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Latinx luminaries (from left) Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Ricky Martin helped announce the Hispanic Federation project.
The Hispanic Federation has announced a new $1 million initiative to fund nonprofit organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ Latinx community.
The project, Advance Change Together, will support approximately 20 Latinx LGBTQ+ nonprofits through grants of up to $50,000. The funding is intended to strengthen the organizations' advocacy, services, and infrastructure, and the Hispanic Federation will hold meetings and capacity-building sessions for grantees for at least two years while seeking other potential funders and partners to extend the initiative beyond year 2. The Miranda Family Fund and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS have already committed additional support.
To qualify for grants, organizations must serve a majority Latinx constituency, be Latinx LGBTQ-led, have a 501(c)(3) status or have a fiscal sponsor with that status and plans to become a (c)(3), and have been active for at least two years, among other factors.
The ACT initiative is also working to convene Latinx-serving LGBTQ+ nonprofits nationwide in an effort to create a unified policy agenda to combat the growing list of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Several celebrities joined leaders of the Hispanic Federation and other organizations in announcing the initiative at a press briefing Tuesday in Orlando, just two days after the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub in the city. They included actress and singer Michaela Jae Rodriguez (Pose), actress Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), writer-producer-director-actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights, Encanto), singer-songwriter and actor Ricky Martin, and singer, artist, and television actor Valentina.
"I know firsthand what it means to have the support of a loving community as I navigated and embraced my gender identity. I am honored to be part of an initiative that will provide that much-needed support system to so many other members of the Latinx LGBTQ+ [community] who are facing their own challenges or are on their own journeys of self-discovery," Rodriguez said in a press release.
"With the hate and division so many in power are looking to create in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, there's never been a more important time for communities and organizations to come together to empower one another," Martin added. "With the ACT initiative, we're uniting to remind Latinx LGBTQ+ organizations that they have the support they need to serve and empower their communities."
He also posted on Instagram about the initiative.
"Six years ago, Florida's LGBTQ+ community was devastated when 49 lives were taken at Pulse nightclub in Orlando," said Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who made history as the first out LGBTQ+ Latino elected to Florida's legislature. "Instead of combating the type of hatred that fueled this horrific attack, Gov. Ron DeSantis has sown division through anti-LGBTQ+ legislation like 'don't say gay,' inspiring similar bills across the country. That's why today's announcement is so important. Hispanic Federation's ACT initiative is centered around LGBTQ+ Latinx people and seeks to empower and mobilize our community at the time we need it most."
"Latinx LGBTQ+ organizations that are on the ground every day, supporting, advocating for, and empowering our communities have never received the resources and support they desperately need and deserve to continue their important work. Hispanic Federation is looking to change that, not only by raising awareness but also through this project investment," said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the federation. "The ACT initiative is the most recent step we're taking to strengthen organizations who are at the forefront of empowering Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. ... We hope that more community members, philanthropic partners, and businesses from across the country join our efforts by contributing and donating to this important work -- not just during Pride Month, but for years to come."
For more information on applying for grants, contact Fernando Aguilar at faguilar@hispanicfederation.org.
