In 2003, two Latina leaders created a way for
area residents to collectively invest in the
Latino community.

With a long-standing culture of giving, Latinos are extremely generous in a personal way – giving to their families and faith communities. They have also begun to engage in organized giving, such as through a foundation, and to organize nonprofits to deal with Latino issues.

Rosaida Morales Rosario, who had long been involved in nonprofit and philanthropic work in this region, wanted to build on that. During her 12 years of service on the board of directors of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Rosaida came to appreciate the power of philanthropy – the power to generate and pool resources, and target them to change people’s lives.

Rosaida knew the strength and potential of the growing Latino community, now representing 12 percent of the state’s population and generating $10 billion in purchasing power. But she also saw the tremendous needs. Of the three major population groups, Latinos are the least educated, least likely to own a home, and have the lowest level of access to health care.

As she was completing her term on the Hartford Foundation’s board, Rosaida asked herself, “Could I create a way to inspire Latinos to embrace organized philanthropy, to invest in a better life for Latino residents of the region?”

Rosaida proposed that the Foundation create a ‘giving circle’ to enable Latinos to invest in Latino nonprofits. “The Foundation was very receptive, and offered to make a challenge grant to kick off the effort,” she said. “I immediately sought out someone who could help – Marilda Gándara.”

At the time, Marilda was head of the Aetna Foundation and the recipient of countless awards for her community involvement.

“I was so excited about creating the Latino Endowment Fund,” said Marilda. “It was a way to channel the incredible generosity of Latinos into a structured endowment, and partnering with the Hartford Foundation would ensure innovation and permanence.”

It was soon clear that others were also excited. In the first few months, individuals pledged $36,000, enabling the fund to earn the grant from the Hartford Foundation. Members contribute $250 or more each year, learn about a topic of interest to the Latino community, and collectively recommend grants to benefit local Latino residents.

In 2006, the group examined Latino participation in higher education. They learned that while 90 percent of Latinos ages 16 to 25 say that a college education is important for success in life, only half plan to get a college degree. And at community colleges, which serve as an entry point to higher education for many Latinos, only 12 percent advance to earn a bachelor’s degree.

To address this gap, in 2007 the Latino Endowment Fund awarded $40,000 to help Eastern Connecticut State University launch a dual-enrollment program. Its president, Elsa Núñez, wanted to try a new strategy to help deserving students in Hartford get a college education.

Selected by guidance counselors, nine students from Hartford Public High School were enrolled at Quinebaug Valley Community College, began living on Eastern’s campus, and took classes at both schools. They also received tutoring, mentoring and financial aid guidance. By the end of the first year, seven of the nine students were enrolled full-time at Eastern.

Based on its early success, Eastern secured $300,000 from the U.S. Justice Department to continue the program. The program also received an award from The College Board for “innovation and demonstrated efficacy in increasing the percentage of low-income students who get ready for, get into, or get through college successfully.”

“Through the Latino Endowment Fund, we built a door and the community has walked in,” said Rosaida. “There’s no limit to what we can accomplish together."