NCLR Community Development Programs

Overview

NCLR seeks to increase the level of tangible assets held by Latinos through promoting savings, increasing the rate of Hispanic homeownership, and providing capital for Hispanic community-based organizations.  The primary programmatic initiatives include the NCLR Homeownership Network, Economic Mobility Centers, Latino Social Venture Fund, and the Raza Development Fund.

NCLR Homeownership Network

Today, NHN consist of 50 NCLR affiliates in 25 states, funded by the department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the private homebuying industry. NHN agencies have two core services.  The first is pre-purchase homeownership counseling, which helps first-time homebuyers navigate the purchase process.  The second is post-purchase counseling which helps families manage their new asset and provides intervention services for families in danger of losing their home through predatory lending or foreclosure.  Unique to the NHN model is the emphasis on individual one-on-one counseling, which is critical to Latino families who are not familiar with mainstream financial services. Group homebuyer and homeowner education and rental counseling augment the one-on-one sessions.  Learn More.

To learn more or to find a homeownership counselor near you, click here. 

Latino Social Venture Fund

To assist community-based organizations in addressing important needs in communities confronting substantial new immigration of Latino families and in border states facing significant challenges from the absolute number of Latinos, NCLR and the Raza Development Fund have teamed up to create the Latino Social Venture Fund, a new predevelopment and operating grant program targeting projects in education, health, housing development, and housing counseling.  Learn More.

Mas a Ti

The National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Family Asset-Building Initiative conducts and supports research on the structural barriers to wealth-building for Latino families, identifying the obstacles that Latinos face in the financial services market, and recommending effective solutions for overcoming the challenges.  Based on this research and NCLR’s experience in managing its 11-year-old, extensive Homeownership Network, we have developed an innovative approach to serving the financial education needs of low-income families with our Economic Mobility Centers (EMCs).  Our newest program, Mas a ti, will connect Latino families to existing financial education and counseling programs while also offering affordable financial services.  Learn More.

Raza Development Fund

The Raza Development Fund, Inc. (RDF) is a support corporation of the National Council of La Raza, established in 1998 as NCLR’s community development lending arm.  The mission of RDF’s Hope Fund is to provide flexible but high-quality loans, along with technical assistance, to entities that provide services and opportunities to low-income Latino families, a mission that is consistent with and complementary to the mission of NCLR.  Since its inception, RDF has become the largest Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the United States. Learn More.