Unlocking the full potential of Latinas
Founded by activist and actor Eva Longoria in 2012, our mission is to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship. By providing Latinas with the resources to succeed in school and business, we can help empower the Latino community.
Latinas in the U.S. are a rapidly growing group with extraordinary potential, yet they disproportionately lack educational opportunities and face economic challenges:
Despite these discouraging statistics, we are optimistic about the future. Ambitious and hardworking, Latinas are one of the nation’s greatest untapped resources:
Latinas are a rapidly growing, high potential group who disproportionately live in poverty
Latinas typically lack or do not access the resources to break the cycle of poverty.
Culturally-relevant education and entrepreneurship programs can help Latinas build better futures.
Latinas’ economic and educational success will empower them, their communities and the country as a whole.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time supporting charitable causes and, because I’m an actor, people tend to pay attention. I often get asked “why” or “where” my commitment to philanthropy comes from. My response is always that I’ve been doing it forever, but no one used to notice!
I come from humble beginnings in south Texas and from a very young age my parents taught me that giving back to the community was just a part of life. Today I am honored to have a platform with more resources and supporters to highlight and make a significant impact on the issues that are close to my heart.
In 2012, I decided to start my own foundation to concentrate my efforts and bring people together to empower women – specifically Latinas – to reach their full potential. We focus on education and entrepreneurship because both have the power to transform lives.
Our goal is not only to have a positive impact on the Latinas we serve directly, but also to shape the national conversation about how to support the growing Latina population and to raise the visibility of women of color who are bucking trends and changing our narrative.
Ultimately, we want the Latina story to be one of academic and career success, equal representation, appropriate recognition and economic mobility.
