$250K awarded to 2 Fresno organizations ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A quarter of a million dollars. That's how much two Latino-led organizations in Fresno are getting from the Latino Community Foundation, just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Sandra Vidrio's non-profit, the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, was awarded $150,000.

The funding will help expand their business courses and create more seed-funding grants for entrepreneurs, which range from $1,000 to $5,000.

"There are participants that have cried over the phone. And for them, this is that last hope that they had in order to really elevate and upscale their business into the next level that they have to do so it's very impactful," mentions Sandra.

The Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative, or CVIIC, was awarded $100,000 to continue its work in educating small business owners.

Clarissa Vivian Petrucci is the Special Projects Coordinator at CVIIC.

"It is going to change lives and is going to contribute to the economic development of many rural communities because let's not forget that these intrapreneurs are contributing to our economies," says Clarissa.

Both organizations offer their resources to anyone who needs help. However, they do focus on supporting the Spanish-speaking community, immigrants and low-income entrepreneurs.

Adriana Saldivar with the Latino Community Foundation calls her foundation's work necessary for Central California.

"When we invest in small entrepreneurs, we are creating jobs. We are creating tax revenue for our cities and our counties. We're excited to be able to support the organizations that are doing that work," explains Adriana.

If you would like more information on CVIIC, click here. For more about the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, click here.