Latino Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Latino Community Foundation is a San Francisco-based funder that oversees over a dozen giving circles composed of Latinos who support Latino-led organizations. LCF awards grants to grassroots groups for community and civic engagement.
IP TAKE: Bay Area grassroots groups that are mostly led by Latinos have some great opportunities with LCF. This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for funding.
PROFILE: Established in 1989, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) is based in San Francisco, California and committed to unleashing the power of Latinos in California. LCF is the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the nation, with over 400 members and 13 giving circles. It was founded as part of United Way of the Bay Area to increase donations to Latino groups. Sandra Hernandez, the past CEO of the San Francisco Foundation established it as a supporting organization of the San Francisco Foundation in 2003. Then in 2016, LCF became its own independent foundation. Grantmaking areas of interest are Latino-led nonprofits, community and civic engagement.
Lately, LCF has made a big push to mobilize the Latino vote. A past campaign reached eight million people and got over 6,500 Latinos registered to vote. The foundation leaders have pointed out that only 1.1 percent of philanthropic dollars go to Latino programs and organizations even though 54 percent of school children in California are Latino and over seven million Latinos in California are eligible to vote. LCF became the first cohort of the Latino Nonprofit Accelerator, which is a program that provides leadership development marketing and communications training, and fundraising mentorship for Latino-led groups. The LCF giving circles have invested substantially in Latino-led organizations in California. Civic engagement is at the heart of this funder’s mission. It primarily supports grassroots groups who use culture as a tool for positive change. Members of the giving circles donate at least $1,000 per year, and each giving circle has its own funding priority. For example, there is a San Francisco Latina Giving Circle, an East Bay Latina Giving Circle, a Latinos in Tech Giving Circle, and a Latinx LGBTQ Giving Circle. The foundation partners with many donors, foundations, companies and community leaders to achieve its mission. Donors include Karen and Luis Toledo, Angel Chavez, and Alma-Ruth and Arnoldo Avalos.
Foundation grants vary based on which fund they come from. View the foundation’s website to learn more about past support. The Bay Area and Northern California are priorities for LCF. However, the funder supports groups and causes throughout California. As a grantmaker, LCF funds community organizations whose boards and staff are more than 51 percent Latino. Groups must have operating budgets of less than $1.5 million and work in California to be eligible for grants.
Grant application is by invitation only. Contact Samantha Sandoval at ssandoval@latinocf.org to learn more about this process. Direct general questions to the LCF staff at info@latinocf.org or 415-236-4020.
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