CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte is seeking solutions for minority organizations that are struggling in a post-pandemic economy.
Thirteen local Latino nonprofits are getting a combined $800,000 in grants from the city's American Rescue Plan dollars.
The goal of many of the Latino-led organizations is to break down barriers and improve access to services for the Latino community.
"We hope that they can increase their footprint, continue to serve the community and expand their operations," Lariza Garzón with the Hispanic Federation told WCNC Charlotte.
The Hispanic Federation partnered with the city to help nonprofits apply for grants so they could access money they may otherwise have not known was available to them.
"Many of the Latino-led organizations in the City of Charlotte and throughout the state of North Carolina are small organizations that are led many times by first-generation immigrants that do not have a lot of staff," Garzón said. "It's literally just the executive director writing these grants, maybe sometimes with English as a second language."
One grant recipient is the Carolina Migrant Network. The group offers free legal services to immigrants in the Carolinas. Co-executive director Stefania Arteaga said they’ve taken on 180 cases this year alone.
"The past three years have been challenging for any organization across the city," Arteaga said. "Certainly for Latino and Black-led organizations the need is even greater. Statistically, we're organizations that receive much less funding than our counterparts."
Charlotte’s Latino population is growing, which is also growing the group’s workload. Arteaga said the $150,000 grant will provide some relief.
"We're going to be able to expand our legal department and bring on a second attorney which we're really thrilled about," Arteaga said.
Another grant recipient is a local group called Despierta, dedicated to offering a safe space and mental health support to Latina immigrants.
Despierta is receiving $50,000 and will use the money to help women who are new to Mecklenburg County navigate their new lives in the states, including health care, education, and transportation.
Plus, Prospera is receiving $100,000 to continue its work in the Albemarle corridor. The nonprofit helps Latino entrepreneurs with advice and in-person training to help their businesses succeed.
Here is a list of the other 10 recipients, according to the Hispanic Federation:
- Alianza de Venezolanos en Charlotte
- Acción Hispana – Que Pasa Media
- Comité de Fiestas Patrias de Charlotte
- Circle de Luz
- Cine Casual
- Charlotte Gaymers Network
- Obra Collective
- Latin American Council of Charlotte – ENLACE
- Latin Americans Working for Achievement
- NC Congress of Latino Organizations
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