The Latino Community Foundation has announced the launch of a five-year, $50 million initiative to address the underfunding of Latinx-led grassroots nonprofits and support an equitable post-pandemic recovery in California.

Launched in partnership with the California Health Care and San Francisco foundations and other funders, the Latino Power Fund will support efforts to strengthen frontline organizations engaged in healing and movement building, equip and mobilize Latinx leaders and voters, and bolster a progressive agenda for justice and equity. According to the foundation, Latinx-led grassroots organizations receive just 1.1 percent of total philanthropic investments. The fund will work to secure equitable public investments proportional to the size and contributions of the Latino community in the state, invest $10 million in LCF's Latino Nonprofit Accelerator, expand the pipeline of Latinx political leaders with a progressive agenda to advance equity and justice, strengthen grassroot nonprofits by providing long-term support for core operations, and advance a clear agenda for social, systemic, and policy solutions shaped by and for communities of color.

"Latinos [represent] 40 percent of the population and make-up eight million eligible voters in California. Their voice matters as we move to implement and execute these bold and desperately needed public investments into our communities," said Latino Community Foundation CEO Jacqueline Martinez Garcel. "Latinos have been the backbone of our economy, and they held up our communities and businesses as the pandemic raged across our families and neighborhoods. Now it's time to invest in them to achieve the civic, policy, and political wins our state needs for equitable recovery, representative democracy, and inclusive economy."

"Reopening California must go hand-in-hand with reinvesting in Californians," said California Health Care Foundation president and CEO Sandra Hernández. "California's Latinos play an essential role in the state's economy, its communities, and its culture. During this past year, LCF and its local partners helped to deliver vital information and support to Latino families across the state. With LCF's continued leadership and investment, we can secure a healthier future for them as well."