Hispanic and Latina/o/e/x Guide

CHCI provides leadership, public service, and policy experiences to outstanding Latino/a/x students and young professionals and convenes Members of Congress and other public officials, corporate executives, nonprofit advocates, and thought leaders to discuss issues facing the nation and the Hispanic community.

COPAL’s mission is to unite Latinos in Minnesota in a community democracy that builds racial, gender, social, and economic justice. Their vision is to “build a fair, equitable, enjoyable, and environmentally sustainable world for all,” and they organize around that vision by the Jémez Principles. Participate in volunteering or joining an event.

“Lifting UP” Latinx Voices-Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) is a community-rooted nonprofit organization that enables Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, self-determined lives.

GreenLatinos provides an inclusive table where its members establish collaborative partnerships and networks. Together, they work to improve the environment; protect and promote the conservation of land and other natural resources; amplify the voices of low-income and tribal communities; and train, mentor, and promote current and future generations of Latino environmental leaders. Take Charge of our climate by signing petitions, attending an event, or joining their newsletter.

HACE más for your future! Through professional development, resources, and networks, and facilitating access to meaningful career opportunities, HACE helps Latinos succeed in every career phase. HACE works with employers to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic economy by assisting them in attracting, developing, and retaining Latino and diverse professionals. Whether you are a high school or college student, a professional, or in transition in your career, HACE is committed to supporting your ongoing development and advancement as a Latino professional. Latinos face and transform high-potential Latino professionals into high-performing and courageous leaders. The programs help participants develop the skills necessary to produce immediate and sustainable results for themselves and the organizations they serve. Programs are offered in various cities across the United States. 

El Futuro is a career development program for high school students that is aimed at helping them achieve better college entrance and completion rates by improving their prospects for fulfilling careers.

HACE’s university programs offer students access to our extensive network of employer partners and professional members by providing insight, access, and professional development opportunities. 

Mujeres de HACE is a women’s program that empowers high-potential Latina professionals to succeed professionally and thrives personally while providing insight, access, and professional development.

HHF promotes cultural pride, accomplishment, and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions that identify, inspire, prepare, and position Latino leaders in the classroom, community, and workforce to meet America’s priorities. HHF is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.

The Hispanic Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides an effective education forum for an informed and empowered Hispanic America. As a leading Hispanic organization, the Hispanic Institute manages several ongoing projects, including studying Hispanic economic contributions, media monitoring, consumer fraud protection, citizenship education, and technology and telecommunication research.

HSF empowers students and parents with the knowledge and resources to complete higher education while providing support services and scholarships to as many exceptional students, HSF Scholars, and Alumni as possible.

The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in studying Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts in Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors across the globe. LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote its diverse membership interests, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.

LatinosinHigherEd.com is the leading source for jobs and career information for Latinos/a’s in higher education. 

LatinoLEAD brings Latino leaders across Minnesota together to generate social impact through collaboration, power building, and leadership development. LatinoLEAD envisions a world where Latino community members at “all stages of their career are civically engaged, connected, supported, and seen as a vital voice of influence nationwide.” LatinoLEAD’s mission as Latino leaders across all sectors is to “join together to create innovative strategies to drive and define policies and perceptions that advance Latino collective influence, success, and power.”

The Latino Victory Fund is a progressive political action committee working to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government. From school boards to the Senate to the White House, Latino Victory identifies, recruits, and develops candidates for public office while building a permanent base of Latino donors to support them. Latino Victory engages Latino voters and donors and develops Latino leaders to elevate and advance values important to their communities. Latino Victory is developing a pipeline of Latino leaders who will fight for the issues that matter.

Latino Public Broadcasting was established in 1998 and provided a voice to the diverse Latino community in public media throughout the United States. A registered nonprofit organization, LPB is “the leader of the development, production, acquisition, and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural media that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans.”

With approximately 132,000 members and supporters throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States. LULAC advances Hispanic Americans' economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health, and civil rights through community-based programs at more than 1,000 LULAC councils nationwide. The organization involves and serves all Hispanic nationality groups. LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC), LULAC's educational arm, provides educational programming to disadvantaged youth, impacting more than 18,000 Hispanic students per year at fourteen regional centers throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. SER Jobs for Progress, LULAC's employment arm, provides job skills and literacy training to the Hispanic community through more than forty-eight employment training centers throughout the United States. The LULAC Corporate Alliance, an advisory board of Fortune 500 companies, fosters stronger partnerships between Corporate America and the Hispanic community.

MAES is recognized as a prominent organization for its development and contributions toward the success of Latino leaders in STEM. To promote, cultivate, and advance Latino leadership and STEM education representation.

To empower Latinas through leadership development, community service, and advocacy: In 1974, MANA, A National Latina Organization® (MANA), became a national grassroots membership organization with chapters, individual members, and affiliates nationwide. MANA represents the interests of Latina women, youth, and families on issues that impact our communities. MANA contributes the leading Latina voice on many significant public issues, particularly education, health and well-being, financial literacy, equal and civil rights, and immigration reform. Chapters and Affiliates provide programming locally to educate and empower our communities nationwide. Our values are rooted in serving the community through leadership development, educational workshops, mentoring the next generation of leaders, and building the structures to support continued Latina success.

MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is the leading civil rights voice of the Latino community. Our commitment is to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the United States and the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Mi Familia Vota was established in 2000 and is a national civic engagement organization that unites Hispanic, immigrant, and allied communities to promote social and economic justice through citizenship workshops, voter registration, and voter participation. Mi Familia Vota operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and Texas. Their mission is “to build Latino political power by expanding the electorate, strengthening local infrastructures, and through year-round voter engagement.” Volunteering opportunities to support voter registration, phone banking, data entry, or event hosting.

An organization of students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds has come together to pursue social justice, community empowerment, and cultural awareness. The organization comprises students on campus (PDF file of the philosophy) who are politically conscious and sensitive to the issues affecting underrepresented peoples of our communities and our nation.

In 1972, at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Social Science Association held in San Antonio, Texas, Chicano faculty and students active in the American Sociological Association, American Anthropological Association, and the American Political-Science Association came together to discuss the need for a national association of Chicana/o scholar-activist.

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice envisions a society where Latina/o/x are thriving and free to activate their power to make decisions about their bodies, sexuality, and families. The Latina Institute strives “for Latina/o/x to live with dignity about our sexualities and genders.” Driven by a reproductive justice framework, they work to build power in Latina/x communities to exercise autonomy over their bodies and secure equal access to reproductive health as a human right. Join their activist networks in Florida, New York, Texas, or Virginia, or follow them on social media.

Founded in 1981, NALEO Educational Fund achieves its mission through integrated strategies that include increasing the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, mobilizing the Latino community to engage in civic life, and promoting policies that advance Latino political engagement.

Gloria de Léon saw the rapidly expanding U.S. Latino youth population as a source of bright, forward-thinking young minds that could become involved in community leadership development. They recognized that if the Latino community did not cultivate their brightest young minds to reinvest in community causes, their potential could forever be lost to other interests. To create experiences that engage achieving high school and college-age youth in community leadership roles that advance our quality of life. To be the leading organization that fosters future community leaders for the expanding Latino community throughout the United States and Latin America.

The National Institute for Latino School Leaders (NILSL) is a program designed to bridge the divide between practice and policy. It provides school leaders the tools to advocate for policies and reform efforts that increase educational outcomes for Latino and English learner (EL) students.

We are engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, scientists, and more. We specialize in problem-solving through a unique and collective perspective. And our stories of resilience, education, service, and familia embody the next generation of STEM leadership!

SALEF’s mission is “to promote the civic participation and representation of the Salvadoran and other Latino communities in the U.S., promote the economic development and democracy in El Salvador, as well as to advocate for its economic, educational, and political advancement and growth.” With the core values of social justice, advancing democracy, leadership development, education, and trust, SALEF believes “it is vital to increase the Latino voice in the political and electoral process.”

New England Sociedad Latina's mission is to create the next generation of Latin@ leaders who are confident, competent, self-sustaining, and proud of their cultural heritage: education, Civic Engagement, Workforce Development, Arts, and Culture.

The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) promotes studying and teaching the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian, and other related literature and cultures at all levels of education. The AATSP encourages, supports, and directs programs and research projects involving pedagogical and scholarly information exchange. Through extensive collaboration with educators, professionals, and institutions in other countries, the AATSP contributes to a better and deeper understanding between the United States and the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations of the world.

The TransLatin@ Coalition stands with Black, Indigenous, Oaxacan, Central American, Trans, LGB+, and communities of color.

Through our unique combination of research, advocacy, programs, and a national network of nearly 300 community-based Affiliate organizations across the country, we simultaneously challenge the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos in the United States across a range of critical issues:
- Civil Rights and racial equity
- Education
- Health
- Housing and financial empowerment
- Immigration
- Voting and political empowerment
- Workforce development

The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute’s (USHLI) mission is to fulfill the promises and principles of democracy by promoting education and leadership development, empowering Latinos and similarly disenfranchised groups through civic engagement and research, and maximizing participation in the electoral process. Over the last 40 years, the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) has empowered minorities and similarly disenfranchised groups through leadership development, civic engagement, and research.

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. We create welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voices heard and win! Over 60% of our members are womxn, and 20% identify as LGBTQ. We are made up of fearless youth fighting to improve the lives of ourselves, our families, and our communities. Our vision is a society that celebrates our diversity, and we believe in leading a multi-ethnic, intersectional path to get there. Whether organizing in the streets, building innovative technology systems, opening doors for LGBTQ immigrant youth, clearing pathways to education, stopping deportations, or creating alliances across social movements, United We Dream puts undocumented immigrant youth in the driver’s seat to strategize, innovate and win.

#WeAllGrow Latina is a digital and IRL lifestyle community of impactful Latinas and Femme-Latina/e/x who support and uplift each other. By Latinas, for all.

We stand firm in our mission to elevate the voices and stories of Latinas via the power of community and culturally relevant content while offering tools to increase visibility and grow our social and economic power.

Voto Latino is a pioneering civic media organization that seeks to transform America by recognizing Latinos’ innate leadership. Voto Latino’s work focuses on building a pipeline to serve and empower our community through civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development. Through innovative digital campaigns, pop culture, and grassroots voices, this Hispanic organization provides culturally relevant programs that engage, educate, and empower Latinos to be agents of change, building a more robust and inclusive democracy. Volunteering opportunities to host a voter registration drive, canvass, rally, debate watch party, or text bank. 

YW Boston helps individuals and organizations change policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors to create more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color can succeed.