In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to celebrate half a decade of achievement for the Hispanic Impact Fund, a signature program of Austin Community Foundation that works to build a stronger, more equitable Central Texas for our Hispanic families, friends, and neighbors. As we explore the history of the fund, starting from its official launch in 2017, we’ll also look ahead toward its fifth grants cycle—the largest to date, set to award half a million dollars to 16 nonprofits in December.
Why establish the Hispanic Impact Fund?
One in every three people in Central Texas identify as Latino—this means nearly one million Latinos now call this region home, with this figure expected to grow significantly in the next decade. Despite this growth, Latinos are being left out of Austin’s booming economy and the opportunities it presents due to systemic barriers in education, health, society, and the workforce. This perpetuates a racial wealth divide felt by many Latino families across generations.
You can learn more about this in our 2021 report that examines the landscape of economic mobility for Latino families through four critical areas: early childhood education, health and wellness, job skills and entrepreneurship, and leadership development. These impact areas were defined by community leaders to address the most pressing needs of the community through our grantmaking work, which provides unrestricted, general operating funding for local Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits.
Community Voice: Seeking Latino Perspectives
While data and statistics are a crucial part of the Hispanic Impact Fund’s work, they only tell part of the story. To holistically address the disparities in our community, ACF embarked on a journey to seek out Latino voices. We aimed to hear their stories, understand their needs, and work collaboratively to make a real impact. Listening to the community directly is essential to creating meaningful change.
This is why, while it has grown significantly, the Hispanic Impact Fund remains a community-led initiative stewarded by a passionate and active Steering Committee. Our collective-giving model continues to be at the heart of our identity, highlighting how every dollar raised contributes to our grantmaking and overall impact.
