Building Trust, Creating Impact: The Latine Philanthropy Forum

A beloved father. A cherished pair of mentors who died too young. The hometown neighborhood. Each served as inspirations for permanent charitable funds established by three Latine donors who shared their stories at Building Trust, Creating Impact: The Latine Philanthropy Forum, hosted by Progreso Latino Fund. The deeply personal tributes were part of an evening of lifting up the generosity of the Latine community and changing the narrative of what it means to be Latine in America.

Diane Campoamor, editor of the book, If We Want to Win, A Latine Vision for a New American Democracy, introduced and moderated the panel of Latine charitable fund founders featuring: Anaika and William Ocasio, Entrepreneurs; Jacob Padrón, Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theatre; and Dr. Cynthia Rojas, Co-principal and Co-founder, Rojas Blakely & Associates.

What We Heard: 

• Progreso Latino Fund has been a trailblazer in inspiring Latine philanthropy in Greater New Haven. 
• You don’t have to be rich to be a giver. 
• The Latine community is generous and contributes a greater portion of its wealth to charities than other groups. 
• Latine philanthropy is countering the dominant narrative of the community as primarily being on the receiving end of charity. 
• Latine household wealth has tripled in the past decade. 
• The Latine community outpaced every other population group in starting small businesses in the past decade. 
• Most Latine giving is horizontal, to family and friends, as opposed to institutions. 
• Latine philanthropy is amplifying Latine voices and giving Latines a seat at the table of established institutions.

About the Presenters 

Anaika and William Ocasio 

Anaika is the owner of The Serene Spot; William is a postal supervisor; together they are experienced real estate investors. Both grew up in New Haven's Fair Haven neighborhood, and over the years they would talk about wanting to leave a legacy by helping young people learn professional trades. They then discovered that they did not have to wait. 

Jacob Padrón is the artistic director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. He is also the founder and artistic director for The Sol Project, a national theater initiative that works in partnership with leading theater companies to amplify the voices of Latine playwrights. Padrón grew up among the farm workers of California's Central Valley, where he discovered Luis Valdez’s famed Chicano theatre company El Teatro Campesino. There he met Diane Rodriguez, a lifelong mentor who became a legendary Los Angeles theater producer. She is one of two Latine women he his honoring with his Latina Theatre Fund. 

Dr. Cynthia Rojas  is the co-principal and co-founder of Rojas Blakely & Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to serving nonprofits in workforce development and economic mobility. Rojas created a fund at The Community Foundation in memory of her father, José Manuel Rojas. She is a past chair of the Progreso Latino Fund and was one of the original donors to the Fund.

Moderator

Diana Campoamor is the founder of Nuestra América Fund; a founding president of Hispanics in Philanthropy; and the editor of If We Want to Win: A Latine Vision for a New American Democracy. She is an adviser to philanthropists, a strategist for narrative development and resource generation, and a mentor to change-makers.