Empowering Communities: Celebrating Affiliate Success

As the year ends, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the UnidosUS Affiliate Network. Your unwavering commitment inspires us every day to rise to your example.

As we look to the future, we reaffirm our commitment to serving the Latino community and fostering strong partnerships. In this moment of reflection and gratitude, we celebrate the impact of the UnidosUS Affiliate Network, recognizing the incredible work they do to empower our communities. Thank you for your unwavering leadership and dedication to creating meaningful changes.

With a network of over 300 Affiliates across the country, UnidosUS partners with community-based organizations dedicated to supporting Latinos. The Affiliate of the Year Program recognizes outstanding organizations annually for their efforts in empowering Latinos and driving meaningful, positive changes in their community.

Each year, six organizations — one from each UnidosUS region — are selected as winners. These organizations demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovative programming, and active collaboration with UnidosUS to amplify a unified voice. Of these six regional winners, one is chosen as the National Affiliate of the Year.

The selection process includes both internal and external nominations to identify Affiliates that embody the UnidosUS mission. If you’d like to learn more about the program or share your organization’s achievements, please contact the Affiliate Engagement Team at [email protected].

The Concilio is the 2024 UnidosUS National Affiliate of the Year.

The Concilio has been serving the North Texas area for more than 40 years, offering high-impact programs in education, wealth-building, and health to improve the socioeconomic status of Latino families. Their mission is to build stronger communities by empowering Latino families to excel in both work and life.

This year, UnidosUS honored The Concilio as the National Affiliate of the Year at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada and celebrated the establishment of their Latino Strategy Institute, a groundbreaking initiative that addresses the systemic barriers preventing Latino success. The Institute focuses on three key pillars: elevating the narrative, building organizational capacity, and driving change. Since its inception, The Concilio has championed reforms in education and health, fostered Latino leadership and amplified the Latino narrative.

The Concilio’s client-centered, grassroots service model adapts to the evolving needs of Dallas’s Latino community. By recruiting staff from within their community, they ensure a deep understanding of the challenges facing vulnerable, hard-to-reach Latino populations. Through culturally sensitive and bilingual outreach, The Concilio has forged strong relationships with over 30 North Texas nonprofits, forming La Alianza DFW. This coalition elevates the voices and needs of the Latino community, advocating for meaningful change with civic, government and philanthropic leaders.

UnidosUS is proud to celebrate The Concilio’s impactful work and invite you to watch a video highlighting their efforts, along with a replay of President & CEO Florencia Velasco Fortner’s acceptance speech at our Annual Conference.

Regional Winners

Building Skills Partnership (BSP) is UnidosUS’s California Affiliate of the Year.

This year’s California Regional Affiliate of the Year is Building Skills Partnership (BSP). BSP’s mission is to empower property and airport service workers, along with their families, by fostering personal and professional growth through skills development, education, and community advancement.

Since its establishment in 2007, BSP has operated across California, serving communities in Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Palo Alto and beyond. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, BSP collaborates with SEIU-United Service Workers West, janitorial employers, building owners and community leaders. Their programs address the challenges faced by immigrant workers and their families, promoting social, civic, and economic integration.

In response to the pandemic’s impact, BSP launched a transformative 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, shifting from direct service delivery to a systemic approach that tackles the root causes affecting the Latinx community and property service workers. This innovative strategy is built on two pillars: Transformative Programming and Systems Change.

Their “Just & Equitable Recovery Framework” highlights BSP’s commitment to addressing systemic barriers to achieve true recovery and equity. This framework focuses on workforce development, immigrant inclusion and community advancement to create an ecosystem of prosperity and belonging for California’s property service workers and their families.

BSP leverages its unique role as a labor-management convener and grassroots advocate to shape policy and influence legislation. By amplifying the voices of workers at local, state and national levels, BSP ensures their concerns and needs are integral to systemic change.

This strategic pivot exemplifies BSP’s role in addressing the complex challenges faced by the Latino community, making them a leader in economic equity and immigrant inclusion.

We proudly celebrate BSP’s exceptional work in California and look forward to continued partnership in the years to come!

Mountain Park Health Center (MPHC) is UnidosUS’s Far West Affiliate of the Year.

Mountain Park Health Center (MPHC) has been named the Far West Regional Affiliate of the Year. For over 40 years, MPHC has provided affordable healthcare for families, serving nearly 100,000 individuals annually across Goodyear, Tempe, Phoenix and the Valley. As a nonprofit community health center, MPHC is committed to fostering human connection and pursuing excellence in healthcare delivery.

A core focus of MPHC is expanding access to primary and preventive care, ensuring more people receive the services they need Their Community Partnership Specialist positions strengthen connections with local schools, clinics and organizations and engage directly with parents, students, employees, and community members to build stronger, healthier communities.

The Mountain Park Jesse Owens Clinic holds a historic place as the first medical care clinic in South Phoenix, originally serving as a destination for urgent care, pediatrics and more. Since becoming part of Mountain Park, the clinic has continued its vital role as a dedicated site for sick visits, a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, an official polling location and the host of the annual Jesse Owens 5K. Its contributions to community health and engagement remain a cornerstone of South Phoenix.

For their exceptional work in advancing primary and preventive care, MPHC proudly represents the Far West region as a beacon of health and community empowerment.

Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (NEOHCED) is this year’s Midwest Affiliate of the Year.

The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (NEOHCED) has been named the Midwest Regional Affiliate of the Year. NEOHCED is a dynamic organization that hosts the Small Business Development Centers program and the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, while also leading the redevelopment and placemaking initiative, La Villa Hispana. Their mission is to promote equitable asset building in Cleveland’s Latino and other underserved communities through economic and entrepreneurial technical assistance, training, and advocacy.

We recognize NEOHCED achievement in the launch and management of a $12 million campaign to create affordable retail space for Hispanic business owners in an area previously lacking such opportunities. This initiative also addresses food scarcity, transforming a former “food swamp” into a source of clean, healthy food.

One of NEOHCED’s flagship projects is CentroVilla25 (CV25), the repurposing of a vacant 32,500-square-foot warehouse into a vibrant hub for economic opportunity. CV25 will feature 20 micro-retail spaces where local and Hispanic entrepreneurs can realize their business dreams within their own neighborhood. The site will also house a fully certified commercial kitchen, providing a professional space for local caterers, food trucks and chefs. This facility offers home-based cooks a legal, secure environment to scale their operations, extending business growth beyond CV25’s premises.

The development of CV25 has been NEOHCED’s most ambitious project since its founding in 1961. This transformative initiative, a decade in the making, is the result of a collaborative effort spanning city and county partnerships, extensive planning, fundraising and community engagement. CV25 will drive economic impact by creating jobs, fostering business development, strengthening the local economy, and celebrating the neighborhood’s rich and growing Latino culture.

Congratulations to NEOHCED for your visionary leadership, unwavering support for Latino businesses and for transforming your community through opportunity and innovation!

Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. is this year’s Northeast Affiliate of the Year.

Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. (Congreso) has been named the Northeast Regional Affiliate of the Year. Based in eastern North Philadelphia, Congreso is a multiservice nonprofit organization with a mission to empower Latino neighborhoods to achieve economic self-sufficiency and well-being.

One of Congreso’s standout achievements is the successful expansion of its home-buying program, Mi Casa. By integrating digital literacy into the curriculum, Congreso helps low-income, Latino clients overcome barriers and evade poverty.

This year, Congreso is recognized for its innovative problem-solving approaches. Despite offering over 40 services, only 11-12% of clients enroll in more than one service annually. To address this, Congreso developed the Congreso Client Referral App, a groundbreaking solution designed to eliminate barriers to program referrals and increase client engagement in multiple services. In partnership with Milkcrate, a Philadelphia-based software development firm specializing in nonprofit apps, Congreso created a prototype of the app, which is currently being evaluated agency-wide. The full launch is set for January 2025.

Congreso predicts the app will increase the percentage of clients utilizing two or more services from 11-12% to 30-40%, positively impacting thousands more. The app includes robust reporting features to track metrics such as client engagement across services, referrals sent and accepted, time to completion and program utilization rates.

To foster innovation within the organization, Congreso developed a Human-Centered Design (HCD) Toolkit, a set of over 15 design tools rigorously tested across its programs. This toolkit equips staff with training and resources to incorporate feedback from clients and staff into program design, ensuring models meet the nuanced needs of Congreso’s community. Congreso leadership has shared the toolkit’s success at conferences and webinars, garnering widespread interest and recognition for its impact on improving program experiences.

We applaud Congreso’s innovative solutions and commitment to serving the Latino community, and we look forward to their continued growth and impact!

Housing and Education Alliance (HEA) is UnidosUS’s Southeast Affiliate of the Year.

Housing and Education Alliance (HEA) has been named the Southeast Regional Affiliate of the Year. Founded in 2002, HEA is a HUD-Certified Housing Counseling Agency dedicated to providing culturally sensitive and bilingual housing counseling services. As a UnidosUS Affiliate and a member of the Unidos Wealth and Homeownership Alliance (UWHA), HEA has leveraged additional resources to benefit the communities they serve.

Today, HEA offers comprehensive housing services to residents across Central Florida, helping them achieve their dreams of homeownership or navigate foreclosure prevention. With a team of board members and staff boasting over 200 years of combined experience in real estate, mortgages, counseling, economic development and business, HEA brings unparalleled expertise to its work.

We recognize HEA’s innovative approach to expanding access to homebuyer education through HomeTRACK Online and HomeTRACK en Español. These award-winning, nationally recognized platforms provide 24/7 access to homebuyer education, breaking down barriers such as childcare, work schedulesand transportation. By incorporating engaging “EDU-tainment” elements like games, cartoons, and videos, HomeTRACK enhances understanding of key topics like budgeting and credit, equipping clients with the knowledge for successful homeownership.

HEA’s dedication to innovation and collaboration extends beyond technology. They actively collaborate with residents, businesses, nonprofits, and government partners to revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen communities.

Congratulations to HEA for your commitment to empowering the Latino community and for your continued leadership in creating opportunities for lasting prosperity!