The Latino Equity Fund (formerly the Latino Legacy Fund), a unique partnership between local Latino leaders and the Boston Foundation, is the first Latino-focused fund in the Commonwealth. The Latino Equity Fund (LEF) uses its influence and platform to amplify diverse voices and perspectives within the Latino community and beyond in Greater Boston and the state, with a focus on achieving greater and more equitable access to economic prosperity and well-being.

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, the LEF has raised more than $4 million, established an endowment to support the Latino community in the Commonwealth in perpetuity, made over $1.1 million in grants to community-based organizations, and created a dynamic platform to increase and galvanize Latino philanthropy.

Over the past few years, the LEF has evolved from a grantmaking entity to an emerging civic leadership engine, commissioning research and reports that address critical issues facing the Latino community and other communities of color and lead to policy change.

Your donation, driving impact

Community support for the Latino Equity Fund has made it possible for the Fund to:

• Commission a major research report which evaluated the social and economic return on investment in the region’s ESOL system. Produced just before the COVID-19 pandemic, this report may prove to be an important baseline for further analysis on the connection between ESOL and post-pandemic employment levels.
• Develop a wide-reaching and culturally sensitive educational campaign in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This campaign connected thousands of Spanish-speaking individuals to information and resources for support.
• Provide rapid response grants to a dozen Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits across the state.
• Double the impact of funds directed towards the city of Chelsea by matching $16,000 in received donations.

In total, the Latino Equity Fund was able to contribute over $80k towards emergency relief through a combination of funding from the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico Fund, the Latino Equity Fund and dollars entrusted from members of the community.

Grantmaking and research

Massachusetts is one of six states to attribute all of its population growth to the Latino population, but the Latino community continues to be underfunded. A report by Hispanics in Philanthropy showed that only 1.3 percent of spending by U.S. foundations is specifically targeted to Latino programs, even though Latinos are the fastest growing part of the American population, and comprise nearly 25 percent of all children and youth. The Latino Equity Fund is looking to change that.

Since 2014, the Latino Equity Fund (formerly the Latino Legacy Fund) has provided annual grant opportunities for Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits. The program was paused in 2017, so the Fund could partner with the Boston Foundation to found Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico, the Massachusetts effort to help the thousands of Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria. With the support of Boston Mayor Matrin J. Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker, MUPR raised more than $4 million to help with emergency needs, recovery and support for the thousands of Puerto Ricans temporarily or permanently displaced to Massachusetts.

Powering Greater Boston's Economy

In 2017, the Fund worked in collaboration with Boston Indicators and the Boston Planning and Development Agency on the publication of Powering Greater Boston’s Economy: Why the Latino Community Is Critical to Our Shared Future, 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 highlighted the sharp growth in Greater Boston's Latino population since 1980, noting that virtually all of the City of Boston's population growth since 1980 can be attributed to its growing Latino population. Even so, the report noted that Latino representation in leadership, government and business sharply lags the overall population percentage.