Helping to restore wildlife habitat restoration and strengthen the quality of life for local animals and humans in a meaningful way, Defenders of Wildlife and Latino Outdoors organized a community event to clear waterfront habitat of refuse and familiarize residents with the rich biodiversity of South Texas.

Free financial literacy training is now available in low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles, hosted by two nonprofits: The Hispanic Access Foundation and Thrivent Financial Services.

Today, Hispanic Access Foundation has launched the application for its “Roberto A. Salazar Legacy Scholarship.” Through the scholarship, Hispanic Access will award an undocumented, Latino student pursuing higher education with $10,000 in monetary assistance. To be eligible to apply, you need to be eligible for DACA, TPS, or be undocumented while attending high school and pursuing an undergraduate degree in an accredited United States college or university for the Fall 2024 semester.

Priscilla Inostroza is a senior student at Texas State University, where she studies wildlife biology with a minor in environmental studies. While growing up, Priscilla realized how enjoyable the outdoors were for her. Specifically, she wanted to work with animals. However, this career path was outside the traditional roles seen in her family.

Our Heritage, Our Planet Film Week, an initiative of Hispanic Access Foundation, is celebrating its third annual virtual film festival from October 10-13, 2023 and this year we awarded five mini-grants to BIPOC filmmakers for projects that will be screened during the film festival. The award winning films tell powerful stories from the eyes of Latino, Black, Indigenous and other people of color with roots in nature, reminding us to uplift the nexus between human communities and the lands, waterways, and ocean we call home.

In addition to these mini-grantees, Our Heritage, Our Planet Film Week will also showcase a variety of films hand selected by a jury composed of creatives, activists, and personalities who work in cinema, culture, nonprofits and advocacy organizations committed to environmental justice and conservation work. The film week will include performances and discussions with filmmakers, decision-makers, and community members on a variety of conservation topics.

Food, culture, and representation are deeply intertwined. As a Health Educator at the University of California at Riverside, Daniel López Salas knows firsthand how important it is to advocate for the health-related factors that impact the student community on campus. When it comes to undocumented students, food insecurity and lack of representation were one of the prevalent issues. To help with this, Daniel, along with other former students and colleagues, decided to take the lead of a food pantry dedicated to undocumented folks.

Nick Race never thought he would manage and coordinate invasive plant species at a 1.3-million-acre forest in Colorado. Originally from southern New Jersey, the landscape he experienced growing up as a child was far different from the views he experiences now as the Invasive Plant Coordinator for Pike National Forest, an opportunity he got after his MANO Project fellowship in 2022.

Hispanic Access Foundation is honored to partner with Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch the “Nuestras Familias, Nuestros Valores (Our Families, Our Values)” project. The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. The aim of the initiative to help parents and caregivers share their faith and values with their children. The project will establish a 12-month bilingual curriculum for Latino parents and caregivers in their congregations and communities to nurture faith among their children.

Héctor Varela grew up in a rural community in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Closer to the mountains than the ocean, he always felt an innate connection to the water. As he recounts each one of his childhood memories, the conversation unfolds into an imaginary diagram of his tales, his roots, and community, and how he became one of the fiercest protectors of coastal ecosystems on the Northwest side of the island.

Sonia Navarro has devoted her career to community development engagement for more than two decades. She describes her commitment as “a testament to my dedication, as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.” Originally from Los Angeles, California, she was born and raised in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, inspired by the resilience and entrepreneurship around her.