inclusion and belonging at the staff, executive leadership, and board level, as well as funding all 12 organizations who made it to the final round of committee consideration.
Demographics of Funded Organizations
This year, the Hispanic Impact Fund grants committee was comprised of 42 individuals, 95% who identified as Latino, both from our investors and the community at-large. The committee and Foundation staff reviewed 81 applications submitted to the Fund before meeting with 18 semifinalist nonprofit organization via Zoom to learn about their great work and dedication to Latinx issues and causes. The 12 funded organizations represent a fraction of the amazing work led by Latino-serving and, largely, Latino-led nonprofits across Central Texas.
Please join us in recognizing our 12 nonprofit partners for 2020, we are proud to support their efforts to meet the evolving and urgent needs of our community during this critical time.
Early Childhood Education
- Friends of the Children, $45,000
- Mariposa Family Learning Center, $15,000
- Partners in Parenting, $5,000
- Side by Side Kids, $10,000
Health and Wellness
- El Buen Samaritano, $45,000
- Latino Healthcare Forum, $5,000
- Samaritan Health Ministries, $10,000
- VELA, $15,000
Job Skills and Entrepreneurship
- Catch the Next, $5,000
- Con Mi MADRE, $45,000
- E4 Youth, $15,000
- Grameen America, $10,000
The Hispanic Impact Fund is a signature program of Austin Community Foundation – a collective giving network of individuals and companies that invest in the economic security and advancement of Hispanic Central Texans. Since 2017, the fund has awarded $655,000 to 17 organizations across the region, including those announced today.
Monica Muñoz Andry is the Financial Health Program Manager at UFCU and served as the 2020 Grants Chair for the Hispanic Impact Fund. She also serves on the Fund’s Steering Committee.
Estevan Daniel Delgado is the Program Manager for the Hispanic Impact Fund at ACF.