The National Council of la Raza (NCLR) exists to improve life opportunities for Americans of Hispanic descent. A nonprofit, tax-exemp organization incorporated in Arizona in 1968, NCLR serves as an advocate for Hispanic Americans and as a National umbrella organization for 142 formal "affiliates," community-based organizarions which serve Hispanics in 35 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. NCLR seeks to create opportunities and address problems of discrimination and poverty in the Hispanic community through four major types of initiatives:
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NCLR has field offices in Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; and McAllen, Texas. NCLR has an annual budget of $6 million and a staff of 64. Three-fourths of NCLR's budget comes from private sources including corporations, foundations and individuals, and one-fourth from the public sector.
NCLR is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors. Bylaws require that the Board reflect the Hispanic population in terms of subgroups and geographic representation, that half the members represent NCLR affiliates or other constituencies, and that the Board include equal numbers of men and women. Raul Yzaguirre, NCLR's president and Chief Executive Officer, has provided staff leadership since 1974; he is a voting member of the Board.
NCLR receives ongoing advice and assistance from its Corporate Board of Advisors. Senior executives and liason staff from 21 major corporations work with NCLR and its network on a variety or cooperative efforts, from education projects to visibility and fund-raising efforts.
NCLR's Policy Analysis Center serves as a "think tank" on public policy issues, generating information for public- and private-sector policy makers, the hispanic community and the media. Current policy analysis priorities include education, language issues, poverty, emigration, employment and training, civil rights enforcement, the elderly, housing and community development and health. NCLR's policy analysis products are disseminated to a national network of Hispanic and other leaders, policy-makers and organizations, including members of Congress and their staff, state and local officials and corporate executives. Nonpartisan legislative advocacy is carried out in accordance with regulations governing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.
An evaluation by the Brooklins Institution, conducted in late 1985 at the request of the Rockefeller Foundation, concluded that: "La Raza's policy analysis fills a critically important need, the organization has excellent leadership, the staff has gained a reputation for accuracy and informed judgement among potential allies in Washington and the group is at least as effective as - and perhaps more effective than any other Hispanic organization in Washington."
NCLR has built a reputation as a stable source of assistance to Local Hispanic groups. For most of its 23 years, NCLR has provided capacity building assistance to the staff and Board members of Hispanic comunity-based organizations. These efforts are coordinated through the Office of Technical Assistance and Constituancy Support (TACS). Each year, through a combianation of structured staff and board training and on-site assistance, NCLR assists several hundred Hispanic organizations. Most assistance focuses on resource development, program operations, management or governace needs.
NCLR also adresses critical community needs through national emphasis programs operated in cooperation with our affiliates. Through project HOW (Hispanic Opportunities in the Worforce), NCLR is working to increase the number, size, capacity and effectiveness of JTPA (Job Training Partnersip Act) employment and training programs run by Hispanic community-based organizations. Seed grants supplement technical assistance and help emerging community-based organizations. NCLR has also begun a major initiative on housing and community development.
NCLR's annual conference has become the premier national Hispanic event, attracting more than 6,000 paticipants each year. It provides extensive information and training workshops, as well as the opportunity for representatives of Hispanic community-based organizations to interact with private-sector representatives, public officials and community leaders.
The National Farmworker Center (NFC) assures that the concerns of migrant and seasonal farmworkers are integrated into NCLR's policy analysis, capacity-building assistance and advocacy services. Members include NCLR affiliates which serve farmworker populations.
In 1991, NCLR established a new component to coordiante incubation of new and innovative projects, institutionalization of systems and activities, staff development and quality control. The Office of Institutional Development (O.I.D.) coordinates NCLR's national initiatives in education, AIDS and other health education efforts, the elderly and leadership development,as well as international projects involving Europe.
NCLR's largest national initiatives is Project EXCEL (Excellence in Community Educational Leadership), a partnership with NCLR's affiliates for the development and testing of innovative community-based education models designed to improve Hispanic educational attainment. The NCLR AIDS Center serves as an information clearinghouse and source of training for NCLR affiliates and other groups committed to AIDS prevention and education. Its work has become the catalyst for broader NCLR involvement in helath education, prevention and promotion efforts. NCLR seeks to increase understanding of Hispanic health status and needs, and to serve as a liason between mainstream health entities and Hispanic community-based organizations. Hispanics are the fastest growing elderly-population; through the Ancianos Network Project, NCLR is working to increase the involvement of its affiliates in elderly services.
Special projects complement NCLR's ongoing activities designed to strenghten the relationship between the U.S. Hispanic community and Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain. NCLR's Stay-in-School public awareness campaign encourages school attendance bt Hispanic youth through public service announcements (PSAs) aired on television. NCLR participates in the federal government's Convined Federal Campaign (CFC) as #0441.
NCLR carries out public information activities designed to increase public awareness of the Hispanic community's status and needs, NCLR's activities and public policy positions and the contributions made by NCLR's network of Hispanic community-based organizations. NCLR publishes a quartely newsletter, Agenda, issues press releasesand disseminates editorials which present NCLR prespectives on policy issues.
For more information:
NCLR
810 First Street, N.E., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 200002
Phone: (202) 289-1380
Fax: (202) 289-8173