Latinos are among the fastest-growing racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. electorate, second only to AAPI people. According to Pew Research Center, it is estimated that 36.2 million Latinos will be eligible to vote during this upcoming election, up from 32.3 million in 2020. Latinos are projected to make up 14.7% of all eligible voters in the U.S. this year.
Data from 2022 shows that, unsurprisingly, New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Florida are the states with the highest share of eligible Latino voters. And while Latinos will certainly play critical roles in swing states like Arizona and Nevada (as they did in 2020), they will also be important in other battleground states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia.
Despite efforts by politicians to court Latino voters, there remains a significant voter turnout gap. A report from UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) found that “the mobilization of Latino voters has frequently lagged behind other major demographic groups. This, coupled with other systemic barriers has kept many Latinos away from exercising their right to vote.” In 2020, Latinos had the lowest registration rate among all racial and ethnic groups at the national level at 61.1%. Of those registered, however, 88% of Latino voters showed up at the polls to vote.
“This shows that further efforts into registration are key to increasing the overall participation rate of Latino voters at all levels,” the report states. It also notes that other research has shown that “sustained and direct face-to-face voter engagement with Latin voters” is necessary to mobilize them to vote.
While this work falls partly on political parties, candidates and election administrations, community-based organizations have proven to be more successful and adept at reaching potential voters. As such, many philanthropic funders provide support for organizations that work to register eligible Latinos, provide education on the issues, and mobilize potential voters to the polls. In the lead-up to November, here’s a look at how some of these funders are supporting key nonprofits in their efforts to turn out the Latino vote, inform voters and combat disinformation.
Key organizations and funders
Philanthropy-backed grassroots organizations have played a crucial role in mobilizing Latino voters. In Arizona, for example, the One Arizona Coalition, which was formed in the wake of the controversial anti-immigration bill SB 1070, is focused on improving the lives of all Arizonans by building a culture of civic participation. Since 2018, it has registered 600,000 voters, 70% of whom voted in the 2020 election. Member organizations include the Arizona Center for Empowerment, Chispa Arizona, Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE), Poder in Action and Corazon AZ. One Arizona’s backers include the Libra Foundation, the Grove Foundation, Arizona Community Foundation, California Community Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, Tides Foundation and NEO Philanthropy.
Other key Latino voter mobilization organizations include the Wisconsin-based Voces de la Frontera, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), Poder Latinx, Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino, the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), Mijente, and Georgia’s Latino Community Fund. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Many of these groups, and others, derive significant support from philanthropic funders like the Ford Foundation, which has made grants to several local and statewide grassroots organizations. These include recent grants to Mission Talk, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, Texas Latino Pride, and Civic TN. In addition, Ford has also made grants to Quiet Pictures, LLC for its production of a documentary film and related outreach to explore the Latino electorate. It’s also supported NEO Philanthropy for its State Infrastructure Fund, which engages historically underrepresented voters in the democratic process, and Power California for its work to engage young voters of color.
The Grove Foundation also counts civic engagement as one of its main areas of focus. Its program is largely focused on supporting progressive organizations that work to engage historically under-represented populations in civic processes. Its grantee partners include Arizona Coalition for Change, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, One Arizona and Rural Arizona Engagement.
MacKenzie Scott has also supported a number of Latino-serving groups. On the voter education, registration and mobilization side, her grantmaking includes a $6 million grant to the Voto Latino Foundation, which works to register Latino voters and encourage their civic participation, and $15 million to Hispanics in Philanthropy. Scott also provided $10 million to the Tides Foundation, which committed $200 million this spring in conjunction with the Democracy Fund-led All By April campaign to increase voter engagement mobilization efforts, especially among communities of color, young voters and under-resourced communities.
Tides’ Healthy Democracy Fund prioritizes voter engagement, registration and turnout; advancing and protecting voting rights; fighting disinformation; assuring fair redistricting; and responding to emerging threats to democracy. Since it launched in 2019, it has awarded more than $48 million across 481 grants. Its grantees include Rural Arizona Engagement, Mijente, One Arizona, Poder Latinx, Way to Rise, Make the Road Nevada, and Voces de la Frontera.
The Valiente Fund, which is a project of Way to Rise, is a donor and funder collaborative that seeks to support power-building among Latino leaders and organizations. Its work includes educating and empowering Latinos to participate in this upcoming election and beyond. For the moment, it is focused on Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Florida. Major supporters include the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations and the Democracy Fund.
Latino funders step up
While many of the funders above aren’t necessarily Latino-led or specifically Latino-focused, foundations and philanthropy-supporting organizations that are Latino-led and focused play a key role as well. One to note is the Latino Community Foundation (LCF), whose mission is to “unleash the power of Latinos in California,” including by increasing their civic and political participation. LCF has recently expanded its grantmaking outside of California and Nevada. Earlier this year, it announced it was awarding $800,000 in grants to 19 Latino-led nonprofits that are working to mobilize Latino voters ahead of November’s election. Some of its grantees include Arizona Center for Empowerment, Make the Road Nevada, CHISPA Education Fund, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and Valley Voices.
Another Latino group operating in this arena is the philanthropy-supporting organization Hispanics in Philanthropy, a multinational network that seeks to reimagine the future of Latino philanthropy and build a self-sustaining future for Latino communities. Its programs range from climate action and gender equity to philanthropic practice.
Its Power Building and Justice Program seeks to “co-create a multiracial democracy” where Latinos have power and are represented in decision-making at all levels of government. It has awarded civic participation grants in the past to organizations like One Arizona, Latin American Coalition, Texas Civil Rights Project, Voces de la Frontera, Poder Latinx, and Mi Familia Vota Education Fund. Its grantees are located across key states like Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Hispanics in Philanthropy’s institutional funders include major names in liberal and progressive philanthropy like the Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The California Endowment, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Oak Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation.
In addition, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has partnered with its sister organization, Chicanos Por La Causa, to invest millions of dollars in Latino voter mobilization efforts, with a particular focus on Arizona and Nevada.
Supporting research and civic engagement organizations
In addition to supporting grassroots nonprofits and community-focused work, many funders also support large national organizations that conduct research on effective messaging and on issues that matter most to Latino voters. These organizations often redistribute grants to grassroots organizations on the basis that those grassroots organizations better understand community needs.
UnidosUS (formerly known as the National Council of La Raza) counts voting and political empowerment as one of its key issue areas. For this upcoming election, UnidosUS has launched its Building Power 2024 initiative to “empower Latino voters, elevate Hispanic leaders and shape public discourse” through its affiliate network, which is made up of 306 organizations across the U.S. As part of its work, the initiative will seek to grow and inform the Latino electorate by registering more than 97,000 Latinos to vote and mobilizing more than 500,000 voters.
UnidosUS’ institutional donors include several notable philanthropic powerhouses like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Tides Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Another big Latino-serving organization is NALEO Educational Fund, which strives to facilitate “full Latino participation in the American political process.” Its strategies for doing so include increasing effectiveness among Latino policymakers and mobilizing Latinos to engage in civic and political life. NALEO Educational Fund’s philanthropic backers include the Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Weingart Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation and NEO Philanthropy.
Still needed: More funding to combat disinformation
As Inside Philanthropy has reported, disinformation is a major cause of concern when it comes to protecting democracy and elections. A report from PBS News noted that Latino voters are often targets for election disinformation and misinformation.
Some Latino-serving organizations are seeking to address the problem. NALEO Educational Fund, for example, has its Defiende La Verdad campaign, which strives to help community members and leaders counter mis- and disinformation that targets Latinos. Its work includes recruiting community leaders, volunteers and other messengers to strengthen its monitoring and reporting programs, engaging with media partners — especially Spanish-language media — to improve coverage and raise public awareness around disinformation, and develop rapid-response protocols with social media companies to better moderate harmful content.
Factchequado is another initiative that aims to empower Latino communities against disinformation in Spanish. It provides fact-checking, media literacy training and resources, and collaboration with local media and grassroots organizations.
Heading into November — and after the election — making sure Latino voters have access to accurate information is a key area of need. As Arthur Vargas, CEO of NALEO Education Fund, put it for the PBS report, “Latinos have immense voting power and can make a decisive difference in elections, yet they are an under-messaged, under-prioritized audience. Our vote has an impact. These bad actors know this, and one way to influence the Latino vote is to misinform.”
