Partnering for Impact with Hispanic Access Foundation

At Hispanic Access, we believe that meaningful collaboration between businesses and nonprofits drives exceptional results. Our corporate partnerships are tailored to the unique goals of each company, allowing you to make a lasting impact on the lives of Latinos and others across the United States. By partnering with us, you’ll contribute to vital initiatives in areas such as education, health, workforce development, economic empowerment, civic participation, and the environment. Together, we can transform communities nationwide.

Why Partner with Us?

1. Strengthening Communities
   Each year, we positively impact over 60,000 Latinos by connecting them to life-changing opportunities and resources. With your support, we can expand our outreach and serve even more people, empowering them to achieve their full potential.
   
   
2. Strategic Alignment
   Our initiatives align with a variety of corporate social responsibility goals, including education, health, workforce development, economic empowerment, civic participation, and the environment. Through a partnership with us, your company can make a meaningful impact while strengthening your brand’s commitment to social responsibility and positive change.
   
   
3. Customer Engagement and Loyalty
   By partnering with Hispanic Access through cause-driven campaigns, you go beyond building customer loyalty, you cultivate a passionate base of brand advocates who champion your mission. Our network spans the United States, with strong presences in California, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and Puerto Rico, and it includes thousands of community leaders dedicated to driving change.

Ways to Get Involved

1. Corporate Sponsorships and Grants
   Support our high-impact programs and events, from education initiatives to environmental justice efforts. Your investment will be instrumental in driving change and creating long-term opportunities for Latinos.
   
   
2. Employee Engagement
   Encourage your employees to get involved through volunteer opportunities or matching gift programs. Together, we can create a culture of giving that fosters community development and mutual success.
   
   
3. Cause Marketing and Collaborative Campaigns
   Launch a cause-marketing campaign in collaboration with the Hispanic Access Foundation to raise awareness and funds for programs that benefit the Latino community. A co-branded campaign allows your business to align with a trusted organization while supporting our mission.
   
   
4. In-Kind Donations
   Support our work with in-kind donations such as goods, services, or expertise that directly benefit the communities we serve. These contributions help us drive more impactful and cost-efficient programs.

Make a Long-Lasting Impact - Make a Legacy Gift to Hispanic Access

When you make a legacy gift to Hispanic Access Foundation, you leave a lasting impact on Hispanic and Latino communities across the nation. Because of your generous support, Hispanic Access is able to cultivate leaders, develop advocates and connect them with our partners to ensure long-term success and systemic change. Legacy gifts are an important funding source in helping us maintain our commitment to creating a more equitable society.

There are several ways you can give, most don’t have an effect on cash flow during your lifetime:

• Bequest in a Will – see sample language below;
• Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designation – or ask for information on the IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs);
• Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation – or consider giving a paid-up policy no longer needed;
• Donor Advised Fund – recommend us for a gift.

Bequest Legal Designation and Sample Wording

“I hereby give ______ (percentage, residuary share or specific amount or asset) to Hispanic Access Foundation, 1030 15th St NW, Suite B/1 # 150, Washington, DC 20005.”
Tax ID number: 27-2589206

For more information about legacy giving or to notify Hispanic Access of your plans, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For Vanessa Muñoz, joining Hispanic Access Foundation in April of 2022 became a turning point in her career. Growing up, she witnessed the disparities between Latinos and their access to nature, igniting a passion that would later unveil her commitment to breaking those barriers for her community and beyond.

On November 28, Hispanic Access Foundation’s President and CEO Maite Arce spoke at a panel for the Department of Commerce’s third annual Interagency Convening on Equitable Growth. This year, the convening focused on celebrating business diversity, equitable workforce development, and community investment in partnership with key stakeholders from government, private sector, and community organizations.

Hispanic Access Foundation is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to launch the Community Navigators Program (CNP). The goal of the program is to serve as a bridge between 1,200+ Latino-serving community-based/Spanish-speaking organizations, and those at high risk of wildfires and extreme climate change, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Valery Serrano’s journey from a biology undergraduate to a Master of Arts in Biology student at Miami University in Ohio reflects not only her academic capabilities but also her dedication to empowering underrepresented communities within the field of science, an interdisciplinary approach she was inspired to pursue to honor her upbringing.

Her career journey began with an internship at the Gulf Breeze Zoo, sparking her interest in animal care and captive conservation. Subsequent experiences at the Wildlife Animal Sanctuary and with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance broadened her scope, exposing her to diverse conservation initiatives.

During her academic pursuits, Valery kept a commitment to fostering inclusivity. Her involvement with Student Support Services at her university underscored her dedication to ensuring quality data for governmental auditing while engaging with a diverse student population.

“I focus on students of color and the relationship with science and how we can evaluate that relationship. Specifically, the research that I do with students of color, and the way they do research. Seeing the opportunities that Latino communities have, and how that impacts our relationship with forests or public lands in general. My community shaped me.”

Valery got involved with Hispanic Access Foundation through the MANO Project, an opportunity she completed twice at two different sites, and that significantly shaped her trajectory.

“My first internship was an eight-month internship out of Bayfield, Colorado, doing special uses. I completed that in February of this year, and since I had a direct hire authority already for my first MANO Project internship, I was just able to go into the position that I was working in for my second internship.”

Valery's reflections on being a minority within her college, juxtaposed with her upbringing in a predominantly Latino community, shed light on the disparity in opportunities that often exist for communities of color within conservation. She implemented that worldview throughout the projects she undertook while in her internships. One of the ways Valery implements this passion as she delves into her current position, is focusing on enhancing the representation of diverse demographics in conservation volunteering efforts.

One of Valery’s proudest achievements during her second internship with the MANO Project was her contribution as a co-author for a project developed by the previous Resource Assistant at the San Juan National Forest in the Rocky Mountain region. Through an external partnership, her colleague and Valery worked on a cultural framework and series of trainings aimed at educating agency people about increasing indigenous collaboration and engagement.

“When I came in as a research assistant, that's something that I worked on heavily. I organized the design of the training, getting meetings set, and everything signed so it could be pushed forward to be published. Hopefully this week, we’ll be able to publish it just in time for National Native American Heritage Month.”

Her experience with the MANO Program fostered mentorship skills that she is now able to apply in her career, serving as a mentor for other college students paving their way into conservation careers.

“Without my mentors and their support, I wouldn't be where I am today. You must advocate for yourself, which I could proudly say that I did, but also without their support, it wouldn't be possible. I think I found this program very beneficial. I just want other people to realize that there are programs like this that exist for them to have opportunities. I was able to strengthen my mentorship and leadership skills throughout this experience.”

Valery's persistence and proactive approach in seeking mentorship and refining her skill set proved pivotal for her career advancement, leading her to secure a permanent position at the San Juan National Forest with the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Partnership.

“Leadership in conservation I think is realizing that there's room for growth and that there’s always room for you to learn more. The leader that you were a month ago, the leader that you were a week ago is not the same leader that you are today. Being open to learning more and taking in different aspects of other people in a world that's always changing, is crucial.”

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge holds a sanctuary within the city of Philadelphia. As part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visitors can expect to find a network of lands set aside for native wildlife and plant species. An added layer of value this refuge holds is the charisma and passion individuals like Yessenia Méndez bring to the workplace. As an Invasive Species Fellow, her journey through conservation biology reflects not only her commitment to environmental stewardship but also her efforts to break cultural barriers and foster inclusivity within her field.

Leandro “Leo” Cabrera of Cape Coral, Fla., recently joined the staff at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island for six months. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in partnership with the Hispanic Access Foundation provides support for urban community engagement fellows, and Cabrera will be helping the refuge education staff as a bilingual interpreter.

Hispanic Access Foundation is excited to announce David Armijo, Chief of Programs, has been appointed as a member of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. The Council, under direction from Congress, will oversee the Forest Service’s National Urban and Community Forestry Program and provide urban natural resource recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and other applicable federal agencies.

On November 14, Hispanic Access Foundation’s MANO Project interns and alumni traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with top-level members of federal land management agencies to discuss the impact of the MANO Project and provide substantive feedback and insight to the Department of Interior on youth programs. They also discussed the opportunities for growth of the MANO Project and other workforce programs focused on uplifting Black, Indigenous, Latino and other people of color.