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LPPI
Vision

There is no American agenda without a Latino agenda. We envision policy-making that centers on the needs of Latinos and communities of color, to operationalize dignity and opportunity.

Mission

The UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute addresses the most critical domestic policy challenges facing Latinos and other communities of color through research, advocacy, mobilization, and leadership development to propel policy reforms that expand genuine opportunity for all Americans.

Impact
Annual Report 2024
We invite you to explore our latest Annual Report to see how our work is fueling change—informing policy conversations, launching the next generation of Latino leaders, and equipping community organizations...
Annual Report 2023
America’s prosperity is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of Latinos. The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) is committed to identifying the unique needs of the nation’s diverse...
Annual Report 2022
America’s prosperity is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of Latinos. The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) is committed to identifying the unique needs of the nation’s diverse...
Annual Report 2021
In 2021, the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) was focused on laying the foundation for a more inclusive economy and democracy. With the intersecting crises of structural...
Annual Report 2020
In 2020, UCLA LPPI answered a call to action amidst a global pandemic by producing timely research on a variety of topics, including the Latino physician workforce, access to COVID-19...
Annual Report 2019
In 2019, UCLA LPPI focused on the emerging power of Latinos, the challenges they face and why the issues impacting Latino communities require unique policy solutions to build an equitable...
Annual Report 2018
In 2018, UCLA LPPI produced original and innovative research on a diverse range of topics, such as Latino homeownership, the 2018 midterm elections, Latinx representation across the nation’s preeminent museum,...

In 2017, Dr. Matt Barreto, Dr. Gary Segura and Sonja Diaz founded the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative
LPPI was built to address today’s most urgent policy challenges and opportunities through data and facts.

Latinos represent the largest racial and ethnic minority group in the U.S., yet face significant barriers to equal opportunity, access, and representation across the country. The UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) supports culturally and linguistically competent policy reforms, holds decision-makers accountable to the needs of communities of color, and provides a framework for local and state interventions across the U.S. that reflect the needs of the nation’s new majority. We infuse data and facts into governance and policymaking so that Latinos and communities of color have the tools necessary to meaningfully participate in American democracy. Since its launch, UCLA LPPI has supported policymakers and organizations by providing empirical research and analysis to increase representation, expand opportunity, and combat disparate impacts. 

UCLA LPPI was founded as the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative by Dr. Matt Barreto, Dr. Gary Segura and Sonja Diaz in 2017, through a partnership between the Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Division of Social Sciences. In 2022, the initiative officially became the Latino Policy & Politics Institute. In 2024, the UCLA Voting Rights Project, which was originally housed at UCLA LPPI, became its own entity under the direction of LPPI’s Founding Faculty Director, Dr. Barreto. 

Today, UCLA LPPI is led by Faculty Director and Associate Professor Dr. Amada Armenta and powered by over 20 full-time staff, undergraduate and graduate student fellows, and a network of affiliated faculty experts and community partners.