The Essential Fund: A Fund By HIP to Support Latinx Essential Workers

HIP Raises $1.9 Million toward $3 Million Dollar Essential Fund 

The systemic shock of COVID-19 reveals the often-invisible essential services of Latinx and Latin American immigrant workers across the country: from cultivating, processing, driving, stocking, and delivering food to our tables to caring, serving and offering other services in our homes, hospitals, schools, hotels, construction sites and clinics. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic and social disparities already impacting our Latinx and immigrant communities—made up of mixed-status, undocumented and multi-generational families. With over 84% unable to telework, Latinx workers and their children and the elders are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. Immigrant workers disproportionately lack protections in the workplace, access to safety net programs and unemployment insurance even though they pay taxes and have a purchasing power of $1.5 trillion. Sadly, Latinx essential workers disproportionately occupy the country’s 10 lowest-paying jobs, and are acutely vulnerable to contracting the virus, losing their jobs and suffering from hunger.

Our communities stand at the brink of economic, health, and social devastation, yet across the country, there are countless community leaders and organizations actively providing the first line of defense, building power and leadership in our communities, and ensuring our essential workers are safe and supported.

The Essential Fund

HIP’s Essential Fund supports Latinx-led and Latinx-serving organizations with close ties to the community in their efforts to provide much-needed COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts, including resourcing communities with cash, food, and rental assistance, PPE and cleaning/disinfectant supply kits, child care, critical information and other resources needed to help our country flatten the curve, as well as provide workers with the tools and leadership needed to continue providing essential services for our country.

The Essential Fund will invest in organizations that have strong community relationships and an ability to move funding quickly to individuals most in need, ultimately building power in our communities. The ideal partners include organizations with the following profiles:

• Organizations with proven leadership and close community ties through their organizing base and comprehensive services;
• Organizations connected to systems that create close associations with workers, families, youth, and other community members, including
  • School systems (i.e. ongoing DACA clinics and social services to undocumented students);
  • Day labor and worker centers;
  • Health and social services clinics;
  • Churches and other faith-based groups; and
  • Shelters and soup kitchens.
• Organizations already engaged in  rapid response through existing social services provisions and movement and power building (including promotoras and community organizers)
• Legal services organizations that act as trusted intermediaries, particularly most recently where legal relief has diminished and work authorization is challenging to obtain
• Organizations that coordinate and support networks of local or grassroots  organizations
• Latino or local community foundations working in partnership with relevant organizations

Join our Fund!

HIP’s Essential Fund has raised $1.9 million towards a goal of $3 million—we invite funders to help us reach and surpass our goal to ensure that essential workers across the country receive the support they need to sustain their livelihoods and health during this critical time. Partner with us and leverage your ability and impact in reaching workers in particularly impacted and hard-to-reach populations and where resources are lacking. Together we can lift up and support our essential workers and address the injustices within our systems to ensure long-term solutions for all.