2024 Latino Endowment Fund

The Latino Endowment Fund (LEF) at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is offering a grant opportunity to support the Latine community in the Greater Hartford area. This initiative aligns with the Foundation's broader mission to foster a thriving community by investing in programs that are culturally relevant and build upon the strengths of specific populations. The grant seeks to address systemic inequities faced by the Latine community through targeted interventions in housing, education, and linguistic justice. The funding aims to create significant and lasting impact by empowering Latine individuals and families to achieve greater equity and well-being. The grant program targets Latine families and individuals within the Foundation’s 29-town region, with a particular focus on those who can benefit from increased access to affordable housing, improved educational outcomes, and comprehensive language services. The impact goals are to increase the availability of affordable housing, support stable housing and homeownership, prepare Latine children for academic success, enhance K-12 academic support, facilitate access to higher education, ensure language access, promote bilingual education, and preserve linguistic heritage. The program also emphasizes empowering Latine leaders to advocate for policy reforms and engage in community organizing across all focus areas. Proposals should concentrate on one or more of three core areas: Housing Equity, Educational Equity, and Linguistic Justice. Within Housing Equity, priorities include affordable housing initiatives, housing stability services, homeownership programs, and leadership and advocacy for housing policy reforms. Educational Equity focuses on early childhood education, K-12 academic support, higher education access, and leadership and advocacy for educational equity. Linguistic Justice prioritizes language access services, bilingual education, language preservation, and leadership and advocacy for linguistic justice. Priority will be given to collaborative proposals from grassroots organizations and those demonstrating targeted interventions for deep, lasting impact. The expected outcomes include an increase in affordable housing units, improved housing stability and homeownership rates for Latine families, enhanced academic achievement and access to higher education for Latine students, and greater access to essential services and information through language support. Measurable results will likely include the number of affordable housing units created, families assisted with housing stability, students receiving academic support, students accessing higher education, individuals utilizing language access services, and participants in leadership and advocacy programs. The Foundation's strategic priorities are evident in the emphasis on community-led solutions, cultural relevance, and addressing systemic barriers to equity, reflecting a theory of change that empowers communities to drive their own progress and advocate for meaningful policy changes.