I am fundraising because the work we do at ALMA Chicago is not abstract to me, it is personal, lived, and urgent. I have spent my career fighting to ensure that Latinx and LGBTQ+ people, especially youth, have spaces where they can lead, create, and advocate without fear or erasure. I know what it means to come of age without those resources. I also know what happens when young people finally have access to leadership spaces that affirm them: they grow, they lead, and they change their communities in ways that ripple far beyond any single program.

Some of the most powerful moments in my time at ALMA have been small ones. I remember a young artist in ALMA Creates who pulled me aside after presenting their final piece. They shared that it was the first time in their life they felt safe showing their full identity—Latinx, queer, and creative—without apologizing for any part of themselves. I remember a participant in our Advocacy Leadership Institute who told me that they had never been in a room where their ideas about policy and community organizing were taken seriously until they arrived here. These moments are reminders of why our programs cannot be treated as optional or expendable.

Yet the reality is that programs for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth are being treated as expendable. Federal decisions have reshaped philanthropic priorities nationwide, and while ALMA has never received government dollars, we feel the downstream impact sharply. This year alone, we lost more than $20,000 in funding for ALMA Creates. That is not just a number, it represents young people who may not get access to mentorship, training, or a leadership pathway that could fundamentally change their futures.

I am fundraising because I refuse to accept a future where our youth lose the few safe spaces they have to grow as leaders. I am fundraising because leadership development in our communities has always been built by us, for us; long before institutions cared to invest, and long after their priorities changed. And I am fundraising because every time someone tells me that a program like ours helped them see themselves as a leader for the first time, I am reminded that this work is not just necessary; it is transformative.

Your support directly protects these spaces. It ensures that Latinx and LGBTQ+ youth do not lose opportunities simply because funding structures are shifting. It keeps leadership development rooted where it belongs—in the community itself. I believe in this work. I have witnessed its impact. And I am asking you to stand with me so we can continue building the leaders our communities deserve.