Press Release: Mission Economic Development Agency Named UnidosUS Affiliate of the Year

Christopher Gil
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
(415) 282-3334 ext. 152
cgil@medasf.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2019

Mission Economic Development Agency Named UnidosUS Affiliate of the Year
UnidosUS Affiliate Organizations Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Latino Community

San Francisco — UnidosUS (formerly NCLR) today announced at its 2019 Annual Conference in San Diego that Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has received the UnidosUS Affiliate of the Year Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a UnidosUS Affiliate for its commitment to achieving meaningful change for the Latino community.

“UnidosUS has been fortunate to have MEDA as part of our network of talented Affiliates taking on critical issues and improving lives,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “We are honoring MEDA today for its unyielding passion for helping hardworking Latino families attain greater financial security and achieve the American Dream. As many in the Latino community face economic challenges and displacement, MEDA’s approach is building resiliency and prosperity in one of the most expensive cities in the nation.”

MEDA works to strengthen the financial well-being of low- and moderate-income Latino families by promoting economic equity and social justice through asset-building and community development in the San Francisco Bay Area. It offers nearly all its services at no cost, and its strategies center around affordable housing, small business, access to capital and education. It annually serves 7,400 people.

“MEDA is honored to be selected as the UnidosUS 2019 Affiliate of the Year,” said Luis Granados, MEDA Chief Executive Officer. “Our hardworking staff works daily to strengthen our low-income and immigrant families, with us now sharing our model nationwide. This work is inspired by the power of the individual and collective experience of our Latino community. MEDA is proud to be part of the 269-organization UnidosUS Affiliate Network, with us collaboratively working toward a common goal of building equity through Latino wealth, place and power.”

MEDA works with UnidosUS as a grantee of the Digital Innovation program to scale the impact of MEDA’s ¡Viva! financial-capability toolkit into an online platform. This will feature an interactive tool for coaches, clients and communities to work together on individual family development and wealth-building plans. MEDA works with five UnidosUS Affiliates to build their financial capability programs by using MEDA’s ¡Viva! model for community development.

The Affiliate of the Year Award is made possible through the generous collaboration of Ford Motor Company Fund, a longstanding partner of UnidosUS in its commitment to advancing the interests of the Latino community. Ford Motor Company Fund is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.

“Ford Fund congratulates MEDA’s impactful work to empower Latino families through its excellent economic development programs,” said Joe Avila, Manager, Community Development, U.S. & Latin America, Ford Motor Company Fund. “It is rewarding to continue our more than 25-year partnership with UnidosUS to strengthen communities across the country.”

In addition to honoring MEDA with a $25,000 cash award, UnidosUS also recognized regional awardees from its Affiliate Network. Each honoree was presented with a $5,000 cash award at the Conference’s National Affiliate Luncheon. Regional awardees included: Midwest Affiliate of the Year: Esperanza, Inc. of Cleveland; Far West Affiliate of the Year: Latino Network, Portland, Ore.; Northeast Affiliate of the Year: Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, Inc. (APM), Philadelphia; Southeast Affiliate of the Year: East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, Raleigh, N.C.; Texas Affiliate of the Year: Su Clínica Familiar, Harlingen, Texas.

The UnidosUS Affiliate Network consists of nearly 300 community-based organizations that provide a diverse range of key services and resources to millions of Latinos across the country. The UnidosUS Annual Conference is a central meeting place for Affiliates, and it includes thousands of people representing community organizations, nonprofits, government, corporations, and academic institutions.

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About Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Rooted in the Mission and focused on San Francisco, MEDA’s mission is to strengthen low- and moderate-income Latino families by promoting economic equity and social justice through asset building and community development. 
medasf.org

About UnidosUS
UnidosUS, previously known as NCLR (National Council of La Raza), is the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Through its unique combination of expert research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico, UnidosUS simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels. For more than 50 years, UnidosUS has united communities and different groups seeking common ground through collaboration, and that share a desire to make our country stronger.
unidosus.org

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