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LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) announced today that it has received $125,000 in general funding over two years from the Weingart Foundation to support all of UCLA LPPI’s functions, including its research, data collection, advocacy and leadership development activities as well as growth of its staff. 

“As the current and future workforce of our nation, the need for dedicated applied research focused on Latinos is clear,” said Maria Samaniego, deputy director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. “This funding will allow us to strengthen and expand our capacity to inform tailored public policies that produce better outcomes and put us on the pathway to shared prosperity.” 

UCLA LPPI believes there is no American Agenda without a Latino Agenda. It works to ensure that policy-making is centered on the needs of Latinos and other communities of color, and is designed to address the most critical domestic policy challenges. UCLA LPPI does this through rigorous research; advocacy at the federal, state and local levels to shape policy solutions; convening innovators who can drive change from the streets to the boardroom to the Senate  floor; and developing the leaders of tomorrow.  

After a pandemic that has disproportionately decimated the health and wealth of Latinos, the work of UCLA LPPI is critical to understanding existing inequity and implementing equitable recovery efforts that provide opportunity for all. Furthermore, the current redistricting process and the upcoming 2022 Midterm Elections offer an opportunity for the full potential of Latino political power to be realized. UCLA LPPI’s work is critical to developing advocates’ understanding of what is at stake for Latinos, how Latinos are voting and how they can be better engaged through the political process.  

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ABOUT UCLA LATINO POLICY AND POLITICS INSTITUTE
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 expand genuine opportunity for all Americans.