About
Advancing the Latino Story.
LPPI has emerged as a respected and leading voice in data-driven policy and Latino-focused research. Recognized for timely, impactful work across academia, media, government, and grassroots advocacy, LPPI’s model is grounded in cross-disciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and leadership development.
As LPPI expands from a strong base in Los Angeles to national relevance, partners across sectors recognize LPPI as a credible, mission-driven institution that produces high-quality, actionable research.
The UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute utilizes a multi-pronged approach to ensure Latinos and other communities of color have a seat at the decision-making table and fair opportunities to thrive.
Through data science and rigorous research, UCLA LPPI shines a spotlight on the policy issues that matter most to Latinos and other communities of color.
UCLA LPPI uses the convening power of the nation’s leading public university to connect innovators who can drive change through the streets, boardrooms, the courts, and elected office.
UCLA LPPI invests in civic leaders determined to make an impact by exposing students to the policy challenges of today with the research training necessary to inform a better tomorrow.
UCLA LPPI puts its research and academic expertise to work to inform evidence-based policy reforms at the federal, state, and local levels that expand opportunity for all Americans.
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. UCLA’s 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, LPPI has supported policymakers and organizations by providing empirical research and analysis to increase representation, expand opportunity, and combat disparate impacts.
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 had originally been housed at LPPI, became an independent entity under the direction of Founding Faculty Director, Dr. Barreto.
Today, LPPI is led by Director Dr. Amada Armenta and Deputy Director Lila Burgos, and is powered by over 40 full-time staff, undergraduate and graduate student fellows, and an extensive network of affiliated faculty experts and community partners across the United States.
