Donors & Funds - Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Latino Endowment FundIsmael Gracia remembers the phone call from his mother.He was at work when the letter arrived and she couldn’twait to tell him. “She was excited because I got acceptedat Eastern,” he said. “There is just no amount of wordsthat can describe all the joy about the program beingoffered to me.”The “program” is a unique pilot dual enrollmentarrangement between Eastern Connecticut State Universityand Quinebaug Valley Community College to increase thenumber of Latinos who advance beyond communitycollege to earn a bachelor’s degree. It’s funded in part bya two-year, $40,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation’sLatino Endowment Fund, a giving circle created in 2003 byLatino leaders to inspire philanthropy and supportorganizations serving Latinos in the Greater Hartfordregion.The grant for the dual enrollment program was awardedafter the members examined issues affecting Latinos abilityto achieve a higher education. They learned that Latinosenroll in community colleges more than any other groupbut are only half as likely as whites to obtain a bachelor’sdegree. This has a life-long impact, as much as 40 percentless in earning power alone.Best practices in closing the degree gap were discussed inMay when the Latino Endowment Fund co-sponsored,with the College Board, “Community Colleges and LatinoStudents: La Transferencia Critica,” at Saint Joseph College.Speakers included Elsa Núñez, president of EasternConnecticut State University; Stephen J. Handel, director ofthe national office of community college initiatives at theCollege Board; and Joshua Wyner, executive vice president,Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.Conceived by Dr. Núñez, the program selects promisinghigh school graduates and enrolls them in both schools,thus putting in place a seamless transfer process.The youths live at Eastern and participate in all activitieswhile taking classes at both schools with the goal ofbecoming a full-time student at Eastern. Nine graduatesfrom Hartford Public High School started the programlast August.For Ismael, the program “has opened up tons ofopportunity.” His goal is to graduate and become agraphic designer. And he wants to share the joy.“I would like to go back to myold high school and tell thestudents how much college canhelp,” he said. “With a collegeexperience, anything ispossible.”For 2009, the Latino Endowment Fund is examining themany forms of civic engagement within the Latinocommunity.The Latino Endowment Fund welcomes new members.For more information, contact Maggie Willard atmwillard@hfpg.org or 860-548-1888, or visitwww.hfpg.org/latino.The dual enrollment program has also attracted nationalattention with Estela López, then chair of the LatinoEndowment Fund, and Peter Rosa, a Hartford Foundationprogram officer, presenting it at a College Boardconference in Boston.Hartford Foundation for Public Giving 31