Valiente Fund is a left-of-center grantmaking fund and a project for activist group Way to Rise. The project provides funding to activist organizations claiming to in the interests of the Latino Community within in the United States. ¹

Background

Valiente Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of Way to Rise, a left-of-center strategy group that aims to direct funds from donors to activists and political organizations. ¹ Way to Rise was previously managed by the Amalgamated Foundation. ²

Activities

Valiente Fund claims to work towards funding advocacy groups engaging in work related to the Latino American community as well as policy issues including immigration. The group argues that the elements of power include “base building, leadership development, advancing issue campaigns, building electoral influence, long-term narrative and cultural change, organizational and community resilience.” ¹

Valiente Fund argues that “Latines,” the group’s gender-neutral term for Latinos, account for nearly “32 million eligible voters” but do not yet act as “a decisive bloc in civic, culture, and economic arenas.” The group calls for a funding structure that will help organize “Latine communities at scale” and create “lasting economic, civic, and cultural power.”  ¹

Funding

In 2023, the Valiente Fund received $4,398,853 in funding from Amalgamated Charitable, a union-supported donor-advised fund. Way to Rise was previously managed by Amalgamated until it broke away to become an independent group in September 2022. The grant money, originally from the Ford Foundation, was designated to be spent from April 2023 through March 2026 “to generate and organize donors, build year-round civic engagement programs focused on people of color, women, and young people, and strengthen state social justice infrastructure.” ³

This followed from a grant of $4,101,147 given by the Ford Foundation to Amalgamated Charitable earmarked for Way to Rise for a similar purpose. It was designated to be spent from November 2020 to October 2025. ⁴

Grantmaking

According to Valiente Fund’s website, the organization’s “power-builder accelerator grantees” include Act 4 SA, Alianza Center, Carolina Migrant Network, Colaborativa La Milpa, Del Ambiente, Este Poder, La Mesa Boricua, Mano Amiga SM, Miami Freedom Project for Democracy, Poder NC Education Fund, Somos Siembra, Somos Tejas Community Initiative, and Vocal Texas. ⁵

Leadership

Valiente Fund was founded by Jose Garcia, Javier Valdes, Stephanie Roman, and Sarah Aduelo. As of 2024, its advisory committee members included Cristina Jimenez, Jessica Salinas, Hilda Vega, and Jessica Rocketo Robledo. ¹

1. “Valiente Fund: A Project of Way to Rise.” Valiente. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://valiente.waytorise.org/.
2.  “Way to Rise – Wielding Power to Govern.” Way to Rise. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/way-to-rise/.
3. “Our Grants.” Ford Foundation. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/way-to-rise-146689/.
4. “Our Grants.” Ford Foundation. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/amalgamated-charitable-foundation-inc-138894/.
5. “Valiente Fund.” Way to Rise. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://valiente.waytorise.org/.