UnidosUS President & CEO reviewed UnidosUS’s work in 2021, priorities for the coming year, and the critical role that Affiliates will play in expanding our impact in Latino communities across the country. Janet Murguía answers questions from our Affiliates about federal funding, how UnidosUS will advocate for the best use of funds, and how Affiliates can share their stories about what works best to help shape our advocacy and narrative work (Hint: Email your Affiliate Engagement Representative or AE@unidosus.org).

Zandra Zuno Baermann, Senior Vice President Communications and Marketing, outlines UnidosUS’s Narrative Big Bet in achieving full recognition of the Latino community’s place in the country’s progress and the challenges posed by systemic discrimination. The presentation outlines the research, narrative development, efforts so far, and campaigns to come in 2022 including the message manual and training.

Pedro Martinez, Senior Strategist for Public Health Preparedness and Response at UnidosUS & Laura Ponce, Executive Director at Project Bravo (El Paso Community Action Program Project) joined in a dynamic conversation on how fellow Affiliates can build on the infrastructure it takes to receive federal funds. Understanding that federal funds can come through many different sources such as directly from federal government, the State, the County, the City, foundations, or directly from an organization such as UnidosUS can better help you prepare to meet all deliverables in the term of your contract. This session pointed to four core areas of preparation: fiscal infrastructure, operational infrastructure, programmatic infrastructure, and monitoring infrastructure.

Resources:

• Code of Federal Regulations - 2 CFR Part 200

• Find federal grant opportunities

• Register for a DUNS number on an annual basis

View presentation slides here.

Partnerships help create stronger communities and fostering relationships can be as easy as making a call. Many Affiliates currently exercise great collaborative models and have tools that support growing the organizations network of partners. We had an opportunity to hear from Petra Falcon, Executive Director, Promise Arizona and Elizabeth Lutz, Executive Director for The Health Collaborative in San Antonio, Texas. During this session Elizabeth Lutz shared more on how she leverages resources to extend the mission of The Health Collaborative into a new caliber of service-oriented initiatives that bring together leaders in the field of community health to promote their joint efforts while fostering a shared vision of prosperity for the citizens of Bexar County in San Antonio, Texas. Petra Falcon shared more on how to make connections in the community to mobilize voters to better serve the communities most in need.