“For more than a decade, Hispanic Access has catapulted our trust-based community networks into action by providing access, capacity, and the belief to create beneficial changes in their communities,” said Hispanic Access Foundation President and CEO Maite Arce. "We are thrilled to receive support from the U.S. Forest Service to reach a larger network and equip them with the resources they need to address the climate crisis for their communities.”

For the project, Hispanic Access will launch an extensive mentorship program to help local leaders build climate resilience within their communities by finding and accessing grant funding and capacity-building support. For 180 of the organizations, we provide guidance and support in identifying funding eligibility, resources needed to apply for grant funds, and workshops and training sessions centered on building climate resilience and organizational capacity.

“About 70 percent of Latinos live in nature-deprived areas where the effects of climate change are affecting them the worst,” said Jessyca Saavedra, Community Navigator Program Director. “We hope this project bridges the gap to the Forest Service and their resources so communities who need it the most can access climate resilience resources. It is an invaluable opportunity to support community-based organizations in strengthening their capacity, and how they see themselves and their work engaging with the natural world around them.”

Throughout the two-year program and during outreach activities, Hispanic Access will collect data to capture the demand for program services and barriers experienced by community partners. Hispanic Access will work closely with the Forest Service to develop and deliver services and data collection with the goal of improving and scaling the impact of the program at large. To learn more about CNP, visit https://hispanicaccess.org/what-we-do/community-navigator-program.