This story was produced by El Tiempo Latino. La puedes leer en español aquí.

After eight years supporting Latino businesses and community members in the D.C. region, Marla Bilonick has taken the helm of a national organization and is expanding their presence in the District. The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) was founded 20 years ago to unite nonprofit organizations focused on improving the Latino economy and coming together to achieve greater participation in the growth of the United States.

Some 150 nonprofits are under the organization’s umbrella and the goal is for many more to join in order to grow and profit, according to Bilonick, NALCAB’s president and CEO. Among the members there are organizations working in the area of housing to get more Latinos to become homeowners; other members represent a variety of small businesses; and a third of the organizations are Hispanic-community financial institutions serving this minority group.

“A lot of our members have to do with economics, but we also have organizations related to immigration.

“They are there to help the Latino community and at the same time they have the component of understanding our culture,” says Bilonick, who since taking on this role seven months ago is leading a new phase, seeking to gain greater access to capital for underprivileged Latino businesses.

With a Latino seal

This association brings together a broad network of organizations throughout the country and Puerto Rico, many of which are in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Created by a group of Latino leaders from urban and rural areas, its aim was to identify the main challenges facing Hispanics as they pursued economic development in their community. Since then, the association’s areas of interest have been centered on advocating for policies that benefit Hispanic businesses, investment, and training and technical support for its members.

NALCAB does not have small business owners or individual financial institutions as members. Its members are organizations such as state, municipal, and local Hispanic chambers of commerce, community funds, and economic development coalitions. These in turn are made up of individual members such as microenterprise owners, homebuilders, cooperative owners, and more, all of them bearing the Latino seal.

The objective is to support partner organizations so that they can in turn benefit their members, who may be owners of restaurants, event companies, construction, entertainment, grocery markets, real estate, and other economic activities. The specific reinforcements offered include counseling to learn how to manage organizations, financial support through scholarships, and loans for training.

“Moreover,” says Bilonick, “we are a kind of bridge of credibility and trust between entities that have financial resources and our members, so that they can obtain loans. What is interesting is that there is a fluid interaction between the long-established nonprofits and the newer ones to offer them experience and knowledge. We are good at what we do and we want to grow our membership because we believe in the product we offer.”

Objective to increase membership

For now, the majority of the association’s staff is based in San Antonio, Texas, because that is where the management is located; a good number of the partner organizations are based in that state, and because of the connection with the immigration issue due to the proximity to the border. With Bilonick’s arrival, they are hiring in D.C. to focus more on increasing membership, creating strategies to reach states where they still have little presence, and influencing policies in favor of Hispanics.

Bilonick brings to the association her experience as executive director of the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), which in the D.C. metropolitan area is well known for providing timely assistance to small businesses and low-income tenants.

“I know the impact we made. For example, we were able to access federal funds of up to $800,000 per year that we did not know existed. I know what needs to be done and we have to take advantage of the fact that right now, because of the health crisis, there are resources for minority nonprofits to stimulate growth in their communities.”

Organizations interested in becoming a member must fill out a form demonstrating that they work for the Latino community on economic, entrepreneurship, and immigration issues.

To apply, visit nalcab.org/membership, or send an email to membership@nalcab.org. The annual membership fee ranges from a minimum of$250 to a maximum of$5,000, depending on the budget of each nonprofit.

Since its inception, NALCAB has invested some $450 million in the community, benefiting some 100,000 Latinos in more than 40 states. It began with four employees, and now it has 38 full-time employees and several consultants.

A dynamic sector

The pandemic revealed the fragility of small businesses, once one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, some 4.65 million microenterprises are Hispanic-owned, and they represent the fastest growing group over the last 10 years. Its contribution to the national economy is $500 billion, and the businesses generate employment for some 3.4 million people.

One of Bilonick’s aspirations for 2022 is for people to know that NALCAB exists and that it is there to work for and with the Hispanic community. For now, memberships and business are concentrated in California, the South (San Antonio, Phoenix, Miami), the East Coast (Boston, New York, D.C. metro area), and Chicago.

But Bilonick is tracking emergingLatino ventures elsewhere,including in North Dakota, Washington State, and Michigan. “We still don’t have anyone from these places, and we want to go there to support these communities, because we believe that this is the only vehicle through which it is possible to achieve social justice and equality,” she says.

She sees opportunity to leverage increased pressure on businesses and governments to work with minorities and commit to addressing systemic barriers. “Corporations are increasing their investments with Latinos in mind,” Bilonick says. “Therefore, it is a good time for us to benefit.”