BUILDING ON THE MILESTONES OF 2018
In a few months, we will welcome in a new year and a new decade. With hope and anticipation, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) has been resolute in sowing the seeds for a harvest of change, prosperity, and progress for this decade ahead.
In 2018, we made history together. We held the first-ever nationally televised Gubernatorial Forum in California. Moderated by one of the most respected journalists of our time, Jorge Ramos, the Forum focused on the issues that mattered most to the 15 million Latinos that call California home. In the months that followed, LCF awarded $2.3 million in grants to Latino-led nonprofits on the frontlines of organizing, mobilizing, and supporting our Latino youth and families. Our network of organizations across California worked diligently to get out the vote, build up our youth leaders, and create opportunities for our families to prosper economically.
The results: historic turnout for Latino voters across California in the 2018 Midterm election. In regions like the Central Valley, there was a 258% increase in voter turnout for Latinos between the ages of 18-34. Our network of grantees and community partners registered nearly 100,000 Latinos.
In 2018, we also successfully completed the pilot year for our groundbreaking Latino NonProfit Accelerator. An initiative created to make bold investments in our grassroot leaders and provide them with the tools and resources they request to reach new heights in their impact and reach. In less than 16 months, LCF leveraged $2.5 million in new funding for the nine organizations participating in the pilot year. Grounded in culture, love, and power, the Accelerator has knocked down roadblocks that get in the way of our gamechangers. And, we are just getting started!
All the while, our Latino Giving Circle Network continues to make history. The largest network of civically engaged Latino philanthropists reached a new milestone—investing $1 million in grants to Latino-led organizations in California. Together, these leaders are demonstrating the power of collective action and they are rewriting a new narrative of who Latinos are—as leaders, philanthropists, changemakers.
In spite of the attacks, the pain, and struggles our families and communities have endured, we have emerged stronger, focused, and more determined than ever to own our future and fulfill our destiny. Pain has a way of sharpening our purpose—and we know what’s at stake. Latinos are poised to shape the results of the election, the census, and direction of our economy. Let’s press into this new decade confident of what we are capable of achieving when we use our voice, power, and lives for the good of others.
Let’s march boldly into 2020 and own the moment.
The best is yet to come.
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel,
CEO, Latino Community Foundation
The Latino Community Foundation has centered our work in the mission to unleash the civic and economic power of all Latinos living in California. In 2018, we invested over $2.3 million in organizations on the frontlines of building that civic power. In partnership with Univision, we hosted the first-ever gubernatorial forum focused on Latinos issues and put it on a national platform. The results: a record turnout by Latinos in the 2018 Midterms. This is our time to lead.
People
Engaged in our 2018 Gubernatorial Forum. Hosted by Jorge Ramos and Ilia Calderon, the nationally televised forum focused on the issues that matter most to Latinos.
Increase
In Latino youth turnout between ages of 18-24 in the Central Valley.
Latinos
Participated in the midterms and voted for the first time.
New Latino Voters
Registered by our grantees and community partners.
I first learned about the Latino Community Foundation as they were launching their work in the Central Valley, right in my backyard. I grew up in a small rural town raised by two proud, hardworking farmworkers.
I was so inspired to see the new wave of energy and resources come into the Central Valley. LCF is tapping into our rich history of grassroots organizing and investing in our leaders. For the first time, in 2018, I saw lines outside of polling places in the Valley and people demanding that their votes be counted. LCF’s investment in voter education and their network of Latino-led organizations have made it possible for community to confidently exercise their right to vote.
LCF represents not just the potential of Latinos, but our inherent power. The night I attended LCF’s Gubernatorial forum was a personal turning point. I couldn’t go back to sleep. The next day, I decided to be the first Latina to run for Governor in the State. I want all young girls in California, from small rural towns to big tech centers, to know that they are too can run for office.
– Amanda Renteria, Interim President and Board Chair, Emerge America, Latino Giving Circle Founding Member
At the Latino Community Foundation, our grantmaking is rooted in love and justice. From the Latino NonProfit Accelerator to the Latino Giving Circle Network, we infuse our strategy with culture, stories, and trust. LCF awarded $2.3M into 75 Latino-led nonprofits across the State. Collectively serving 940,000 people across California, our nonprofits are critical anchors in our communities. Through our NorCal Wildfire Relief Fund we launched the Just Recovery initiative focused on long-term civic leadership and community transformation. In all of this, we used a participatory grantmaking process that put people at the center of decision making power.
Invested
In Latino-led nonprofits. Double from previous year.
People
Reached through our community partners.
Latino Led Organizations
Received investment from LCF and our Giving Circle Network.
Grants Invested
In civic engagement, leadership development, youth empowerment.
When the fires hit Sonoma, LCF staff called me on my cell to make sure my family was okay. Not only did they offer love and prayers, they were quick to respond by mobilizing individual donors to prioritize Latino immigrant families in Napa and Sonoma. Most of all, LCF really listened and trusted grassroots leaders like myself to lead the recovery efforts and to help reimage the future of our region.
LCF staff coached me to ask funders for what I truly needed and then advocated behind the scenes. Then I was invited to sit with my friends and local leaders to decide who, when, and how we would invest the funds that were raised to fight for a Just Recovery in the region. Through this participatory grantmaking process, I was able to dream and advocate for what we truly needed. It was the first time in my life that I felt completely trusted by a Foundation. The crisis brought on so much pain, but because of LCF’s love and partnership, we have become much stronger. Today, I’m a very proud Wine Country Giving Circle member and Latino Nonprofit Accelerator cohort participant.
– Juan Hernandez, Executive Director, La Luz Center, Member of Wine Country Latino Giving Circle
We are no longer saying, “what if we invested in nonprofits the way we do in start-ups?” we are getting it done and proving results. The first-ever Latino NonProfit Accelerator is practical in design, thoughtful in its delivery, and proven in its impact. The first nine grassroots organizations that participated in the Accelerator have leveraged $2.5 million in new funding, doubled their confidence, and built a trusted community of gamechangers who are leading from a place of strength. The Accelerator matches nonprofits with world-class fundraising coaches, photographers, graphic designers, evaluators and content strategist who are unleashing the very best of our grassroots leaders. The Accelerator goes deep to elevate cultural strengths and breakthrough structural barriers that hold community from asking for what they need! Together we have emerged stronger, bolder, and more united than ever.
Leveraged in new funding for the Accelerator cohort.
Of leaders walked away with a clear narrative of who they are and the power of storytelling.
Of leaders said they doubled their confidence as leaders and fundraisers.
Philanthropy by investing in nonprofits the way we do in startups.
My greatest pride and joy are my three beautiful children. I want them and all the children who grow up in rural farmworker communities to know that the sky is the limit! I want them all to have access to the best education and tech tools available, that’s why I created Digital Nest, to launch the dreams of our children.
By joining the Accelerator, I finally felt like I had a community behind me, rooting for my success. The LCF team gave me the love and support to realize my wildest dreams. I built my confidence by sharing my story and by all the coaching and learning at the Accelerator Retreats. LCF connected me to several funders and I was able to raise more than $500,000 in new revenue. LCF is not just our funder, they are part of my family.
I recently helped launch the first Central Coast Latino Giving Circle and I’m going to be a mentor for the next Accelerator cohort. What an honor to pay it all forward.
– Jacob Martinez, Executive Director, Digital NEST,
Founding member of the Central Coast Latino Giving Circle
Latino Community Foundation has built the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country! In 2018, our Latino Giving Circle Network reached an important milestone — $1,000,000 has been invested in Latino-led nonprofits across California. Five new Giving Circles were established in 2018.
Grantmaking
By the Latino Giving Circle Network since its launch.
People
Are part of the movement and are investing time, talents, and treasure to grassroots community work.
Invested in Civic Engagement and Leadership Development.
Grantmaking invested in Latino-led organizations.
I grew up in a small town in the Central Valley called Orosi surrounded by a vibrant and generous immigrant community. My parents were my first role models in giving – they constantly shared their time, money, connections and resources with family, friends and neighbors. Throughout my community, I saw people who may have had little but were always willing to share– hosting tamale fundraisers to cover funeral costs or passing a round a hat to cover college application fees.
As a DREAMer, I’ve had to think hard about how I could give back and make an impact. I can’t vote and I can’t run for office. At least not yet! But I can share my time, money and talent with the leaders I admire and the organizations who helped me step into my power.
As a member of the Central Valley Latino Giving Circle, I am proud to be part of a movement that will change the destiny of our community. We are owning the power of who we are as a people. The giving circle reflects who we are — generous people who love and give back to their community. Because of the Giving Circle, my voice is heard and my ideas are valued. We determine how resources are invested in our grassroots leaders, and together we move forward.
– America Hernandez, Social Services Coordinator, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) & Central Valley Latino Giving Circle member
We face a critical moment in our democracy. LCF is playing an essential role with the 2020 Census and next presidential election. We know the urgency of this opportunity to galvanize, mobilize, and organize Latino communities to be seen, heard, and counted. Our unprecedented, statewide campaign to mobilize and activate Latinos around voting and the census in 2020 is underway. Together with our network of donors and nonprofit leaders, LCF will continue to uplift a new narrative of who Latinos and immigrants are in this country—as voters, philanthropists, and as hard-working Americans who deserve access to opportunity.
OUR TOP 3 OBJECTIVES FOR 2020 ARE:
Latinos Will Be Reached
Through our “Resist to Exist” Census campaign across California.
To Be Invested
In organizations building power, Latino leadership, and civic engagement.
Of Registered Voters Will Turn Out to Vote
Of leaders walked away with a clear narrative of who they are and the power of storytelling.
You might say that a passion for education and organizing are in my bones. My mother began organizing in her small pueblo in Mexico and by the time our family had relocated to East Los Angeles, she was the Vice President of her teacher’s union. Education was everything, and organizing was a commitment to making sure everyone could access it.
In my early days as a young Executive Director, I often was the only Latino face in every room I entered. That’s part of why I’m so grateful to Latino Community Foundation- they are asking the hard questions in philanthropy about why there are gaps in investment and capacity for Latino leaders. LCF is never scared to invest in bold, audacious, progressive leaders and demands that the sector follow suit.
At Power CA, having an ally like LCF on our side is part of how I know we will win. Already in 2018, we increased participation among young voters of color by more than 400% through the largest voter engagement effort in California’s history. There is no limit what we will do together in the future. With partners like LCF, we are creating a culture of voting and political engagement that will transform our state forever.
– Luis Sánchez, Executive Director, Power CA
I grew up in a small town off the railroad line in Southern California where I had the fortune of being surrounded by a vibrant, welcoming, beautiful Latino community. My friends and their families taught me how to be in community with cariño– a spirit of empathy and heartfulness that has always inspired me.
From the first moment I connected with Latino Community Foundation, it filled my heart and felt like home. They are one of the most brilliant, open and authentic groups of people I have ever met, and as a Foundation led by Latinos, for Latinos, their work is essential now more than ever. I love that LCF is approaching these times not from a place of fear about what we could lose, but with love and confidence about the power and essential contributions of Latinos.
We recently decided to become Legacy Donors to Latino Community Foundation because we don’t want to wait until after we’re gone to make an impact. Our work with LCF gives us a way to create our own shared legacy—it’s brought heartfelt satisfaction and even a new point of connection into our marriage, even after all these years.
– Wendy Drucker, LCF Latino Giving Circle Member
CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION DONORS $10,000+
AARP
Akonadi Foundation
Alta Med
Apoyo Financiero
Bank of America
Bank of the West
Beneficial State Bank
California Foundation for Stronger Communities
California HealthCare Foundation
Castellano Family Foundation
Chevron
Comcast
First Republic Bank
Gaia Fund
Gilead Science
Google.org
Heising-Simons Foundation
Hellman Foundation
James Irvine Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Kaiser Permanente
Marin Community Foundation
Naked Wines
Natural Resources Defense Council
Oportun
PG&E
Quantcast
Raza Development Fund
Recology
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Target
The California Endowment
The Chavez Family Foundation
The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation
Union Bank
Univision
Wal Mart Stores, Inc.
Wells Fargo Bank
WK Kellogg Foundation
LCF LATINO LEGACY CIRCLE
Aida Alvarez & Ray Baxter
Muffie & Fred Alvarez
Xochi & Michael Birch
Wendy & Vincent Drucker
Maria & Gene Frantz
Amelia Gonzalez & Sergio Garcia
Arturo & Rosa Gonzalez
Arabella Martinez & David B. Carlson
Laurel & Steve Miranda
Amanda Renteria & Patrick Brannerly
Karen & Luis Toledo
2018 LEADING INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Anna Aguilar
Alba Alamillo
Martin Alvarez
Arnoldo & Alma Avalos
Kent Chiao
Tom Espinoza
Elise K Haas
Sandra Hernandez
Chris Iglesias
Heather Johnson
Sandy Littlefield
Enrique Lores
Lou Miramontes
Enrique Ortegon
James R. Patterson
Clementina “Tina” Perez
Julius Robinson
Adriana Sanchez-Ochoa
Andrea Sarap
Daniel & Michelle Skaff
Dave & Kathy Strohm
Steven Wolfe Pereira
STAFF
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel
Chief Executive Officer
Masha V. Chernyak
Vice President of Programs
Christian Arana
Director of Policy
Marcela Muñiz
Senior Philanthropic Advisor
Anna Gagliuffi
Visual Communications Director
Amber Gonzales-Vargas
Senior Program Manager
Samantha Sandoval
Senior Program and Grants Manager
Adriana Saldivar
Program Manager
Pablo Cortes
Finance and Operations Manager
Andrea Maldonado
Program Associate
Chelsea Danielle Lopez
Administrative and Program Assistant
Anais Amaya
Philanthropy Fellow
Camila Andrea Mena
Program & Data Fellow
Lisa Marie Alvarado
Central Valley Philanthropy Fellow
Jose Garcia
Civic Engagement Intern
A heartfelt thank you to Sara Velten, and our Fellows and Interns who were integral to our LCF team in 2018: Philip Herrera, Monica Hernandez, Carolina de la Torre, and Jose Lara Cruz.
BOARD
Daniel L. Skaff
CHAIR, Former Co-CEO and President, Beneficial State, and Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Radicle Impact
Honorable Aída Álvarez
CHAIR EMERITA, Former Administrator,
U.S. Small Business Administration
Honorable Arabella Martinez
VICE CHAIR,
Former CEO, The Unity Council
Louis P. Miramontes
TREASURER,
Former Partner, KPMG
John Murray
SECRETARY, Founder and Managing Member, Element98 Software
Arnoldo Avalos
Founder and CEO,
Avalos Foundation
Jim Foley
Lead Regional President,
Pacific North Region, Wells Fargo Bank
John Garcia
Vice President, Legal and Government Relations,
Kaiser Permanente
Ezra Garrett
Vice President, Community Relations, Oportun, and Executive Director, Oportun Foundation
Luis Herrera
Former City Librarian,
City and County of San Francisco
Heather Johnson
Senior Principal Consultant,
4H Consulting
Kurt C. Organista, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Social Welfare,
University of California, Berkeley
Monica Pressley
Chief Financial Officer,
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
José Antonio Ramírez
City Manager,
City of Livingston
Raul Rodriguez
Vice President and General Manager,
Univision
Yolanda Ruiz
Head of Planning & Corporate Finance,
Eventbrite