Villarreal: Only two percent of philanthropic investment in US goes to Latino-serving organizations

MCALLEN, Texas – Only two percent of philanthropic investment in the United States goes to Latino-serving organizations, VIDA President & CEO Felida Villarreal has announced.

“That is a statistic that is incredibly disappointing, and it’s a very real challenge that we are up against as nonprofits, especially when we’re seeking funding at a national and state level,” Villarreal said, in a podcast with the Rio Grande Guardian.

Villarreal said she learned of the statistic when appearing on a podcast with former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. The podcast, titled Uplifting Latinos, was hosted by Hispanic Executive magazine. Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio, appeared on the podcast in his new role as head of the Latino Community Foundation.

Asked if she was shocked to learn that the percentage of philanthropic investment in Latino serving was so low, Villarreal said: “Absolutely. I hope it’s a story that we as nonprofits across the country continue to work to change that.”

Asked how the podcast came about, Villarreal said: “I had the opportunity to connect a couple years ago with Hispanic Executive at a conference in Chicago. They are based there. So, I met the team and since then we’ve developed a very nice partnership. They recently invited me to do this video interview with Julián Castro in his new role with Latino Community Foundation.”

Villarreal said she was pleased to have the opportunity to interact with a national figure like Castro.

“It was definitely a very exciting opportunity. It was an opportunity to dive into a lot of the issues surrounding the nonprofit sector, especially for organizations serving Latino communities,” Villarreal said.

“This is perfectly in alignment with what VIDA does here in the Rio Grande Valley. I was very grateful that I had the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions that I think were very relevant to the type of work that we do.”

Villarreal said she was pleased to learn more about the Latino Community Foundation.

“This group is very heavily focused on civic engagement and expanding impact for Latino communities and expanding equitable opportunity. So, it’s really a mission that really resonated with us at VIDA,” Villarreal said.

“They also have developed a incredibly large giving circle. And so, through that, part of their mission is to empower philanthropic leaders and to encourage increased investment in Latino-led organizations.”

Asked what the key points were that she wanted to get across to Castro, Villarreal said:

“The impact and the role that nonprofits have in our current economy and in things like workforce development. There was another highlight that recently I read: In 2022, across the nation, nonprofits contributed $1.4 trillion to the economy. So that in itself… I think it’s huge to highlight the work that nonprofits do that a lot of times may go unnoticed.”

Villarreal added: “I think that as a nonprofit, we’re a huge economic driver. And if we’re able to partner with other organizations like the Latino Community Foundation, like local governments, like state, federal governments as well, then we can definitely expand that impact and that outreach, tenfold.”

VIDA stands for the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. The nonprofit, which was started by Valley Interfaith in 1995, helps low-income, unemployed and under-employed residents in the Valley obtain the education and training they need to secure high-skilled and high-wage jobs.

Editor’s Note: Here is the Hispanic Executive podcast featuring Julián Castro and Felida Villarreal:

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