Mar 18, 2016
On Tuesday, March 15th, Hispanic Federation gathered alongside Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Charles Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, Bill Nelson, Bob Melendez and Representatives Nydia Velazquez, Jose Serrano, and Steny Hoyer, NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Hamilton’s creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, and citizens of Puerto Rico. Coming from different backgrounds with varying stories, everyone’s message was clear: Congress must act now to address the fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico.
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Mar 17, 2016
If you’re like me you have spent the last several months reading the headlines, watching the news, and shaking your head. It’s easy to feel frustrated and angry about the political landscape as we choose a new President. But the truth is that while the stories coming out of the campaigns can occasionally wear you down, there are many movements happening in our communities that give me great hope about our future. That’s why I’m so excited about our Annual Gala, which takes place on April 21st at the American Museum of Natural History. This benefit will once again serve as an opportunity for all of us to come together to support, protect and uplift our community.
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Mar 4, 2016
Connecticut is home to over 500,000 Latinos, who share the double distinction of being part of the youngest and fastest growing community in the state. Following a hugely successful Policy Day last month, Hispanic Federation’s Connecticut State Director, Ingrid Alvarez-DiMarzo led the third annual Orgullo y Poder Connecticut Advocacy Day and Legislative Luncheon.
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Mar 1, 2016
On any given day, thousands of people—children, adults, tourists, and native New Yorkers alike—all pass through the halls of the American Museum of Natural History. It is a truly impressive space: from the Hayden Planetarium to the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, each hall in the museum is more wondrous than the next. If you are in New York, it is simply a must-see. Yet, for millions of New Yorkers, the museum, and other cultural institutions like it, may seem just out of reach. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to bridge that gap by partnering with the Museum to open their doors to hundreds of New York’s most vulnerable: unaccompanied refugee children from Central America.
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Feb 23, 2016
The Hispanic Federation’s annual gala is moving to a new location. After more than a decade at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Hispanic Federation will welcome guests at the American Museum of Natural History on April 21st. This year’s honorees include Donald Graham of TheDream.US, Toyota, and philanthropist and entrepreneur, Luis Ubiñas.
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Feb 23, 2016
The news coming out of Flint, Michigan in recent weeks should sadden and infuriate us all. Our hearts go out to the children and families who have been poisoned by the contaminated water supply serving their homes, schools and businesses. But in the face of this environmental calamity, sympathy is insufficient. We should be angry. Very angry.
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Feb 23, 2016
It’s election season and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. The candidates for President are hotly debating issues such as employment, health care, immigration reform, terrorism and environmental protections. Latinos care deeply about these issues and their votes will be critical to the success of any candidate for the White House.
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Feb 19, 2016
Hispanic Federation is proud to welcome 11 new member agencies into the HF familia. Interested in becoming a member?
Learn more about our newest member agencies and their mission statements:
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Feb 15, 2016
The first presidential primaries are just around the corner. As the country gears up for raucous and uncertain election cycle, all eyes will be on Florida. The Sunshine State will not only be a much sough-after prize during the primaries but also will be the site of battles between Democrats and Republicans during the general election. More than 4.5 million Latinos live in Florida and approximately 1.7 million of them are registered to vote.
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Feb 2, 2016
Hispanic Federation’s Latina Philanthropy Council (LPC) held its first “Latina Leaders Breakfast Series” event on Tuesday, January 19th at McGraw Hill Financial. The event, sponsored by NSHMBA, Aon, Empire Blue, and Nielsen. was hosted by McGraw Hill’s Hispanic Heritage Network and featured Keynote Speaker, Mónica Gil, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Nielsen. A thought leader and marketing strategist, Gil builds cross-cultural connections across Nielsen, consumer and media clients, focusing on innovative and breakthrough approaches to multicultural intelligence.
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Jan 13, 2016
Expanding our community programs was a major objective for Hispanic Federation last year. Working with our member agencies we added a number of initiatives that ranged from money management to technical training for agency staff:
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Jan 12, 2016
Hispanic Federation is lucky to have a large and growing group of supporters and donors. They take our work seriously and we take their investment in us just as seriously. Our goal is to make sure that fundraising dollars reach our member agencies and the communities they serve rather than cover administrative expenses. It seems we’re getting it right. Out of every dollar spent by HF in 2015, 87 cents went towards community programs and services. According to Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading largest and most respected charity evaluator, we are also amongst an elite group of charities that meet its highest financial standards.
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Jan 11, 2016
New York City is the first home for Hispanic Federation. Always has been and always will be. But over the last several years HF has started to bring its services and expertise to other states where Latino communities are facing serious social, economic and political challenges. In 2015, we made a number of important strides toward increasing our national presence including, most significantly, opening an HF office in Orlando to serve the growing Latino population of Central Florida. “Florida’s Latino community is undergoing a major demographic transition,” said HF President José Calderón. “Central Florida is becoming an important Latino hub in the state with the third largest Latino population in the United States, and with that transition we saw a need for the kinds of services and advocacy HF knows how to provide. We’re really excited about HF’s future in Florida.”
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Jan 10, 2016
In 2015 we were fortunate enough to grant $2.4 million, more than ever in our organization’s history. That’s an extraordinary achievement given the continuing economic uncertainty we face in the nonprofit sector. And it’s particularly significant for the Latino community-based organizations we serve, which do not receive their fair share of resources from public and private philanthropic sources and are in desperate need of funding to support their operational and capacity-building needs.
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Jan 9, 2016
Numbers don’t always reveal everything about an organization but they sure can help us visualize and keep track of many of its accomplishments. Where we’ve been. Where we’re headed.
At HF, numbers allow us to appreciate all of the great things we achieved together in 2015. The results are nothing short of impressive. To see us, "by the numbers,"
CLICK HERE
Jan 8, 2016
It has been quite the year. When I reflect on 2015, I am in awe of all that we were able to achieve. We stretched ourselves beyond what we ever thought would be possible, and reached new heights. I am so excited about what 2016 has in store for us. But first, I want to take some time to share with you some of our accomplishments:
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Jan 7, 2016
Hispanic Federation has issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency’s increased raids in Latino communities throughout the United States.
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Jan 5, 2016
Hispanic Federation has issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s just released executive actions addressing gun violence in the United States.
“Today, President Obama announced a series of important measures to reduce the incidence of gun violence in our communities. Hispanic Federation is proud to support the President’s common sense reforms and congratulates him for taking the initiative on this important issue.
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Dec 20, 2015
Pathways to Academic Excellence is an early childhood education initiative focused on children under the age of 5 and designed to strengthen parent-child interaction, parenting strategies, and access to high-quality early childhood education. The program, which was first developed three years ago, encourages and empowers Latino parents, educators and Latino non-profits to intervene early in children’s lives, helping to support families in low-income communities.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Hearst Foundation, we will be able to expand Pathways to an additional 150 parents over the course of 2016. We will provide an early childhood education curriculum to low-income, Spanish-dominant and/or bilingual Latino parents. It is estimated that our work with 150 parents will reach 450 children. Through workshops and easy-to-use learning materials aimed to boost the skills of their children, we will ensure that their children are better prepared to succeed in school.
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Dec 16, 2015
December 16, 2015 (New York, NY) – Hispanic Federation has released the following statement in response to the exclusion of bankruptcy protections for Puerto Rico in Congress’ Omnibus Spending Bill.
“We join millions of Puerto Ricans on the island and throughout the Puerto Rican diaspora in expressing our disappointment and outrage that the U.S. Congress’ Omnibus Spending Bill failed to include bankruptcy protections and other measures to aid Puerto Rico during its economic crisis. Despite the clear, bleak reality facing the U.S. Commonwealth and the advocacy of thousands of Americans who have called on Washington to act, Congress has missed its best opportunity to assist Puerto Rico and has turned its back on 3.5 American citizens who call the island home. Sadly, Congressional Republicans systematically refused to accept their moral, fiscal and legal obligations to represent and fight for millions of American citizens in Puerto Rico who now face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The House and Senate Republican leadership completely disregarded uniform calls – including by the U.S. Department of Treasury – to grant Puerto Rico bankruptcy and debt restructuring powers. They also failed to fairly and completely remedy the longstanding structural inequities that leave Puerto Rican health care underfunded, passing only minimal health care reforms that do not adequately address the looming health care funding shortfall that threatens to shut down a vital safety net and major economic engine for Puerto Ricans.
In the aftermath of this failure by Congress, Puerto Rico is left to fend for itself. With massive, looming debt payments due in the coming weeks, Congress has essentially forced Puerto Rico’s government to adopt even more austerity measures and shut down vital public services.
The message from Congressional Republicans seems clear: Puerto Rico does not matter.
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