Our Stewardship Philosophy:
  • We prioritize projects that can become self-sustaining, rather than services that are a short-term response to immediate need
  • We preserve and build programs and services that have already shown success
  • We design culturally relevant programs that address unmet needs in the Hispanic community locally and nationwide

We value your partnership in our work and stewards your contributions to maximize impact! 




Here are just some of key areas of our work where your support can make a difference today:

Sustaining Excellence

Gifts of general support help us to address administrative expenses that keep our programs functioning in excellence. This includes facilities maintenance, information technology, accounting, security and other key areas- the “glue” that holds it all together. Our offices here house a variety of community development, workforce, and educational programs, and nearly two hundred staff. As health care costs for our staff continue to rise, and program contracts diminish in size but service expectations remain the same, Esperanza must absorb the difference. As a non-profit, these dollars are vital to the quality operations that make for excellent services. Excellent services in turn communicate to the over 7,000 individuals and their families we serve each year, “you are valued.”

To make a difference, select “Use My Gift Where Most Needed” when you make your gift.

If you would like to consider supporting Esperanza’s programming, operations, or faith initiatives at a larger level, consider joining the Esperanza 100, a league of major donors committed to Esperanza’s long-term vision in Philadelphia and nationwide.

Strengthening Hispanic Homeownership

Stable homes make stable families and communities (Center for Responsible Lending). But Hispanic homeownership rates are 15% lower than the rest of the population and Hispanic homeowners are 71% more likely to have lost their home to foreclosure.

Esperanza needs your support to continue training and sustaining bilingual housing counselors in our local service area of Philadelphia, as well as throughout the country, as one of only two Hispanic organizations certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as a national housing counseling intermediary.

The average cost to save a home from foreclosure is just $343! Your gift will allow Esperanza to equip the counselors that make this possible.

To make a difference, select “Strengthening Hispanic Homeownership” when you make your gift.

Providing Quality Education
Esperanza has designed education programs that are effective and raise the bar for success in our Hispanic communities! Our high school graduates over 95% of its students, and 97% of graduates are accepted to college. Our college boasts an associate’s degree completion rate of over 64% (four times higher than the national average). During challenging economic times, your support is needed to sustain interventions proven to help students succeed, such as mentoring, arts programming, and tutoring.

For example, $211 allows Esperanza to provide tutoring services to a college student for one full year. This support is particularly crucial in areas such as math and sciences as we seek to increase Hispanic representation in these fields.

To make a difference, select “Esperanza Academy” or “Esperanza College” when you make your gift.


Expanding Access to the Arts - AMLA
Nearly 45% of Philadelphia’s Hunting Park residents live at or under the federal poverty level (University of Pennsylvania Neighborhood Information Systems). To expand access to the benefits of arts education, AMLA offers arts and music education at the lowest fees in the area, yet some students are still unable to afford classes.

$594 is the cost for a student to attend AMLA for a full year, or thirty-three weeks. Music theory is included in the education at no additional cost, and the students are encouraged to form ensembles that allow for showcasing performances. A gift of any size will support quality programming and tuition assistance for an AMLA student.  

To make an impact in the life of an AMLA youth student, please select “Expanding Access to the Arts - AMLA” when making your gift.


Providing Hope for New Americans – Esperanza Immigration Legal Services
Philadelphia has one of the largest and fastest-growing immigrant populations in the country. About half of the 500,000 foreign-born individuals in the Philadelphia area are not United States citizens and potentially in need of immigration legal services (Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings).

EILS is currently the only accredited immigration legal services provider located in Upper North Philadelphia, and the only Hispanic provider in the city. Since opening its doors in 2009, EILS has seen a steady stream of clients, with over 40 percent in need of citizenship assistance.

 

An immigration case can cost approximately $600, with some applications for citizenship or domestic violence victims costing considerably more. Because many immigrants are low-income, EILS charges between $50 and $300, depending on the specifics of each case and the client’s financial situation. The balance must be raised through the generous support of donors like you. We expect to serve at least 200 immigrants in 2011-12, and with your help, can reach even more.

To support hope for new Americans, please select “Providing Hope to New Americans - EILS” when making your gift.