Latino Endowment Fund
Background
Since its creation in 2003, the Latino Endowment Fund has focused on Latino Leadership through Education. Made up of both Latino and non-Latino members, the Latino Endowment Fund has served as one unique way for donors to advance the economic, social and educational growth and power of the Latino community in Greater Hartford.
Meetings
Latino Endowment Fund members are contining to study access to education in 2008. In May, members heard from a panel of experts about the challenges facing Latinos transitioning from community colleges to four-year programs. Click here for a recap of the meeting.
For more information about the role of community colleges, click here to download a report (PDF) by Stephen J. Handel, director of the National Office of Community College Initiatives at the College Board.
Recent Grants
In early 2007, members of the Latino Endowment Fund heard from four leaders of community colleges in our state at a program titled "Community Colleges: ¿Oportunidad o Carretera Sin Salida? - Opportunity or Dead End?" Panelists discussed the reasons why Latinos often don’t transfer from community colleges to four-year universities.
One way the Latino Endowment Fund addressed this issue was to award $40,000 over two years to the Eastern Connecticut State University Foundation for its dual enrollment program that aims to increase the number of Latino students who successfully transfer from Quinebaug Valley Community College to a four-year program at Eastern.
This grant will enable 18 Latino students to begin their collegiate studies enrolled in both institutions, and to receive a host of services, including professional and peer tutoring, academic and financial aid advising, access to on-campus housing, and family outreach.
Grants
To qualify for grants from the Latino Endowment Fund, organizations must have a mission to support the Latino community and meet one of the following requirements:
- The majority of Board members are Latino
- The executive director is Latino
Grants are made to one or more qualifying organizations in the 29-town Capitol Region.
Steering Committee
Any member of the Latino Endowment Fund may volunteer to help organize and plan for the fund by joining the Steering Committee when its membership changes once yearly.
Steering Committee Members
(as of April, 2008)
Estela López, Chair
Germán Bermúdez
Luis Cabán
Frank Donis
Barbara Fernandez
Marilda Gándara
Augusto Gautier
Sonia Gaztambide-Vila
Oscar Gonzalez
Waldemar Gracia
Lorrie Greenhouse Gardella
Evelyn LaFontaine
Enid Rey
Rosaida Rosario
Yvette Meléndez
Contact
For more information about the Latino Endowment Fund, contact Betty Ann Grady at bagrady@hfpg.org or 860-548-1888. |