Tag: equity

  • The “One‑Size‑Fits‑All Minority” Problem

    The “One‑Size‑Fits‑All Minority” Problem

    Broad labels erase community diversity

    Foundations love efficiency: one framework, one set of outcomes, all framed in one neat category on the dashboard. Nowhere is that more obvious, and generally more damaging, than in how many of them treat “minority” as a one-size-fits-all label. Worse, in trying to be “diverse,” they actually deny diversity.

    Black, Latino, Native, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and multiracial communities are irrationally bundled into one word: “minority.” Or, if they are feeling modern, “BIPOC.” It sounds inclusive. It is anything but.

    Once communities are stuffed into a single bucket, all the differences that matter for real solutions get sanded off. Hispanic communities, for example, share some experiences with other groups, but you cannot design serious strategy without acknowledging what is unique.

    Diversity is real: descriptions that deny it are only comforting fantasies that lead to ineffective funding
    If they think we’re all the same… You get the message: now tell funders what they are not seeing

    What a generic category misses

    • Language dynamics, from bilingual households to Spanish-dominant elders
    • Immigration status and mixed-status families, with all the fear and barriers that brings
    • Distinct histories: Puerto Ricans as U.S. citizens from a colonized territory, Mexican-origin communities with deep roots in the Southwest, and recent Central American migrants fleeing violence
    • Regional concentration: a “Latino strategy” in the Midwest looks very different from one in Florida, Texas, or Puerto Rico

    When a foundation calls all of that “minority communities,” two things happen. First, the grant strategy tends to default to whatever narrative is most familiar to people in power, and that is often not a Latino narrative. Second, the data gets averaged, which is the opposite of diversity. Results are reported at the “BIPOC” or “people of color” level, so Latino gains or losses disappear inside a blended number.

    If your data can’t find you, their dollars won’t either.

    Build precision into your materials

    Start with your own house. In every document, from your website and one-pagers to your proposals, name your community precisely and consistently. Do not just say you serve “diverse populations.” Say you serve “Latino day laborers in X city,” “Spanish-speaking families in Y rural area,” or “Puerto Rican youth aging out of foster care.” Make it impossible for anyone to mistake who you are about.

    Next, ask funders to disaggregate their data. On a call or in a proposal, you might write:

    • “We understand this initiative focuses on ‘communities of color.’ Will you be tracking Latino-specific participation and outcomes, given the demographics of this region?
    • “Our service area is 60% Latino. Can your reporting system break out results by ethnicity so we can see whether Latino residents are benefiting equitably?”

    You are not just chasing a bigger slice of the pie; you are insisting on visibility. Nuanced data is the only way to know whether “equity” is happening or merely being claimed.

    Push together and offer solutions

    Third, do not push alone. Connect with other Latino-serving organizations in your city, state, or issue area. Compare notes. Bring shared data to funders: “Across our organizations, we’re seeing consistent gaps in how Latino communities are reached and funded. Here are the numbers. Here are some portfolio changes that would make a real difference.” Many program officers are overworked and under-informed; you can educate them together.

    Finally, be ready with alternatives. It is not enough to say, “Your categories are bad.” Offer better ones: suggest separate Latino lines in RFPs, region-specific strategies, language-access budgets, and targets for Latino-led grantees. The more concrete your suggestions, the harder they are to ignore.

    A community is not a checkbox

    “Minority” may be a checkbox on someone’s form, but your community is not a checkbox. It is a mosaic of histories, languages, and struggles that deserve focused strategy, not a generic label that denies its diversity. Your job is to insist on that focus: relentlessly, specifically, and with data to back it up.

  • When “Diversity” Doesn’t Mean Hispanic Communities

    When “Diversity” Doesn’t Mean Hispanic Communities

    The invisible-ink problem

    Every grantmaker loves the word “diversity.” It’s in the guidelines, webinars, conference keynotes, and annual reports. But ask yourself: when they say “diversity,” do they actually mean your Hispanic community or are you just supposed to assume you’re included?

    Too often, Hispanic communities are treated like the invisible ink of DEI: technically there, but only if you squint and already know what you’re looking for.

    The gap between rhetoric and resources

    Nationally, Latinos are around one-fifth of the U.S. population and growing. Yet Latino-serving nonprofits receive a tiny fraction—less than 1%—of overall foundation funding, and Latinos remain barely visible in foundation leadership and program staff. That means the people writing the checks and setting the priorities can talk about “equity” all day while being structurally disconnected from the communities they claim to serve.

    The root problem is vague language. Funders talk about “diverse communities,” “communities of color,” “BIPOC,” “marginalized groups,” and “underserved populations.” All are technically true for Hispanic communities, but none require funders to say “Latino” or “Hispanic” even once. You can design an entire grant portfolio around “diversity” and never have a specific, resourced strategy for Latino families, workers, or neighborhoods.

    When something is not named, it is not measured. When it is not measured, it is not funded.

    Talk to funders: it's part of their job, it's definitely part of yours, and you can learn more in 20 minutes than in hours of research

    Demand specificity from funders

    First, stop playing along with the vagueness. When you read guidelines full of generic DEI language, ask: “Where are Latinos in this picture?” If the answer is not obvious, that is already data. You may be looking at an opportunity that uses your community as a brochure photo while directing real money somewhere else.

    Second, get comfortable asking direct questions. On an information call or in an email, try:

    “Your guidelines talk about ‘diverse communities.’ Our service area is majority Latino. Do you track Latino-specific impact or have any goals related to Latino populations?”

    You’re not being difficult; you’re giving them a chance to move from fog to focus. If they cannot or will not answer, you have learned what you need to know.

    Make your community unignorable

    Third, make your community unignorable in your own materials. Name who you serve precisely and consistently: “Puerto Rican families in X towns/cities/counties/states,” “Mexican and Central American workers in Y region,” or “Spanish-dominant seniors in Z housing complexes.” Pair that with local demographics and outcomes. Do not just say “we serve diverse communities.” That is their language. Say, “We serve Latinos, and here’s what’s happening in our backyard.”

    Fourth, tie your work directly to the funder’s stated priorities, but keep your community at the center. If they care about education, show Latino graduation and dropout data. If they care about health, show Latino health disparities in your region. Diversity should not be a side dish; it should be the way they achieve the outcomes they claim to want.

    Diversity precision is power

    Remember this: if a DEI strategy never says “Latino” out loud, it is not inclusion; it is illusion. Your job is not to beg to be included in someone else’s vague category. Your job is to force clarity and make your community so visible, specific, and essential to real impact that funders cannot hide behind generalities anymore.

    That is not being pushy. That is being precise. And precision is where power starts.