Ahead of the 2020 election, Latinos make up 13% of all eligible voters in the U.S.—that's 32 million voters in raw numbers. But even though a record number of these Americans cast ballots in 2020, post-election data shows that only half of all eligible Latinos voted that year, compared to 76% of white voters and 63% of Black voters. In key states like Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Texas, Latino voter participation surged compared to 2016 but lagged well behind that of other demographic groups. In these states, along with other hotly contested states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, Latinos have the potential to play an ever more important role in deciding election outcomes if they register and vote at higher rates.
Democratic candidates are likely to be the main beneficiaries of such increased participation, although this outcome cannot be taken for granted. Post-election data from 2020 and 2021, along with recent polling, shows that Republicans have made significant gains with this group while Democrats have lost ground with them—especially on the economy, work, and the American Dream.
Regardless, greater Latino participation is important in itself. A stronger voice for Latinos in government and other sectors of U.S. society is essential to enable this rapidly growing group to overcome barriers to economic opportunity and social inclusion. Those barriers are significant. A study by Pew Research Center found that although Latinos are more likely to believe in the American Dream, almost three-quarters of Latinos said that achieving it is very or somewhat hard "for people like [them] today."
The good news is that a wide range of exciting efforts are now underway to increase Latino civic participation and build Latino power. If these efforts can be scaled up with substantially higher levels of funding, they have the potential to transform U.S. politics and the lives of tens of millions of people. Democratic candidates also stand to gain—assuming they do the work necessary to better understand the needs of Latinos and connect with these voters.
This brief spotlights five areas where donors can support Latino power-building and identifies six key organizations that donors should consider supporting to advance such work.
Strategies for Impact
The last decade has seen an explosion of work to build Latino power. And while there's also been an increase in both philanthropic and electoral funding for these activities, Latino power-building remains badly under-resourced. Donors at all levels can make a major difference by giving in this neglected space. Blue Tent has identified five key areas for donors to prioritize:
Grassroots Organizing and Voter Mobilization: One of the most effective and powerful tools for power-building is year-round grassroots organizing. Such sustained engagement is critical to increasing a sense of civic efficacy among Latinos and expanding their political voice at all levels of government. Year-round work is also a precondition for effective voter mobilization. In a report on the 2020 election, Way to Win documented how grassroots Latino groups with strong relationships built on trust with their communities helped Democrats win critical states in 2020. These organizations, with their keen grasp of Latino voters and their needs, are vital allies for a Democratic Party that often struggles to connect with Latinos. As numerous Latino advocates, organizers and pundits have pointed out, Latinos are not a monolithic voting bloc that can be won over with a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Despite their success in both empowering Latinos and influencing electoral outcomes, Latino-led grassroots organizations tend to be underfunded. While national organizations generally receive more funding than local groups, it's common for all organizations in this space to see significant increases in funding during election years and face a steep decline in off-cycle years.
Funders looking to make an impact should invest in both national and local organizations that do year-round, on-the-ground work. Small donors should know that their gifts, however modest, can make a real difference in this space given how strapped many groups are for resources. Major donors and institutional funders have even greater potential to have an impact and should provide support in the form of unrestricted multi-year funding. This is important for all organizations, but especially for activist groups that need to remain nimble in their work and move quickly in response to new developments.
Policy Research and Advocacy: It's estimated that Latinos make up only 1% of elected officials across all levels of government, thus limiting the voice of Latinos in public policy deliberations. But a number of organizations are doing important work to document key challenges facing Latinos and advance policy solutions to these challenges. Immigration is just one of the many issues such groups are working on, and despite common narratives, it's not even the most important one to Latinos. According to a report from Equis Research, the number one concern for Latinos in 2020 was the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. While immigration was a more important issue for Latinos in 2016, those numbers dropped in 2020. A poll commissioned by Way to Win and conducted in November 2021 found similar results.
By supporting policy advocacy organizations that research and address the needs of Latinos, donors can help ensure better life outcomes for these communities. This work can also help Democratic candidates and elected officials connect more effectively with Latino voters—informing campaign pledges and legislation that addresses their most urgent concerns. While Latino public policy organizations are better resourced than grassroots groups, they are still underfunded given the broad scope of work they are undertaking to address the needs of the 62 million Latinos living in the United States. Increased funding would allow key groups in this space to scale up their operations and impact.
Labor Organizing: Latinos are heavily represented in low-wage jobs that pay poverty wages and don't include benefits. Many of these same workers are employed in "essential" job sectors and have paid a terrible price during the pandemic. Only 9.8% of Latinos were part of a union in 2020. Donors can help address the hardships and barriers to opportunity Latino workers face by supporting efforts to organize these workers and advocate for policies that strengthen labor rights, especially protections for undocumented workers and those working in domestic and agricultural positions. Today, unions are not the only important players fighting for workers; many nonprofit groups are also deeply involved in this work, creating an expanded set of options for donors.
Labor organizing not only helps Latinos improve their working conditions, but it also plays a key role in helping to mobilize Latino voters. Latinos involved in unions and other worker organizing efforts are more likely to participate in elections and other civic activities. Groups working to organize Latino workers or advocate on their behalf have become important players in the progressive electoral infrastructure.
Litigation: Litigation is another major piece of protecting and empowering Latino communities. Latino groups work on an array of legal issues in areas that include immigration, housing, education, voting rights, and employment. Such work has been especially critical in recent years amid growing threats of deportation and expanding efforts to suppress voting rights.
Litigation is often the most readily available tool to defend Latino communities under fire. For example, while Republicans made significant efforts to overturn DACA, Latino-focused litigation groups defended Dreamers, leading to national attention and a major Supreme Court victory. These same groups played a key role in pushing back against efforts to subvert the 2020 census and are now engaged in various lawsuits aimed at protecting democracy, including challenging gerrymandering at the state level. Donors can have a big impact by supporting litigation work that aims to protect and empower Latinos. Increased resources would allow key players in this space to expand their work and impact.
Developing Latino leaders: Another important way of empowering Latinos is by increasing their representation in government and leadership positions in other sectors. As of 2021, there were only six Latinos in the Senate and 47 in the House of Representatives. Things aren't much better at the state and local levels. Overall, it’s estimated that Latinos make up just 1 percent of elected officials at all levels of government. Latinos are also underrepresented within leadership positions in nonprofits and philanthropy.
Developing Latino leaders flows from the previous four strategies. Supporting Latino grassroots and advocacy groups is an important way to develop these new leaders given that these organizations help incubate new talent and often serve as a launchpad for people who later go into government as elected or appointed officials, as well as onto leadership jobs within civil society.
Options for Donors
Below are six leading organizations working to build the civic voice and power of Latinos that donors should consider supporting.
- UnidosUS: UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza, is the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization. Its work combines research, policy analysis, and advocacy on a range of issues like immigration, education, health, employment, and housing. It works with a network of almost 300 community-based affiliate organizations across the U.S.
- Mijente: Mijente is a national nonprofit organization that describes itself as a "political home" for Latinos interested in racial, economic, gender and climate justice. Mijente's work includes launching and supporting online campaigns, building a network of progressive Latinos, and mobilizing voters.
- Latino Victory: Latino Victory is a national organization dedicated to building political power for Latinos, so that Latinos are represented at all levels of the government. Latino Victory does this by empowering Latino voters, developing a Latino donor pipeline and developing Latino leaders and candidates.
- Labor Council for Latin American Advancement: LCLAA is a grassroots organization that focuses on Latino workers and their families. It organizes Latinos so that they may participate in the political process and strengthen the labor movement. It also engages in research and advocacy.
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund: MALDEF is dedicated to protecting and defending the rights of all Latinos in the U.S. It pursues its mission through litigation, working in such areas as education, employment, immigration, and voting rights.
- Latino Community Foundation: LCF seeks to increase philanthropic investment in Latino-led organizations in California, increase Latino civic participation, and build Latino political power in the state.
Other Organizations for Donors to Consider
There are many other organizations working to build Latino power that donors should consider, including organizations that focus in key states. Here are some additional prominent Latino organizations for donors to consider: