Dear HIP Members: Perhaps the Mayans were on to something: 2012 has truly felt like the close of one cycle and the dynamic unfolding of the next. The elections evidenced the importance of the Latino electorate and, in the next four years, we expect to see new investments in health and education; a clear strategy for comprehensive immigration reform; a firm push for gun control, mental health support, and safer schools and communities; and a new economic agenda that commits to rebuilding our struggling middle and working class, not only for Latinos, but for the country as a whole. At HIP, we have exciting accomplishments to report, and we extend a loud round of ¡GRACIAS! to leaders across the region for their talent, creativity and willingness to take risks.

HIP GameChangers: Voices for Growing Investments in the Latino Civil Sector

The HIP GameChangers campaign focused national attention on the systematic underfunding of Latino communities. Through conversations with hundreds of HIP members and key thought-leaders like Luis Ubiñas, President of the Ford Foundation; Sterling Speirn, President of the WK Kellogg Foundation; Diana Bontá, President of The California Wellness Foundation; Robert Ross, President of The California Endowment; Valerie Lies, President of the Donors’ Forum; the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Anthony Wayne; the Mayor-Elect of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulín Cruz; HIP Chair and President of the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico Nelson Colon; and former Congresswoman and President of the Woodrow Wilson Center Jane Harman, and many others, HIP sparked a sector-wide discussion on how to make larger, more strategic, more impactful, and more sustainable investments in Latino communities. The campaign engaged HIP members across the Americas, from New York to San Francisco, and Chicago to Mexico City, culminating in a historic meeting of more than twenty Latino foundation presidents. We look forward to building on this momentum in 2013 and working with our network of leaders and givers to shape a philanthropic sector that truly invests in the leadership and organizations of our Latino communities and other communities of color.

The Funders’ Collaborative: Strengthening Latino Grassroots Leaders and Organizations

Despite the economy, HIP and our partners in New Mexico, North Carolina, California, Colorado, Philadelphia and Connecticut invested more than $1 million to strengthen the dozens of local Latino nonprofit organizations that are the backbones of their communities. In California, we supported Latino community health organizations through a partnership with The California Wellness Foundation and, in collaboration with the James Irvine Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, we funded Latino leaders and nonprofits in California’s Central Valley, one of the most under-resourced areas of the country. HIP staff trained hundreds of civil sector leaders through convenings and webinars, helping to create the vibrant nonprofit sector that HIP believes is both a critical provider of culturally-competent social services and a vital motor for advocacy and social change.

Focused Initiatives: Ensuring Success for Latino Students, Elders, Men and Boys, and LGBTQ Movement-Building

Education: With support from the Lumina Foundation, HIP continued to invest in strategies to help North Carolina’s Latino students complete high school, smoothly transition into higher education, and successfully complete a college degree. Along with the Adelante Coalition for Education and local funding partners, HIP worked with Latino families and students, and a broad array of representatives from K-12, higher education, local school districts, the business community, policymakers, and others to build comprehensive education support for Latino students. HIP also continued to tackle the education crisis affecting nearly 600,000 students in Puerto Rico. With leadership from HIP Board Chair Nelson Colon and the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico and through funding partnerships with the Fundación Banco Popular, Fundación Angel Ramos, Fundación Segarra Boerman e Hijos, and the Flamboyan Fundation,HIP invested in cutting-edge programs like Instituto Nueva Escuela and Alianza para la Educacion Alternativa that are changing the lives of local youth, helping them transition out of gangs or other harmful activities, and achieving high school graduation rates of 98 percent-a vast improvement over the 60 percent average. As an organization, we’re excited about the success of these programs and the possibility of emulating them for Latino students and families on the mainland. Next year, HIP will continue to grow its education program with support from the Gates Foundation, as we conduct a national survey to identify two new communities for targeted education funding. Aging: In 2012, HIP and our partners helped local leaders to better advocate for policies and services for Latino older adults-an economically vulnerable population that often lacks access to critical services. This year, HIP and Colorado funders invested $50,000 to strengthen Latino organizations serving Latino seniors in Metro Denver. In partnership with the California Wellness Foundation and the Scan Foundation we also launched a promising new program in California to support nonprofits that provide culturally competent services for Latino older adults and that advocate for their specific needs and rights. Men and Boys of Color: In 2012, HIP received funding from the California Endowment to assess the challenges facing Latino men and boys-a population with disproportionately low economic, education and health outcomes and high rates of incarceration. In 2013, HIP will publish a study on the physical and mental health of men and boys in Latino communities and other communities of color, collaborating with partners like ABFE and AAPIP to explore cross-cutting themes and challenges, and bringing together experts and thought-leaders to consider the best strategies for change. The Latino LGBT Initiative: HIP continued to lay the groundwork for a major new initiative that will work at the intersection of Latino social justice issues and the LGBT movement. In March, we held a webinar on Using Strategic Communications Tools to Advance Equality for LGBT Latinos, where experts from the HIP network discussed strategies for movement-building. We are in conversations with key funding partners to launch a full program in 2013.

Walking the Talk: Major Investments in HIP’s Internal Capacity

2012 was also a year of internal growth. We explored new models of giving, participating in our first online campaign with individual donors, and came out 5th in a competition with 20 other superb organizations; we fully upgraded our technological systems; and we are about to launch a new website that will feature major improvements in member benefits. We also brought on board eight talented new staff: Senior Consultant Julene Perez-Gonzalez, Senior Manager for Corporate Relations Alexandra Aquino-Fike, Communications Manager Nitin Chaubey, Membership and Special Events Manager Enrique Ovando, Grants and Finance Manager Ben Ruffner, Program Assistant Rachel Winner, Development Coordinator Danielle Sherman, and Coordinator for the Office of the President Elanna Mariniello. This is the first headcount growth since the start of the Big Recession and evidence of our confidence in our work and the assets of our communities. These new HIPsters are bringing a critical eye, cutting-edge ideas and new skillsets, helping HIP to keep inspiring and challenging the philanthropic community with the bold and fresh ideas that make real social change possible.

The New Year

As we look forward to 2013, we are grateful for the strength of the many partnerships that empower our work, and the collaborative spirit of giving and innovation that drives our mission of social change through philanthropy. We wish you and your families felices fiestas and all the best for a fabulous New Year! Con agradecimiento,