JUNTA for Progressive Action is a left-of-center immigration advocacy group working in the New Haven, Connecticut Latino community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, JUNTA created a fund to support rent payments for New Haven residents without legal immigration status. ¹

People

Board of Directors

JUNTA’s board of directors is chaired by Letamarie Highsmith, who also sits on the advisory board of Jane Doe No More, an organization for sexual assault survivors. ² JUNTA’s vice chair is Adriana Joseph. ²

JUNTA treasurer Frederic DePourcq is a member of Yale Health’s Patient and Family Council and the Yale LGBTQ Steering Committee. ³ Liam Brennan, JUNTA secretary, was formerly an assistant United States Attorney with the Department of Justice and is currently the executive director of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. ⁴

Executive Director

JUNTA’s staff is led by interim executive director Bruni Pizarro. Previously, Pizzaro worked on the Environment and Climate Change Committee of New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker’s (D) transition team. ⁵ In 2017, Pizzaro completed a fellowship with the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation, a left-of-center grantmaking organization that promotes environmentalist projects. ⁵

Programs

JUNTA organizes three programs to support left-of-center initiatives in New Haven. JUNTA 360 offers immigrant legal services and works with participants to secure government benefits. ⁶ JUNTA Rises works with participants to provide job and skills training to members of the New Haven Latino community. ⁷ JUNTA Youth offers various educational and leadership development services to Latino children and young adults. ⁸ JUNTA also has a partnership with the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), appointing Latino “Cultural Ambassadors” to expand its reach within the Latino community. ⁹

Finances

JUNTA receives a substantial amount of government support for its programming, with government grants composing 38% ($195,857) of JUNTA’s total contributions ($513,157) in 2018. ¹⁰  This is a decrease from previous years, with government grants representing 44% of JUNTA’s total contributions in 2017 and 58% of total contributions in 2016. ^{11 12}

According to the organization’s tax return, JUNTA spent a total of $432,600 on its programs in 2018. ¹³

1. Breen, Thomas. “Covid Updates: 100 Tests A Day On Day Street; Blake Triage Center Opening Soon.” New Haven Independent. New Haven Independent, April 29, 2020. https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/covid_updates17/.
2. “Our Team.” Accessed October 14, 2020. https://janedoenomore.org/about/our_team.
3. “Welcome Our New Co-Chair, Fred De Pourcq.” Welcome our new co-chair, Fred De Pourcq | Yale LGBTQ Affinity Group, June 30, 2017. https://lgbtqaffinity.yale.edu/news/welcome-our-new-co-chair-fred-de-pourcq.
4. Brennan, Liam. “Liam Brennan – LinkedIn.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 14, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-brennan-7b6b4714a.
5. “Bruni Pizarro.” Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation. Accessed October 14, 2020. https://www.switzernetwork.org/user/4660.
6. “JUNTA 360.” Junta Inc. JUNTA for Progressive Action. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://www.juntainc.org/en/junta360/.
7. “JUNTA Rises.” Junta Inc. JUNTA for Progressive Action. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://www.juntainc.org/en/junta-rises/.
8. “JUNTA Youth.” Junta Inc. JUNTA for Progressive Action. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://www.juntainc.org/en/junta-youth/.
9. “Junta for Progressive Action.” Research Across the Spectrum (YCCI). Accessed October 14, 2020. https://medicine.yale.edu/ycci/researchspectrum/cer/research/ambassadors/junta/.
10. JUNTA for Progressive Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Part VIII, Line 1e.
11. JUNTA for Progressive Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part VIII, Line 1e.
12. JUNTA for Progressive Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Part VIII, Line 1e.
13. JUNTA for Progressive Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Part III, Line 4a.