Ten organizations will receive $25,000 to support their work serving low-income members of the local Latin American and Caribbean community.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has announced the 10 winners of the 2022 Improving Lives Grant, which supports non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C., area whose work addresses the needs of low-income members of the Latin American and Caribbean community.

Each organization will receive $25,000 under the grant initiative, which was established to give back to the city and communities that host the IDB’s headquarters, in line with the Bank’s mission of improving lives. The organizations will use the funds to implement, enhance or expand their work.

This year’s winners are:

• Barbara Chambers Children’s Center - provides childhood development services and English-Spanish education for young children and their families.
• CARECEN - works to foster the development of the area’s Latino population by facilitating the integration of immigrants into their communities.
• CentroNía - offers early-childhood education, professional development and family-support services to more than 2,500 children and families.
• Community Bridges - empowers immigrant and minority girls to become exceptional students, leaders and healthy young women.
• Edu-Futuro - supports immigrant and underserved youth through mentorship, education, leadership development and parent engagement.
• KID Museum - engages populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields to build economic opportunity and diversify the talent pipeline.
• La Clínica del Pueblo - strives to build a healthy Latino community through varied and culturally appropriate health services.
• La Cocina VA - harnesses the power of food and cooking to create social and economic change in low-income communities.
• Latin American Youth Center - promotes a successful transition to adulthood through programs addressing social, academic and career needs.
• Mary's Center for Maternal & Child Care, Inc. - integrates healthcare, education and social services to advance participants’ health, stability and economic independence.

The winners were selected through a two-stage process of evaluation by senior IDB specialists. A baseline requirement was that all project proposals primarily target the neediest segments of the local Latin American and/or Caribbean community and employ a creative or innovative approach to an identified challenge or need.

The Improving Lives Grant is part of the IDB’s Community Relations Program, which was established in 1999. The Program supports the work of selected non-profit organizations through grants, volunteerism, in-kind donations and fundraising campaigns.

For more information, write to IDBcommunityrelations@iadb.org.