Established in 2013, the Latino Legacy Fund is the first Latino-focused fund in Greater Boston, and is a unique partnership of Latino philanthropists and leaders, the Boston Foundation and Hispanics in Philanthropy.
As a permanent, committee-advised Field of Interest Fund, the Latino Legacy Fund will contribute to our region’s civic vitality by supporting organizations that help Latinos realize their full potential, with a specific focus on improving the educational experiences of Latinos in Greater Boston from early childhood through post-secondary education.
The Fund made its first grants in October 2014, and has continued a regular grant-making cycle, with grants ranging in size from $10,000 to $25,000. The fund was seeded with $500,000 in challenge grants from the Boston Foundation and Hispanics in Philanthropy, and seeks to build a permanent endowment for long-term grant making.
Founded: 2013, as the first Latino-focused fund in Boston
Grantmaking: Typically on an annual cycle
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 Legacy Fund is looking to change that.
Since 2014, the Latino Legacy Fund has provided annual grant opportunities for Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits. The program was paused in 2017, so the Latino Legacy 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.
In 2017, the Latino Legacy 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.
In 2019, the Latino Legacy Fund and the Boston Foundation are collaborating in support of a research report on the availability and impact of Greater Boston ESOL programs on the future success of Latino and other ESOL students.
The Latino Legacy Fund presents a unique opportunity for donors who want the flexibility of supporting a broad range of organizations and initiatives while meeting the future needs of the Latino community. Any individual, family, or organization can support current grant making through gifts by check, credit card, distributions from Donor Advised Funds or gifts of appreciated stock or other assets. Here is more about the many ways to support the Latino Legacy Fund:
Call 617-338-1700 for more information.
Zamawa Arenas
Founder & CEO
Flowetik
Member, The Boston Foundation Board of Directors
Carolina Avellaneda
Director of Governance & Compliance and Strategic Counsel
University of Massachusetts
Aixa Beauchamp
President
Beauchamp & Associates
Co-Founder, Latino Legacy Fund
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
Member, The Boston Foundation Board of Directors
Yvonne Garcia
Chief of Staff to Chief Executive Officer
State Street Corporation
Rita German
Director of Community Investments
John Hancock
Cynthia Izzo
Principal/Advisory Office Leader
KPMG, LLP
Juan Lopera
Vice President, Business Diversity
Tufts Health Plan
Lazaro Lopez
Director of Engineering Southern New England
Charter Communications
Reinier Moquete
CEO, Advoqt Technology Group
Founder, CyberWarrior Academy
Co-Founder, Latino STEM Alliance
Juan Carlos Morales
Founder & President
Surfside Capital Advisors
Co-Founder, Latino Legacy Fund
Micho Spring
Chair, Global Corporate Practice & President New England
Weber Shandwick
Bruce Stewart
Fidel Vasquez
Managing Partner
Gateway City Partners
