The Arizona Center for Empowerment (ACE) is a left-leaning worker organizing and advocacy organization. Focused on Arizona’s Latino immigrant communities, its priorities include immigration, health care, income equality, and public education.

The group is a sister organization to Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), a worker center and lobbying nonprofit that pushes to radically liberalize the immigration and criminal justice systems and expand the role of labor unions in Arizona’s economy. ¹

Advocacy

In 2018, ACE joined a coalition of Arizona-based community groups called One Arizona to register voters before the midterm elections that year. ² Again in 2020, ACE partnered with One Arizona and launched a new campaign to register 250,000 people to vote in the November elections and to ensure full participation in the 2020 U.S. Census. ³

After President Donald Trump proposed ending the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2018, ACE launched a fundraising drive titled “Sponsor a Dream” to raise money to cover the cost of DACA renewal applications. ⁴

ACE opposed Arizona SB 1070, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, a law which seeks to deter illegal immigration. ⁵

ACE has also opposed legislation that would have strengthened Arizona’s election security. ⁶

People

Alejandra Gomez is a co-executive director for ACE. Gomez is the former deputy organization director of United We Dream, a left-of-center illegal immigration advocacy organization. ⁷

Tomas Robles is a co-executive director for ACE. Robles is the former outreach coordinator of United Farm Workers of America, a labor union that represents agricultural workers. ⁷

Ayensa Millan is a former president of ACE. ⁸ Millan is the Founder and CEO of the Arizona-based Cima Law Group which specializes in immigration law. Millan is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), a dues- and membership-supported organization for lawyers that promotes the practice of immigration law, liberalized immigration, and advancing the policy argument that immigrants improve the U.S. economy. She is also the Chair of the Immigration Section of the Arizona State Bar. ⁹

Raquel Teran currently sits as an ACE board member and is the organization’s former director. ⁸ Teran, a Democrat, was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 and is a vocal advocate for immigrant rights. ¹⁰

Grants

In 2019, ACE received a $24,000 general support grant from the Marguerite Casey Foundation, a private foundation that funds left-of-center community organizing groups. ¹¹

In 2017, the New Venture Fund, a funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit that makes grants to left-of-center advocacy and organizing projects, gave ACE $15,000. ¹²

Funders for Justice, an online networking platform for left-of-center donors that focuses on race- and sex-based identity politics, lists ACE as an organization that deserves funding. ¹³

In July 2020, it was announced that the Sandler Foundation would be donating $200 million to “racial justice groups” in response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests, and Arizona Center for Empowerment was one of the eight grantees named. The funds will help recipients advocate for left-wing policies in battleground states and create long-term constituencies that support these issues. ¹⁴

1. “Learn.” Living United for Change in Arizona. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://luchaaz.org/new-page-3
2. Lollman, Laura. “One Arizona Coalition registers record number of voters.” AZ Family. Accessed March 29. 2020. https://www.azfamily.com/one-arizona-coalition-registers-record-number-of-voters/article_d2322ef2-cc87-11e8-b346-7334576b2456.html
3. BrieAnna, Frank. “‘If we’re not voting, we’re not changing anything’: One Arizona launches effort to register 250,000 voters.” AZ Central. Accessed March 29, 2020.  https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2020/02/08/one-arizona-launches-effort-register-250-000-voters-carl-hayden-high-school/4702317002/
4. Zetino, Griselda. “Arizona groups raising money to help young people apply for DACA.” KTAR News. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://ktar.com/story/2167263/arizona-groups-raising-money-to-help-young-people-apply-for-daca/
5. Nevarez, Griselda. “Awakened by SB 1070, One Arizona Now a Model for Latino Voter Registration.” NBC News. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/awakened-sb1070-one-arizona-now-model-latino-voter-registration-n647891
6. Adams, Kirsten. “Voter advocacy groups rally against GOP election bills.” Cronkite News. http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2013/03/voter-advocacy-groups-rally-against-gop-election-bills/index.html
7. “Staff.” Arizona Center for Empowerment. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.empoweraz.org/staff12
8. Arizona Center for Empowerment, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part VII, Section A. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/272/366/2017-272366780-1008f3ab-9.pdf
9. “Ayensa I. Millan.” Cima Law Group. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.cimalawgroup.com/about/ayensa-millan/
10. “House Member Raquel Terán.” Arizona State Legislature. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.azleg.gov/house-member/?legislature=54&legislator=1911
11. “Arizona Center for Empowerment.” Marguerite Casey Foundation. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://caseygrants.org/grantee-database/arizona-center-for-empowerment/
12. New Venture Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/205/806/2017-205806345-1033ecec-9.pdf
13. “Arizona Center for Empowerment.” Funders for Justice. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://fundersforjustice.org/arizona-center-for-empowerment/
14. Herndon, Astead W. “Progressive Donor Susan Sandler to Give $200 Million to Racial Justice Groups,” September 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/us/politics/Susan-Sandler-donation-racial-justice.html.