Nonprofit organizations have until Sept. 28 to apply for grants that serve the Latino community through the Juanita Sánchez Community Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. The grants will range from $500 to $1,500.

The fund was created in 1992 through contributions from Sánchez’s friends and family members who wished to honor her achievements as a community leader, organizer and long-time believer in fighting for the unmet needs and rights of Latinos. The fund has awarded nearly $110,000 in grants to date. 

Recent recipients include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence, which used its grant to support an after-school swim program for students who participate in the 21^st-Century Learning Community at Jorge Alvarez High School; the Community Preparatory School in Providence, which used its grant to give scholarships to Latina girls; and the Washington Park Citizens' Association in Providence, which used its grant to deliver culturally-sensitive after-school programs to low-income, Latino children.

The fund is guided by an advisory committee comprised of Marta Martinez, Michelle Cortes-Harkins, Tian Ristaino-Siegel and Antonio Sánchez. Members of the public can support the fund’s work by donating online. 

“More than 25 years after her death, Juanita Sánchez still evokes powerful memories, smiles, tears, advocacy and the act of giving to Latino issues in Rhode Island. Today, the Sánchez Fund celebrates Juanita’s work by making small grants to organizations that hope to serve the unmet needs and advance the rights of Latinos. As a former colleague and founding member of this fund, I encourage organizations serving our Latino community to apply,” said Martinez.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $38 million and awarded $43 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2017. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential.