Participant continues to work at the intersection of film and social impact.
In honor of its upcoming release Radical, based on the true story of Mexican schoolteacher Sergio Juárez Correa, who used immersive education techniques to help elevate his students from mostly failing to among the top in the nation, the studio is launching a fund to help close the achievement gap among Latino students in real life.
The Radical Fund aims to give one-time grants to 12 organizations dedicated to serving the educational needs of Latino students, including academic retention, graduation, teaching STEAM subjects and leadership development. Using promotion of Radical, which won the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance in January and will be released in theaters on Nov. 3, the studio is partnering with Hispanics in Philanthropy for an impact campaign that will encourage donors to give to the fund via the bilingual digital platform HIPGive.
The fund and campaign was announced on Wednesday evening at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference’s screening of Radical in Washington, D.C., by the film’s star and producer, Eugenio Derbez, and HIP president and CEO Ana Marie Argilagos.
“I am proud that alongside our partners at Participant and Hispanics in Philanthropy, our film has the opportunity to inspire audiences and make a real impact by sparking meaningful conversations around potential in schools and driving support of the Latino community through the Radical Fund,” Derbez said in a statement.
Participant will make a contribution to the fund. “There are few things more important than the education of the world’s children,” Participant CEO David Linde said in a statement. “We love this film, and the Radical Fund will support organizations that are making a direct impact in the lives of Latinx students, and we are proud to work with Hispanics in Philanthropy on this initiative.”
The announcement comes in the same week HIP released a study noting that Latinos, like all Americans, are donating less to established charitable organizations. However, they are giving at above-average rates when it comes to informal help, such as financially assisting family members and neighbors.
“Our communities are already very creative and resourceful,” Argilagos said in a statement. “Our digital tools provide us a way to celebrate and amplify their work to donors in the U.S. and beyond.”
The 12 organizations that will receive grants from the Radical Fund are:
- Colorado Nonprofit Development Center DBA In Lak’ech Denver Arts (Denver, Colo.)
- Community Connections for Youth (Bronx, N.Y.)
- Educational and Cultural Advancement for Latinos, Inc. (Evansville, Ind.)
- Leaders in Training (Las Vegas, Nev.)
- Miami EdTech (Miami, Fla.)
- Piñones Aprende y Emprende Corp (Loiza, P.R.)
- Salinas Valley Dream Academy (Salinas, Calif.)
- ScholarshipsA-Z (Tucson, Ariz.)
- Semillas (Semilla, Tenn.)
- The Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (Detroit, Mich.)
- Yes We Can Foundation (Los Angeles, Calif., and Tijuana, Mex.)
- Youth Rise Texas (Austin, Tex.)
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