Latino Community Fund Announces 2009 Grant-Award Finalists
A Call for Community Input
Review and vote on your favorite Latino led or Latino serving organization click here
Register for the 2009 Latino Community Fund Summit and Awards Event
In February 2009 the Latino Community Fund’s Board voted to implement a Strength/Asset-based investment strategy for it’s grant-making. This decision was based on the feedback and recommendations of hundreds of Latinos across the state of Washington through surveys, small group meetings or focus-groups at its very successful Latino Community Fund Summit last October.
Thanks to the voices of so many Latinos across the state -- the Latino Community Fund’s has moved away from a traditional granting making approach and developed an innovative process that rewards and invests in what Latino-led and Latino-accountable groups, programs and organizations are already doing well. In simple words LCF will strive to find those small organizations, groups and programs that are doing great work in the Latino community but may be under the radar of bigger funders. Then LCF will strive to strengthen their already successful efforts by investing financial, technical, human and political capital in their leadership and work.
The pool of nominees included over 100 Latino led or Latino serving organizations from across the state. In order to review such a large pool of organizations Latino Community Fund trained over 50 volunteers (over 95% of them Latinos) to serve on a 6 month long process as reviewers on grant committees.
Grant Award winners will be announced at the Latino Community Fund Awards Brunch which is part of the Second Statewide Latino Community Fund Summit to be held in Bellevue, WA on October 16 & 17, 2009.
For more information, please, feel to contact John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas at jcardenas@latinocommunityfund.org
The Finalists of the 2009 Latino Community Fund’s Strength/Asset-based Grant Awards are:
Economic Wellbeing, Entrepreneurship & Workforce Development Award Grant (one award winner will be selected)
1. Community to Community www.foodjustice.org To work for a just society and build healthy communities for Latino families through systemic change and creating strategic alliances that strengthen local and global movements towards social, economic and environmental justice.
2. Casa Latina www.casa-latina.org CASA Latina to support its Worker Defense Committee. The Worker Defense Committee organizes immigrant workers to recover unpaid wages.
3. StartZone http://startzone.highline.edu To help women, people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities start and grow microbusinesses in Southwest King County by providing services to its members at no cost, including assessments, referrals, workshops, one-to-one consulting, mentoring, networking and peer support.
Latino Health and Wellbeing Award Grant (one award winner will be selected)
1. Entre Hermanos www.entrehermanos.org To promote the health and well being of the Latino Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning community in a culturally appropriate environment through disease prevention, education, support services, advocacy and community building.
2. Lower Columbia Hispanic Council http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lower-Columbia-Hispanic-Council/123973719278?ref=mf To promote the equitable integration of resident Hispanics into the broader social and economic fabric of the Lower Community (Pacific County, WA and Clatsop County, OR) by targeting educational, social and health issues in order to provide access to local services to the Hispanic community.
3. Consejo Counseling and Referral Service www.consejo-wa.org To enhance and improve Consejo’s Community Engagement Program; a social networking program utilizing a process whereby advocates meet with a focus group of low income, monolingual, socially isolated and traditionally underserved Latina women to discuss their relationships, lives, goals and dreams in an effort to classify the needs of the group.
Social Justice Award Grant (one award winner will be selected)
1. Leadership Development and Civic Engagement Academy [No webpage] Tto mobilize Latino parents in South King County to advocate for change within the educational system so their children have an equal chance for success.
2. Northwest Immigrant Rights Project www.nwirp.org To provide informational outreach presentations to the Latino community (mostly in Spanish) in order to provide information and to help dispel any falsities regarding immigration reform and unscrupulous individuals that may take advantage of and prey on the Latino community.
3. La Casa Hogar (Yakima Interfaith Coalition) www.lacasahogar.org To empower low income Hispanic women and children through education.
Latino Led Art & Media Award Grant (one winner will be selected)
1. Para los Niños de Highline www.plnwa.org To enhance art projects through Aprendamos Juntos (Let's Learn Together) which integrates child and parent learning to boost academic success, build children's emotional development, and support parenting.
2. Bailadores de Bronce www.bailadoresdebronce.org To promote the beauty and richness of Mexican traditions through music and dance in the Pacific Northwest.
3. CineSeattle -- www.cineseattle.org To exhibit films that recognize the richness and diversity of Spanish speaking communities worldwide.
Lifelong Learning Award Grant Application (2 award winners will be selected)
1. Children of the Valley After School Program www.childrenofthevalley.org To enhance free afterschool cultural enrichment activities and academic support program for low income children and their families.
2. (V-me) KCTS Television www.kcts9.org To promote access to the nation's groundbreaking, quality, Spanish-language digital public broadcasting network for our diverse Latino viewers as well as all those appreciating Spanish–language programming.
3. La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp (Washington Student Leadership program of the Association of Washington School Principals) www.awsp.org/lacimacamp To support dual language education via a leadership camp for Latino students across the state.
4. Latino/a Educational Achievement Project www.leapwa.org To help students connect the importance of continuing their education to their futures as professionals and leaders in their respective communities.
5. Community Schools Collaboration www.cscwa.org To change community culture towards inclusion and representation.
