Contigo Fund Supports HF’s Bridge Program

In the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy, Hispanic Federation launched Proyecto Somos Orlando as a way of supporting the victims and their families. This meant making sure that the people who needed help the most not only received help but also did so in a way that respected cultural differences.

Thanks to a grant from the Contigo Fund, Hispanic Federation will build on that work through a new initiative called the Bridge Program. The goal of the program is to bridge the gap between Central Florida’s social service infrastructure and the Puerto Rican LGBTQ community members who are aiming to migrate or have recently arrived to the area.

“The more we have worked in Central Florida the more it has become obvious to us that one of the key challenges facing the Puerto Rican community is their disconnect from the area’s important social service providers,” said Hispanic Federation Senior Vice President, Frankie Miranda. “This grant from the Contigo Fund will allow us to begin to address this issue by connecting those in need in the Puerto Rican community to culturally competent social service providers in the area.”

The Contigo Fund, a project of the Our Fund Foundation, was created to honor the lives of those who were lost at Pulse—nearly all of whom were Latinx or LGBTQ—by ensuring that their identities, lived experiences, families and communities are never forgotten.

For more information on the Bridge Program, please contact Ricardo Negrón-Almodóvar.