Listening to Community: Launch of the Nopalito Verde (Little Green Cactus) Fund 

Co-Authors: Laura Lemus, Director of Partnerships + Inarú Meléndez Vázquez, Senior Communications Manager 

Nopalito Verde is our way forward to support frontline leaders addressing the global climate crisis in Latine-dominant communities in the US. 

In 2022, HIP explored, with climate and environmental community leaders ranging from frontline activists to national organizations, how to best support Latine communities impacted by climate change and environmental injustices in the U.S. The results were a strong reminder that Latines protect sacred natural resources worsened by climate change and advocate for environmental justice in their communities but continue to be severely under-resourced.

Across neighborhoods, we see brilliant examples of communities reclaiming their right to environmental well-being. Latine communities provide rich cultural wisdom and ancestral knowledge on environmental stewardship. This expertise passed down through centuries of agricultural practices and sustainable resource management offers us solutions for today's environmental challenges. Our communities aren't just partners in environmental justice – they're architects of a more sustainable future.

Take Southwest Chicago where community leaders and organizers have consistently demonstrated their expertise in identifying sustainable solutions. Despite ongoing attempts to concentrate polluting facilities in their neighborhoods, our communities are leading the work through powerful grassroots initiatives. From creating community gardens in concrete landscapes to establishing local environmental monitoring programs, these leaders are redefining what environmental protection looks like. Their work proves that when communities have resources and decision-making power, they create comprehensive solutions that benefit everyone.

Yet, we tend to see frontline organizations struggling to connect with larger environmental funders. Funders often overlook our communities because we may not use the terms environmental justice or climate change impacts to describe our environmental work – even when we're doing the exact work they aim to support. 

This is why we created the Nopalito Verde Fund. 

We are eager to announce, alongside the generous support of the JPB Foundation and the Lemon Street Fund, our inaugural cohort of 11 organizations from Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota.

The Nopalito Verde Fund has a strategic focus in:

• The Gulf South and Midwest regions, which have significant Latine populations facing climate vulnerabilities yet receive disproportionately fewer resources compared to the rest of the US;
• Amplifying historically underrepresented voices within our communities, including women, youth, Indigenous Peoples from the Americas (who may not identify as Latine or Native American), Afro-descendant Latines, disabled Latines, and LGBTQIA+ Latines and US-based Latin Americans.

Each Nopalito Verde partner exemplifies how Latine communities holistically approach climate change and environmental justice. Their work powerfully demonstrates the intersection of climate action and Latine advocacy, building community power through collective action. These organizations align deeply with values of racial equity, including Black liberation and Indigenous and Native sovereignty.

Our selection process was guided by the wisdom of local leaders who know their communities best. We extend our deep gratitude to our council of advisors:

• Andrea Cristina Mercado, Executive Director of Florida Rising
• Dr. Christopher Basaldú, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
• Francisco Segovia, Executive Director of COPAL
• Myrna Salgado-Romo, Network Manager of Chicago Environmental Justice Network

But we know funding alone isn't enough. That's why our partners will have access to comprehensive support through tailored training and technical assistance, including:

• Organizational financial assessments
• State and federal fundraising guidance
• Policy advocacy training
• Asset-based communications support

At HIP, our role extends beyond simply distributing funds. We serve as a bridge, helping decode and amplify how our communities naturally speak about and practice environmental justice – we extend our platform to amplify visibility and accessibility to a philanthropic sector that often misses them. This work is essential for today and our future: we see how deeply our young Latine leaders care about climate justice. If we don't step up to support this work now, we're failing not just our current communities, but the next generation of environmental leaders. Their voices, experiences, and solutions must lead the way forward.

If you are interested in supporting Nopalito Verde, please contact Laura Lemus laura.lemus@hipfunds.org 

Meet our 2024-2025 Partners

Gulf South

Farmworkers Association of Florida is a statewide, grassroots, community-based, non-profit, farmworker membership organization with over 10,000 Haitian, Hispanic, and African American members and five offices in the state of Florida, working for social and environmental justice with farmworkers.

Florida Rising is dedicated to advancing economic and racial justice across the state by building power in historically marginalized communities, including political education that engages members specifically around the need to protect and expand democracy and how it affects their lives. 

Miami Freedom Project for Democracy is working to make a more just and equitable city through outreach, education and movement building at the intersection of political, cultural, and spiritual life. 

Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS) promotes environmental protection through education, policy development, community awareness, and legal action. TEJAS current campaigns are focused on chemical security, community research, public health, air toxics exposures and education outreach. 

Midwest

Climate Generation strategically engages high school youth, K-12 educators, decision-makers, and communities to act on systems perpetuating the climate crisis and build intergenerational power for climate and environmental justice. 

Comunidades Organizando El Poder y La Acción Latina (COPAL) serves and builds power with Latine families in Minnesota, especially through supporting mostly Ecuadorian families and workers who have newly made Minnesota their home. 

Free Street Theater work is focused on using theater, storytelling, and other cultural events to support racial, economic, and environmental justice efforts in the South and West sides of Chicago.

Indigenous Roots is dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating opportunities for Native, Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples through cultural arts and activism in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) works to organize with community to accomplish environmental justice in Little Village and achieve the self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families. 

Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) foster awareness, organize and promote community action on environmental justice to achieve environmental health and just transition by preventing and reducing pollution and building a green, healthy and sustainable community and environment.

Southeast Environmental Task Force is a nonprofit serving the southeast side and south suburbs of Chicago through environmental education, pollution prevention and sustainable development.