GOLD2022

Latin American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

aka LALDEF   |   Trenton, NJ   |  www.laldef.org

Mission

The mission of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. (LALDEF) is to promote the rights of all immigrants (with a focus on the Latin American community in the Mercer County area); facilitate access to health care, education, and legal representation; advocate for the integration of immigrants; and foster intercultural communication that strengthens our communities.

Ruling year info

2005

Executive Director

Cecy Jimenez-Weeast

Main address

714-716 S. Clinton Avenue

Trenton, NJ 08611 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

20-2484231

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (R01)

Minority Rights (R22)

Ethnic/Immigrant Services (P84)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

LALDEF promotes the rights of all immigrants; facilitates access to health care, education and legal representation; advocates for the integration of immigrants; and fosters inter-cultural communication to strengthen our communities.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

FUTURO Mentoring Program

FUTURO guides, nurtures and coaches Junior and Senior high school students,  who are either immigrants or children of immigrants,  through the process of graduating and transitioning into post-secondary education.

Population(s) Served
Immigrants and migrants
Adolescents

LALDEF is recognized by the Department of Justice to provide legal assistance to low income applicants with immigration applications.

Population(s) Served
Immigrants and migrants

We issue the Mercer County Area Community ID Card to provide a form of legitimate identification recognized by local law enforcement agencies, health care providers, financial institutions, and municipal and social service agencies.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Offerings include: English as a Second Language (ESL), computer, Spanish literacy, and citizenship classes.

Population(s) Served
Immigrants and migrants

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

LALDEF focuses on the root causes of immigrant marginalization. We seek to empower immigrants to reach self-sufficiency and thrive, by showing them how to navigate the system and find the resources they need.

LALDEF offers an array of services in-house and also acts as a conduit referring clients to other agencies. In this work and in our advocacy, the overarching goal is to dismantle barriers that stand in the way of a more fair and just society, and to support the incorporation of immigrants in a way that strengthens the social fabric overall.

Through our core programming, LALDEF has established itself regionally for its success at meeting the needs of the immigrant community. Our work improves the access to services for our immigrant neighbors and in 2019, over 3,000 households found the services they needed to get ahead at LALDEF.

At LALDEF we focus on supporting and advocating for our immigrant neighbors. We do this working six days a week across five core program areas:

1. Direct Immigration Legal Representation (Department of Justice Recognized Organization)
2. Mercer County Area Community ID Card (Municipally Endorsed)
3. FUTURO (College Preparatory Program, Youth Mentoring)
4. Adult Education (ESOL, Citizenship Prep, Computer, Spanish Literacy, and HSE Prep Classes)
5. Client Advocacy and Community Organizing

Since our FUTURO program began in 2010, 100% of FUTURO seniors have graduated and 80% have gone on to enroll in a 2 or 4 year college program. Recent graduates are now attending top-rated schools including Cornell, Yale, Columbia, Rutgers, and more, while some early graduates are finding success in government, finance, and computer science.

Absenteeism (pre-COVID-19) decreased by 35% at Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School -- our AKT partner.

We annually serve between 3,000 and 3,500 clients every year.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    We serve the low-income immigrants of Mercer County, with a focus on the Latino community here. Many of our clients struggle with food, housing, and job insecurity, lack of health care, limited access to educational opportunities, and a general lack of resources. While the ages of our primary clients range from high school students to the elderly, LALDEF works with and engages entire families holistically, understanding that by engaging with the community in this way, we improve the lives of parents and their children.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome

Financials

Latin American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Latin American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 05/05/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Pete Taft

Taft Communications

David Anderson

DMA Infotech LLC

David Long

Princeton Policy Associates

Susan Roy

Law Office of Susan G. Roy, LLC

Jonathan Lear

Lear & Pannepacker, LLC

Miguel Centeno

Princeton University

Sasa Olessi Montaño

Meals on Wheels

Richard Sperry

Novo Nordisk

Alberto Vourvoulias

CUNY's Craig Newmark School of Journalism

Patricia Fernandez-Kelly

Princeton University

Karen Hernandez-Granzen

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Jason Scott Camilo

Law Offices of Jason Scott Camilo, LLC

Rachael Evans

Henry J. Austin Health Center

Valeria Posso Gonzalez

Advertise IT LLC

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/17/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx
Gender identity
Female

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/17/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.