NCLR Community Development Programs
Overview
NCLR seeks to increase the level of tangible assets held by Latinos through promoting savings, increasing the rate of Hispanic homeownership, and providing capital for Hispanic community-based organizations. The primary programmatic initiatives include the NCLR Homeownership Network, Economic Mobility Centers, Latino Social Venture Fund, and the Raza Development Fund.
NCLR Homeownership Network
Today, NHN consist of 45 NCLR affiliates in 20 states, funded by the department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the private homebuying industry. NHN agencies have two core services. The first is pre-purchase homeownership counseling, which helps first-time homebuyers navigate the purchase process. The second is post-purchase counseling which helps families manage their new asset and provides intervention services for families in danger of losing their home through predatory lending or foreclosure. Unique to the NHN model is the emphasis on individual one-on-one counseling, which is critical to Latino families who are not familiar with mainstream financial services. Group homebuyer and homeowner education and rental counseling augment the one-on-one sessions. Learn More.
To learn more or to find a homeownership counselor near you, click here.
Estamos Unidos con un Propósito™ Campaign
Diageo’s Estamos Unidos con un Propósito™ (We Are United with a Purpose) campaign continues the company’s commitment to social responsibility. Entering its third year, the 2008 program focuses on financial education with the goal of providing financial resources to the Latino community. Research continues to show that many Latinos living in the United States remain disconnected from mainstream financial institutions and can benefit from learning financial tools that are essential to long-term economic growth and prosperity.
For this reason, Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks company, has partnered with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Diageo’s $250,000 donation to NCLR is helping local community-based organizations offer financial education seminars that are available to the public free-of-charge.
Learn More.
Latino Social Venture Fund
To assist community-based organizations in addressing important needs in communities confronting substantial new immigration of Latino families and in border states facing significant challenges from the absolute number of Latinos, NCLR and the Raza Development Fund have teamed up to create the Latino Social Venture Fund, a new predevelopment and operating grant program targeting projects in education, health, housing development, and housing counseling. Learn More.
Economic Mobility Centers
The Economic Mobility Center model is a unique NCLR effort, providing low- and moderate-income families a central place where a menu of services are provided, utilizing the case management expertise available through NHN organizations. The services offered at each of the selected sites are broken down into core programs that have a specific result once the services are successfully delivered. These include homeownership counseling, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), and community tax preparation. In addition, support services will be offered to complement and further supplement the families’ edification in one or more of the core programs. The support services include financial education, affordable banking services, and credit counseling. NCLR believes that these programs are key factors in asset accumulation for low-income Latinos. Learn More.
Raza Development Fund
The Raza Development Fund, Inc. (RDF) is a support corporation of the National Council of La Raza, established in 1998 as NCLR’s community development lending arm. The mission of RDF’s Hope Fund is to provide flexible but high-quality loans, along with technical assistance, to entities that provide services and opportunities to low-income Latino families, a mission that is consistent with and complementary to the mission of NCLR. Since its inception, RDF has become the largest Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the United States. Learn More.
